Rudy Bachraty’s Real Estate Blog

photo credit: tuppaware_001

Real estate is a relationship business that is built on trust. Multiple parties rely on each other to reach a common goal. To reach this goal, teamwork and a steady line of communication is essential. Failure to communicate can lead to confusion, delays, errors or missed opportunities. So what does this have to do with Trulia, Twitter and Customer service?

At Trulia, we proactively participate in social media in a variety of ways and on various social networks. Each network is slightly different as is the manner in which the community chooses to engage. Regardless of the network, one thing is for certain, we’re there to be a part of the conversation. That being said, one of the most important things we do is listen. We listen to what consumers and agents have to say - the good, the bad and the ugly.

Twitter is a social network that has become an important communication channel for us - especially for customer service. On any given day, I’ll have a conversation with someone about something Trulia related. Questions like -  How to submit a listing, What’s T.A.N, Can you fix my property address, How can I find an agent in my area, Can you help me sell our home faster, Is my MLS on Trulia to things like Can Trulia sponsor my REBARCAMP, Can you speak at our event and so forth. It’s a mixed bag really. All good stuff. In each instance, it brings us a little closer to our audience, customer and clients.

A couple of months ago, I met Erica Parpan - @realsupportva, a virtual assistant at RealSupport on Twitter. Initially, we exchanged a couple of casual hello tweets…sparked by my Trulia hat avatar of all things….

…and RT’s - re-tweets -  which helped build up our rapport…

Then, Erica had some questions re: one of her clients listing syndication feeds….

140 characters was not enough room to have this type of conversation so I asked her to email me the details. At that point, a customer service conversation that started on Twitter moved to email where we could exchange more details. After receiving the info, I relied on our great back end Customer Service and Engineering team to assist in fixing her clients issue. Together, with teamwork and an open line of communication we were able to resolve the issue expeditiously.

To read more details on how we helped Erica and her clients in this specific case and another via Twitter, you can read all about it from her perspective on her Active Rain blog titled - Twitter Tip - Building Invaluable Relationships on Twitter to Support Your Business.

I have many other stories like this but just wanted to highlight how a company like Trulia can use a non-real estate specific social network like Twitter for Customer Service. Are you using Twitter for customer service?

Ted Mackel shares some thoughts on consumers, agents and short sales....

We all have moments where we want to learn how to do something new or how to do something better. Whether it's How to Make Chicken Marsala or How to Find a Home Improvement Contractor, we have an innate desire to learn. Learning provides us fulfillment. It makes us more capable as human beings.

The challenge is how do we best learn how to do things? How do we share our knowledge with others more effectively. One way is to author a How-To article, intriguing post or video. Have no fear, it's really not all that difficult. By following a few steps and ideas, many of you can start offering some of your unique knowledge by writing your own how to tips. To get started, I thought I'd share some tips with you on How to Write a How To Blog Post. Enjoy.

Be the Subject Matter Expert

Before you can write a How-To blog post, article or email, you have to know what you are talking about. You have to "own" that topic. If someone wants to learn about golf or how to play golf like Tiger Woods, they want to learn from Tiger Woods, not someone who read a book on how Tiger Woods became Tiger Woods. Real life personal experience matters.

Have a Focus

Narrow down your How-To tip or advice to something specific. If you're a Foreclosure expert in Orlando, Florida, a good idea might be share tips on How to Buy a Foreclosure in Orlando, Florida.

Become a Storyteller

People love stories. A How-To article or blog post is like a short story. Learn how to get your point across quickly and effectively. Take a workshop from a master storyteller where you can learn the art of storytelling. It will help you put your words and presentation together better which ultimately helps your audience digest your content better.

Create an Outline

Take a moment to highlight the key steps and points you'd like to share. By organizing your thoughts in a rough draft, you get a chance to visualize the flow and content. Use bullets, headlines and images to help make a better presentation.

Think Like a Publisher

Mainstream media, magazines and newspaper publishers are masters at getting our attention. They use creative headlines, images, video, etc. to attract us. You can too. Make sure that the content flows and that it's scan-able and easy on the eyes.

They are also sticklers for proper grammar and punctuation. Ideally, you should be as well. But no one will bite your head off if you "misss-spelll" something :) So focus on content and delivery.

Create a Killer Headline

The headline is one of the most important if not the most important part of a How-To blog post, article or video. Before anyone can read or see the great How-To tips you put together, they have to be interested first. You need to create a headline that will get someones attention. You only get a short window to do that. Make it memorable and intriguing.

How-To vs. How

Experiment by using different forms of "How" - you might get different results while peaking a persons interest. A How-To title may be for a post that's more of a step-by-step guide where a "How" title may be more appropriate for a combination of a how-to guide that includes real life examples of what actually worked or didn't work. Experiment to see which works best for you.

1. How to Sell Your Home in 30 Days In Orange County, California
2. How I Sold My Clients Home in 13 Days In Las Vegas, Nevada
3. How Not to Market Your Clients Home

Show Tangible Benefits

How will this help me? Highlight the benefits a person will get if they follow your How-To tips. Immediate gratification is something people want when reading how to articles or watching how to videos. Walk them through each step and explain why each step is important.

Share Real Life Stories - Walk the Walk

Be real. If you are going to talk about how to use Facebook to get real estate business or how to use Trulia Voices to connect with real home buyers and sellers, share some real life experiences where you have done that.

Provide Closure

Close the deal. If they follow each step, they will get "x" or understand how to do "y". There is no magic bullet. We learn through others and through our own personal experiences. How to tips are meant to help you learn how to do things yourself and how to do them well.

Good luck and have fun.


Trulia Pro - How To Create a Spotlight Ad and How to Track your Stats

How-To screen-casts such as the one I created above or videos are another great way for you to get your message across. It's takes some more work and tools but can help those that are visual grasp your message better.

 Are you ready to How-To?

1. Pick a subject or topic that you are an expert in and you think consumers want to learn more about - e.g. How to Buy a Foreclosure, How Do I Pick the Right Neighborhood for Me and My Family, How to Best Negotiate Home Prices, How to Renovate My Home to Double its Value, etc...... You get the idea!
2. Write the post on your Trulia Blog and select the "How To" category
3. Comment on THIS blog post and share the link to your blog post here too

 
You have until April 15th to publish a new original ‘How To’ blog post on your Trulia Voices Blog and notify us by commenting on this post. We will hand pick top three how to tips and promote them at the weekly consumer newsletter which reaches thousands of consumers on the last week of April.

It's a great opportunity for you to shine!

Update: Submissions extended till Friday April 17th....Get your blog on!

Update 4/28/09:

Our 3 winners are:

Sonya Loose - How to Sell Your Home Before it Expires Off the Market
Michele Rose - What Carl and Lisa Did Right
Carl Medford - How To Buy an REO - Top 17 Questions Answered

See the winners in our Nationwide Consumer Newsletter here

When buying or selling a home, we already know why it's important to have an experienced local real estate agent on your side representing your best interests. The next step is to find the best agent for you. People find agents in many different ways. I'd like to share some of the most common and the most effective online and offline methods for finding your next real estate agent.

Pre-Search Checklist:

Before your start doing your homework, I want you to envision your ideal real estate agent. Write down your thoughts. Then start searching.....

So, after much deliberation, you finally decided to renovate your home rather than move. The only problem is, you don't have a home improvement contractor and nor a clue of where find one. Relax. Many homeowners have been in this position before. It's not an easy task and it may take you some time to actually find a contractor that has the right mix of knowledge, expertise, skills and reputation. After you find one that has those qualities, hopefully they will fit within your estimated budget.

But lets not get ahead of ourselves. One of the first things you should do when searching for a local home improvement contractor is to create a list of qualities your contractor should have. Do your homework. Then ask your friends, family and neighbors that have renovated in the past for recommendations. Believe it or not, this is how many homeowners find their contractors. Is it the best way? Not necessarily. You can search forums in home improvement forums and time-lines or on sites like Service Magic or Angie's List. These are great resources that provide a wealth of information about home improvement contractors. Additionally, make sure to ask your real estate agent for a list of referrals as well. Most agents have a Rolodex of high quality local contractors and ancillary service providers that they work with.

After you have done your homework, it's time to compile a list home improvement contractors to interview. Make sure the home improvement contractor:

• Is properly Licensed to do the specific type of work in your area
• Is Insured
• Has workers compensation
• Has a recent list client references
• Has a recent Portfolio of similar completed projects
• Can show you active jobs in progress - Pictures, Video or a LIVE walk-through
• Is reputable - Check your local BBB Better Business Bureau
• Is a good listener and detailed oriented
• Is organized
• Will assign you a project manager that will keep you updated every step of the way
• Informs you whether they have an in-house crew or whether the use subcontractors
• Has some form of quality assurance program for the work they complete
• Provides a professional contract/agreement/scope of work to be signed by both parties

Make sure to get a detailed proposal and scope of work from each contractor with time-lines and a payment schedule based on project milestones. Without adding some structure and deliver ables, you run the risk of having your project drag on and on. Your payment schedule should be proportional to the work being completed within your agreement - avoid hefty down payments. It's important to note that you shouldn't let price necessarilly be the determining factor. Some may lowball you to get the job and some might high ball you in hopes of not geting the job. Select a contractor that meets the majority of your needs. As in most instances where contracts determine what will be done, read the fine print and make it as specific as possible.