Karen: So sorry for not being more responsive!!! Around the time you posted, I switched my focus to my 4RealzEd seminar and didn't return in time to catch your question until now!
In terms of getting started, engaging on existing community websites can be a great place to start. I set things up with my wife's site so that her "website" is simply a blog... and from my perspective, and especially if you're just starting out, there's no good reason to focus on promoting both a blog and a website. In your shoes I'd be inclined to create a blog and then add the features that you want like MLS search, "About me" pages, and contact forms as desired.
If you do decide to go the blog platform route, check out the web reference I listed below. I put this page together the other day that describes the blog platform options for real estate professionals. I wasn't planning to show the page off to anyone yet because I want to add more detail first, but for your case, it could be quite helpful.
(By the way, I ut the page together using a wiki, so anyone is free to edit and improve the page!) - Fri Apr 18 2008, 01:53