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Virtual Tidewater

In real estate, a picture is worth thousands of dollars.  Hopefully, your pictures are adding thousands to the value of your property, not subtracting them!  Don’t allow first impressions to fall flat!  Leave it to the expert, seasoned professional, Rosalind Boyle of Virtual Tidewater!  Your clients will thank you…

“Virtual Tidewater is a virtual tour and design company based in Hampton Roads.  It was started in 2008 by REALTOR, Rosalind Boyle to provide quality listing photos for Hampton Roads area agents at a reasonable price.  Virtual Tidewater serves the entire Hampton Roads area from Virginia Beach to Williamsburg and Gloucester. In addition to property photos and virtual tours, Virtual Tidewater also provides design services from property flyers to business card design as well as website design. Real estate is a fast paced business and Virtual Tidewater always does it’s best to meet their clients scheduling needs and provide quick turn around.“

Opreie – REBCVA 2011 Sponsor

Before I tell you what Opreie is all about, I should share what impressed me most about their site.  When I was checking out what Opreie had to offer, a box popped up in the bottom right corner of my screen.  It was a chat box, but not a “typical” chat box.  The intro read something to the effect, “Hi!  I’m a real person, honestly.  Let me know if I can help you”.  Through that one small effort, I met the guys that run Opreie and found out not only what a great product they have, but also how awesome their customer service is!

Opreie offers web based contact and transaction management for real estate professionals.  Their site is free to try!  Check them out today and be sure to say “Hi!” to Steve when the chat box pops up!

What’s it All About Alfie?

That was the title song to a 1966 hit movie starring the then new, young, Michael Caine … of course he’s your grandfathers age  now  …… What’s it all about???????   That’s a common question by agents and brokers .. what is Rebarcamp?  

Well it’s about everything …… real estate … including …. video (movies) …. It amazes me how many agents don’t know about Rebarcamp .. and still have not attended one …. since they are free  and often include free food, I figured every real estate agent would have been to one or two by now.  This week rebarcamp/Virginia is taking place in Virginia Beach Thursday October 6, so you have your chance to attend.  This will be my 6th or 7th  I have attended in the last 3 years and won’t be the last ….. so join us …. Oct. 6 at the Westin.

To really explain What it’s all About …  I defer to the expert explanation of Ginger Wilcox, because she is one of the pioneers  in REBarCamp Movement ….

Ginger ….. “The concept for RE BarCamp came from a technology BarCamp event held in San Francisco. Wikipedia defines a barcamp as:

an international network of user generated conferences — open, participatory workshop-events, whose content is provided by participants.

RE BarCamp is a BarCamp for Real Estate (R.E. BarCamp). What that means- the event is not structured like a typical planned conference. Every session is not planned out in advance. Nobody is paid to deliver a session. Anybody can deliver a session and attendees are strongly encouraged to participate.

How does that happen?

When you arrive at the event, you will have the opportunity to put your name in a slot to facilitate a session. The number of sessions delivered at any given time depends on the venue and number of attendees. After registration is over, a board will be put up (see picture below) that details each session and what room they are located in throughout the day. The length of the sessions varies at each RE BarCamp event.

Photo courtesy of Morgan Brown www.turnhere.com.

If anyone can deliver a session, won’t some of the presentations be terrible?
Possibly, but it it not typical. Some of the best and brightest minds attend these events. They lead sessions and they sit in on sessions. RE BarCamp sessions are group sessions. They are not meant to be presentations by a single individual. Because the audience participates, sessions that may start out a little rocky often adjust and get redirected by the participation and collaboration of the audience. Presentations promoting specific commercial products or companies are discouraged. If you feel like you’re being sold, or if a session is really bad and your participation can’t turn it around, practice the rule of two feet- get up and walk out.

That sounds like chaos. How is that productive?
It can be a little chaotic, but some of the best ideas and invention are derived out of chaos. If you go in looking for a very structured day, you will be disappointed. What you get out of an RE BarCamp event is what you put into it.

What topics are covered in the sessions?
This depends completely on who volunteers to lead a session. The sessions are frequently related to technology usage in real estate but cover any topic from mortgages, to photography to philanthropy. If you want to hear a specific session, facilitate it!

Who runs the RE BarCamp events?
RE BarCamps are run completely by unpaid volunteers.

How much does it cost?
RE BarCamps are typically free events because of generous donations from sponsors.

How do I maximize my RE BarCamp experience?
1. Pick sessions of interest to you.
2. Participate, ask questions.
3. If you hear someone speak about something interesting, find them later and connect in the hallway.
4. Spontaneous sessions happen- embrace them! I attended RE BarCamp OC. I was standing outside looking at the session board with some fellow attendees. None of the sessions on the board looked appealing to me at that point in time. A group of us were looking for a more advanced session. On the fly, we grabbed a group and did a spontaneous session on the beach. We literally sat on the sand and held a fantastic and memorable session.

What if I don’t want to lead a session?
You don’t have to! Some people like to lead, other people like to listen, but don’t hesitate to ask questions.

You own your RE BarCamp experience. Make it a great one! “

~Compiled by @gingerw   

This unstructured event is company selling and company branding free! (except for paid sponsors )  Please leave your company name tags and company logo shirts at home …. this is a day of sharing, learning and unbranded participation where everyone is on a level playing field of learning and participating.

What IS RE Bar Camp?

Wondering what REBC is all about?  Let Mike Mueller (aka Mr. AreWeConnected.com) explain it in his own words!

And here is a video from REBC East Bay:

REBAR Camp Returns to Virginia Beach!

REBAR Camp Virginia returns to Virginia Beach as part of the VAR Real Show on October 6th from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. at The Westin in the heart of Virginia Beach’s Town Center. Registration is free and can be done at http://rebarcamp.com/virginia/. Okay – those are the stats. But why should you go? Why am I so excited about REBAR again?

Well, it’s all because Tina Merritt (and friends like Damien Steiner Smith and others), one of the luminaries of technology, social media and  real estate has decided to return REBAR Camp to its roots. A turn away from instructor-led Power Point presentations and one-way conversations…back to what REBAR has always stood for. The opportunity to network, to exchange ideas with the best and brightest thought leaders who can help answer the questions: “What are you working on right now?” and “What are the challenges you are facing today?”.

REBAR Virginia Beach promises to be raw. To get down to the actionable items and not just skim the surface. But you’d better come prepared. Prepared to have your conventional thinking challenged. Prepared to participate. Prepared to attend the after-party and really get to network with your peers and some of the industry’s finest. Is that a lot to ask? Maybe so if all you had planned to do was to come by and enjoy the finest views in the Commonwealth from the 30th floor of Virginia’s tallest building. Granted, the venue alone is worth the price of admission. But your time and expertise is worth a helluva lot more than that. So come. Spread the word. Be open. Share. The return will be immeasurable.

10 Tips for REBCVA Attendees

1.  Arrive early.  We have a full schedule and need everyone at the Westin no later than 10am!

2.  Bring a camera (or make sure you know how to use the one on your phone).  The views from the top of the Westin are sure to impress and you may also want to share the event with your friends.

3.  It’s not necessary to bring a laptop.  Your laptop can’t listen and share – only you can.  That’s why we invited YOU to attend and not your laptop.

4.  Dress in comfortable attire.  Wear flip flops if you want.  Just don’t wear your company-issued name tag.

5.  Change your voice mail to say, “I am attending a conference and will return your call as soon as it’s over”.  Your clients will understand.

6.  Bring business cards to share.

7.  There are lots of great lunch spots at Town Center.  Be sure to check them out and think about where you want to have lunch:  http://www.vabeachtowncenter.com/dine/

8.  Thank our sponsors.  Without them, we wouldn’t have this event.

9.  Make a list of 5 things you want to learn about and bring the list to the event.

10.  Try to stay for the entire Bar Camp.  You will be happy you did!

Want to Come to Real Estate Bar Camp Virginia 2011?

We would love to see you!  Registration is now open!  Thanks to everyone for helping to secure an AMAZING venue at the Westin!

RE Bar Camp Virginia 2011 Announced!

Yes, there will be a RE Bar Camp Virginia 2011.  We are in the VERY early planning stages and here is what we have thus far:

Date:  October 6, 2011

Place:  Somewhere in Virginia Beach

Time:  about 10am until around 4pm

After party:  definitely

Sponsors:  we need them!

About:  our goal is to go back to the grass roots of REBAR.  While we don’t know all the details yet, this event will be free of charge for attendees, it won’t be a huge event, we’ll try to feed everyone if we can afford it and the event will embrace the unselfish sharing of information among participants.  I don’t know if you will get a t-shirt nor do I know if we will even have name tags…but I plan to be there and I hope you will too.

T.

What is REBarCamp All About?

For those who have never attended a REBarCamp, it is difficult to explain exactly what the event is all about.  Each and every REBarCamp is unique.  Some describe the event as an “Un-conference” due in part to the casual, non-programmed nature of the event.  There is no real right or wrong way to have a REBC – as long as the core value of the unselfish sharing of information is at the forefront.  Daniel Rothamel, aka “The Real Estate Zebra” created this video which captures the spirit of REBarCamp so well.