TheREALTYgram Blogger

Realty Pros' Philanthropic Blog MakesLinguistic Shift To Law Of Attraction

Language is a powerful tool. We often underestimate its might and we are careless about word choices. I recently assessed my own word choices and decided to make a conscious shift in vocabulary. I started here earlier this year by avoiding some of the more inflammatory tidbits I was prone to use in earlier blogging posts.

Last year Web Women Giving Circle Founder and Master Coach Joeann Fossland introduced me to the concept of The Law of Attraction. I read Michael Lozier's Law of Attraction book and started to work with the principle in many areas of my life. I recently saw The Secret movie and had another thought about how to apply LOA to our philanthropic blog. We have added the words Love, Hope, and Abundance to our Categories and we have chosen more positive words to describe the prospect of improving the human condition.

I'm watching the development of a new real estate lexicon by some of the mighty new web sites like Zillow. Zillow refers to REALTORS as "real estate service providers." That is a misuse of the English language. We need to work on that. We will! Stay tuned.

'REALTORS Don't Even Clean Your HouseFor Showings!' Say FSBO Entrepreneurs

More Magazine has published an article about FSBO entrepreneurs. I love the following quotation:

"Their business rationale goes like this: NAR agents typically earn about 6 percent commission on each sale, 'creating fees that add up to tens of thousands for the seller ... They don't even clean your house for showings -- you have to do it.' For just $150, FSBOMadison (pronounced fizz-boh) will list a house, manage the online traffic, and throw in a teal yard sign. Judging by the success of the site -- which now lists almost 15 percent of all houses on the market in and around Madison, and gets more Internet traffic than the multiple-listing service operated by area agents -- it's clear that they've tapped into a revolutionary new way to sell real estate."

Peggy Northrop, editor of More Magazine, is shown in photo at left with Master Coach and FSBO Queen Joeann Fossland at a gathering in Tucson on Saturday. FSBOs were not on the agenda last weekend. Perhaps Joeann will offer to write a counterpoint article or conduct a consciousness raising seminar for our friends in women's publishing. All this in the week Joeann launches a new web site for REALTORS. Hmmmmmmm.....

The Real Estate Hat LadyTaps Top New Orleans Milliner

It's not often we have a chance to be a witness to history. First I had an opportunity to see and hear Bill Clinton and George Bush. Yesterday, I got another big scoop, chronicling another significant event in real estate fashion news. Master Coach and Certified e-PRO Trainer Joeann Fossland, known for her signature hats, visited Fleur de Paris in New Orleans yesterday and added three new pieces to her extensive collection of hat finery, in colors ranging from butter to black to red. The REALTYgram Blogger has the exclusive photo of Joeann sporting her latest millinery acquisition.

Related link: Joeann's Best Of NARdi Gras

New Orleans REALTOR ConventionGives Us Heart, Gives A City Hope

As I commence the final day of my trip to the National Assn. of REALTOR convention in New Orleans I take a brief pause to consider the week's events and gifts. Trips to the devastated areas of the city, a rousing rally with Clinton and Bush, and a chance to meet some of the outstanding real estate reporters and editors who shared the Katrina story with the world were highlights of the trip.

I am reluctant to share such stories with the usual bloggy laissez faire. I am going to take some time for thoughtful posting in the days ahead. Stay tuned.

Philadelphia Inquirer On Realty BloggingHighlights The REALTYgram Blogger

  The Philadelphia Inquirer's Al Heavens ran an excellent piece on real estate blogging today.   Heavens is a blogger, too. Check him out!

NAR Blog Family Grows With Latest Delivery

The National Assn. of REALTORS® has birthed another blog. This time it's the  President's Blog and it has a podcast, with more podcasts promised twice monthly. The first post is about the association's priorities, and it's looking good! Hmmmmm...... I've always had a soft spot in my heart for new baby blogs!

Busy Month, Son Is Married, And Back To Work;I Just Published An Agent Guide To HUD Homes

Now that my son Jens and Becca married it's time to get back to work. I just released Frances Flynn Thorsen's HUD Homes For Sale -- A Sales & Marketing Guide For Real Estate Agents. It is available for quick download as an eBook or as a soft cover workbook. This is the first book of its kind for real estate agents, covering the HUD Homes For Sale process, working with the M&M Contractor, special financing considerations, and time tested marketing techniques. The book is 143 pages, measuring 8.5 x 11". Click here for details.

Blogging Fever Grips Real Estate Educators;Blogging Module Added To e-PRO Course

In a move that is likely to spread the blogging virus to all reaches of the real estate community the developers of the e-PRO online certification course for REALTORS® announced that they have added a Blogging Module to the e-PRO course. The blogging exercise is designed to offers students " an opportunity to experience the ease in publishing on the web, as well as helping you in collecting material you may want to use on whatever web presence you integrate into your marketing".

The intro tells student, " Remember, if you can compose and send informative e-mail, then you can blog." Here's a $30 discount coupon for the course.

The Real Estate Blog Squad Resumes PublicationDuring NAR Midyear Meetings In Washington, DC

Posts from  The National Assn. of REALTORS® Midyear Meeting in Washington, D.C. appear on our other blog, The Real Estate Blog Squad. Shown below are Master Coach Joeann Fossland and Internet Crusader John Reilly as they check out Joeann's small tablet computer...neat machine! Stay tuned for more on the conference in the next couple of days.

NAR's New Blog Is One To Watch:Kudos To The Public Affairs Division

  The new blog NAR in the News published by The National Assn. of REALTORS® is off to a good start.

"News coverage shapes perceptions of people, organizations and entire industries. Yet few of us understand what goes into the making of a news story. “NAR in the News” will give its readers a peek behind the scenes into how journalists cover the nation’s largest trade association and the 1.2 million REALTORS® it represents.

"This blog is also a place for REALTORS® and others to express their opinions and ask questions that we will try to answer. “NAR in the News” is produced by NAR’s Public Affairs Division."

A recent  post about FSBO sales vs.REALTOR® assisted sales contains a series of comments that reflect a high degree of skepticism about the information gathering process at NAR. It invites a healthy exchange of dialogue. Let's hope this policy endures.