We posed the question on our Inman News Facebook page a few weeks ago -  “What is the most overused term in real estate today?”

The responses were fun to read, and in the spirit of “Fun Friday,” I thought I would post them here!

What can you add to this list? I’d love to hear your favorite overused real estate terms – leave me your feedback below!

Written by: Katie Lance, Senior Marketing Manager, Inman News, @katielance

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When times are tough, it may be time to get creative!

Ad company Adzookie, a free mobile advertising company, is doing something unique, not only to advertise themselves, but to help homeowners pay their mortgage.  They’re turning houses across America into billboards.

Romeo Mendoza, CEO of Adzookie.com, was struck with the idea while driving his daughter home from school.

“I saw signs outside homes saying ‘bank-owned’ and suddenly I felt for the families I imagined lived there,” said Mendoza.

“I was trying really hard to think of ways to help …then it hit me. Our company buys advertising all the time.  We could buy ad space on their house and pay them for it.”

In fact, for Adzookie.com the idea of helping others is part of their corporate infrastructure.

“Adzookie.com is a free mobile advertising company. We help local businesses reach new customers by placing free advertisements where ads get noticed the most, on smart phones,” says Mendoza.  “Promoting our business in a way that’s outrageous and fun just make sense.”

Adzookie.com is looking for homes that are owned and not rented or leased. The entire outside of the house is painted, minus the roof, the windows and any awnings.  Painting takes approximately 3 – 5 days. Adzookie.com will pay the mortgage every month for as long as the house is painted, which can be up to a year.   Homeowners can apply at http://adzookie.com/paintmyhouse.php

Ask Mendoza how many homes his company plans on painting and he’ll tell you, “As many as we can.  We’re promoting our free local mobile ad network so the more neighborhoods the better.”

On Tuesday evening, when we they launched the campaign they received approximately 1000 applications from homeowners.  As of this Wednesday, they have received at least another 3000. 90% are from homeowners under financial difficulty.  One of the applications  is from a homeowner that lives across the street from the Department of Homeland Security!

What do you think of this wacky but creative idea? Love it? Hate it? Leave me your feedback below!

Written by: Katie Lance, Social Media Director, Inman News, @katielance

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Hey FOREM fans! It’s Friday so let’s have a contest!

Our Inman News editorial team is working hard on an in-depth report about commissions and compensation practices but they need YOUR feedback!

The 25th person who takes this survey will win a $25 iTunes gift card! The survey takes about 8-10 minutes to complete and your responses are confidential.

What can you do with a $25 iTunes card? Download music, movies, hot new apps, your favorite TV shows and so much more!

Click here to take the survey and be entered to win a $25 gift card >>

The winner will be announced next week. Thank you for taking the survey and please tell your colleagues about it – the more feedback we receive the better!

Written by: Katie Lance, Senior Marketing Manager, Inman News, @katielance

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I am always on the hunt for marketing that is fun, unique and viral. I came across this awesome video from NP Dodge Real Estate this week that incorporates all of those themes.

They posted it on the Inman News Facebook page and I knew immediately I had to feature this on FOREM!

I interviewed Jodee Drake-Soto, Vice President of Marketing for NP Dodge Real Estate this week to get the “skinny” on this video. Jodee led with project with the support of the NP Dodge marketing team and Amoura Productions. NP Dodge currently has 15 offices and 500 agents and is the oldest real estate company in the United States – 2010 marked NP Dodge’s 155th year in business.

Jodee says,

“As the oldest real estate company in the United States, we can sometimes be regarded as old and conservative.  This couldn’t be further from the truth.

Our culture is hard to describe on paper but you feel it when you walk into any of our offices—from the warm greeting you receive to the feeling like you’re part of the family when you meet with our professionals.

The pride of the company and support for one another is contagious.  We are a family growing every day.

Click here to view the video

Q: When was this video announced? What has the reaction been?

A: This video was introduced at our annual awards celebration event held on Friday, February 11, 2011. With the support of our division’s president, Mike Riedmann, we combined our awards celebration and holiday party into one event celebrating 2010.

The response has been outstanding!  We believed our agents and employees would enjoy it but didn’t realize how strongly they would embrace it.  The anticipation and excitement leading up to the video debut was wonderful.  Cheers, laughter and smiles filled the room and set the tone throughout the entire evening.  As the video has been shared with others, the excitement continues to grow each day with many from our local community embracing it as well.

The positive feedback ranging from emails to even being approached as you walk by has shown how much people are enjoying it and loving NP Dodge.

Q:  Who came up with the idea?

A: I enjoy pop culture and finding innovative ways to brand your organization.  I thought a lip dub would not only be fun to direct, but also an opportunity to showcase our talent—our agents and employees—and help others gain some insight into our amazing culture.

Q: How in the heck did you get so many Realtors on board with it?!

A: In November, I called N.P. (Nate) Dodge V and asked if he and his father, N.P. (Sandy) Dodge IV would participate in our special video to kick off our annual awards celebration.  He was on board and said they would do whatever was needed to make it a success.  (Please note:  Nate and Sandy are the two gentlemen that high five each other in the beginning of the video.)

On December 21st, I met with our management team and introduced the video project for our awards event.  Each manager received information about their section of the song along with some scene ideas.

Since this was a completely new endeavor for us, I asked the managers to embrace this project, use their creativity, and have fun with their agents.  It was an opportunity for each office to shine and show off their unique personalities and help show the energy in their offices.

Dress code, props, dance moves, scene ideas etc. could all be decided by their team members.  I told them it’s a new era for NP Dodge celebrations – let us see and feel the energy in your offices.

Q: How long did it take to create?

A: The filming took four full days in early January.  In June 2010 I announced to the NP Dodge marketing team we would be doing a lip dub to “I’ve Gotta Feeling”.

We worked on concepts periodically throughout the next few months.  I met with possible video production companies in October and selected Amoura Productions in November.  Late December I introduced the idea to our management team and two weeks later we were filming.

Q: Where was it filmed?

A: We shot footage at ten sales offices, two corporate offices and the convention center where the event was held.  The locations included Omaha, Papillion, La Vista, Fremont, and Blair, Nebraska and Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Q: How did you select the song?

A: I selected the Black Eyed Peas song “I’ve Gotta Feeling” to introduce our new format for our first combined celebration.  As the lyrics go…“I’ve gotta feeling that tonight’s gonna to be a good night, that tonight’s gonna be a good night, that tonight’s gonna be a good, good night” really captured the spirit of the evening.  The last segment of the video shows our management team walking in the doors of the convention center and proceeding to the ballroom with our president, Mike Riedmann, opening the door of the ballroom.

Thanks Jodee for your time and for your creativity to put this together. I can only imagine the time and organization it took to pull this off. Hats off to NP Dodge for thinking outside the box and doing something new and fun!

You can find NP Dodge on Facebook and Twitter.

What do you think? I’d love your feedback on this – leave me a comment below!

Written by: Katie Lance, Senior Marketing Manager, Inman News @katielance

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Where were you in 1984?

Do you remember a world where having a computer was a really big deal, and the thought of having a computer that would fit in your house was unbelievable? Most people who were born after 1984 can not imagine a world with out computers – let alone the internet, mobile devices, email, iPad, and the list goes on and on.

This week, 27 years ago in January 1984, the demo of the first Apple Macintosh by Steve Jobs, took place in front of 3000 people.

Andy Hertzfeld captured the moment quite well in his retelling:

“Pandemonium reigns as the demo completes. Steve has the biggest smile I’ve ever seen on his face, obviously holding back tears as he is overwhelmed by the moment. The ovation continues for at least five minutes before he quiets the crowd down.”

Can you imagine being there? It is truly amazing for me to watch this and realize just how far we have come. It sure puts the iPad into perspective!

Here is the video: (click here to view)

I wonder what we’ll be talking about in the next 20 years?

Written by: Katie Lance, Senior Marketing Manager, Inman News @katielance

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By now, I’m sure many of you have seen the Golden Globe award-winner, The Social Network. Who would have known, back when in June when I wrote this blog post that the movie would have garnered so much attention and buzz. I came across a really funny “spoof” on The Social Network. This video is a “mock trailer” of a movie about Twitter.

Imagine if they made a movie about Twitter? I thought this video was pretty ingenious and a great spoof.

Enjoy and I’ll see you on Twitter!

(Can’t see the video? Click here)

Written by: Katie Lance, Senior Marketing Manager, Inman News @katielance

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I admit, sometimes I think “cloud computing” is bit over-rated.

There is a ton of buzz about it – and I have been one of those at one time or another, to really question if you can do everything from “the cloud.” I came across this video this week and figured it would make a great “Fun Friday” post.

You will be amazed at what can be created using Google Docs – the simple “software” that Google has made available to anyone, anywhere, on “the cloud.” If I wasn’t a believer before, I sure am now.

Imagine what you could do in your real estate business if you embraced the cloud. No more Word, no more Excel or PowerPoint. Not dependent on Outlook or your hard drive. Seems pretty freeing, doesn’t it?

Enjoy!

(can’t view this video? click here)

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Kori Covrigaru is a young entrepreneur, currently CEO of PlanOmatic, an online real estate marketing company providing interactive home tours. Kori grew up in Michigan, went to school and Western Michigan University, and currently lives in Colorado, enjoying the mountains in all seasons.

If you can relate to one of the situations listed below, then “RockMelt – Your Browser. Re-Imagined.” is definitely for you. On the other hand, perhaps what I meant to say is exactly the opposite. If you can relate to any of these situations, download Google Chrome J… I guess that’s for you to decide.

• You consider yourself to be a “Social Media Guru”.
• You spend most of your time on the web surfing through facebook, updating your status and posting new tweets.
• Every other click on your computer takes you from one social networking site to another.
• You’ve closed your browser window, only to find yourself opening a new one and subconsciously going directly back to the same social media site you just left (yes, it happens to the best of us).
• You’ve just finished a two-hour couch session with your laptop, and find yourself browsing through facebook and twitter in bed with your smartphone, only to read the same exact posts you read five minutes ago.

RockMelt, available for both Windows and Mac, is a remarkable social networking, news feed and content contributing platform built directly into a desktop web browser. It incorporates facebook, twitter, RSS feeds, sharing solutions and much more while maintaining a clean, easy to navigate user interface. See a snapshot below.

I have RockMelt installed on my Mac, but is RockMelt for me? Probably not.  Without the help of RockMelt, I find myself plenty distracted by news and social networking sites throughout the day as it is. Perhaps if social media is your business, I can see how RockMelt might be right for you.  However, for those of us who don’t use social media to earn a living, I think we’ll pass.  Isn’t social networking easy enough to come across in a standard web browser?  Do we really need facebook, twitter and RSS feeds hovering on the outskirts of our window as we type in a simple search for directions to the closest convenience store?  I think I’ll stick to my bookmarks for now.

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Neil Schwartz has been in the real estate industry for over 30 years. He is the broker of Century 21 Masters, the #2 Century 21 office in the Nation. He blogs on neilschwartz.net, providing valuable information to agents regarding sales training, real estate marketing, social media, and technology.

I was driving home from work the other night when a billboard caught my eye. It said, “Thousands of men will die this year due to stubbornness.” The sign was referring to men who fail to seek medical attention for prostate cancer. It was a powerful campaign and it got me thinking about stubbornness. Beyond being stubborn about our medical health, I realized that stubbornness also prevents us from achieving our professional goals. This year, Thousands of real estate agents have and will fail to meet their goals due to stubbornness.

What is Stubbornness and Where Does it Come From?

Stubbornness is refusing to change one’s opinion or actions, despite attempts to persuade one to make changes that will benefit them. It is being bullheaded and resistant to a change in spite of a reasonable argument. Being stubborn is a behavior that often stems from either ignorance or laziness. It is one thing not to be knowledgeable, but if you have the information and chose not to change your behavior, well then, that is just being lazy. Knowledge is only as powerful as what you chose to do with it. We all know successful real estate professionals, coaches and brokers yet many of us fail to heed their advice regarding what activities we need to do on a regular basis to accomplish our goals. Why is that?

The Tough Questions

Each of us should ask ourselves, “Am I as successful as I want to be?” Do I follow the advice of my broker, coach, mentor or high achieving agents? Am I seeing the professional results that I want? If the answer is no to these questions, then ask yourself, “Is that because I’m being stubborn?” Maybe it’s time to change your behavior. Stubbornness can have deadly consequences when dealing with health, and is costly to your professional success.

If you think you may be stubborn, acknowledging it is the first step. Congratulations! Now, what changes should you make?

Successful real estate agents consistently engage in the following activities. Ask yourself, “Am I doing these?”

1. Meet People (Prospect)
Door knock, phone prospect, holds open houses, go to social events, advertise, use social media. Keep in mind that there are more people out there that don’t know you than do know you. Go find them!

2. Follow up on Connections (Lead Follow-up)
Call and email their leads on a consistent basis, don’t take “no” for an answer when “yes” is still a possibility. You don’t lose many deals from “over” following up but how many deals have you lost from not following up?

3. Know the Market (Preview Property)
Visit all of the properties for sale in their market. Knowledge =Confidence…When you know your market you will speak with confidence.

4. Make a presentation (Know your Scripts and Dialogues)
Learn what to say and how to say it. Commit to a script, either write one yourself or use another that you’re comfortable with, and stick to it. Learn how to handle objections. Leads best respond to powerful presentations. Knowing not only your listing presentation but also how to handle objections is critical.

Break The Cycle of Stubbornness

Here’s a quick plan of action for you to supercharge your business in 2011.

1. Visit or call 5 expireds daily and then door knock or call the 10 homes around each one.
2. Preview 5 properties daily and door knock 10 homes around each one.
3. Spend 30 minutes daily practicing your scripts and dialogues.
4. Spend 1 hour daily doing intense phone follow up.
5. Spend 20-30 minutes daily managing your data base, make sure that everyone is receiving emails from you on a consistent basis and be sure to keep your blog/facebook current

Don’t let stubbornness hold you back from achieving the success you deserve. Stop being bullheaded and resistant to change. Learn from the actions of high achieving agents and incorporate it into your own businesses. Soon you will be joining their ranks!

Let me know what you are going to do to beat stubbornness.

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Bill Risser is an Assistant Vice President and Branch Manager for Chicago Title in Phoenix Arizona. When he is not conducting workshops or closing escrows, he can be found at the movies with his wife or golfing with his son. Follow Bill on Twitter @billrisser or friend him on Facebook.

Recently, I completed what some of my friends called a foolhardy challenge. Back on June 11th, I posted a video blog entry and proudly proclaimed it was the first in a series of one hundred video posts in one hundred business days. Yep, I would shoot a video on a title/escrow or technology topic and post every business day. The first ten were easy enough, but by video twenty, I really wished I had challenged myself to thirty posts. Without missing a day, video one hundred was finally posted on November 4th.

The purpose of the challenge was to force myself to practice a couple different things. One was content creation. It is definitely the biggest challenge facing agents that decide to start blogging. Second, I wanted to learn more about shooting and editing video. Video is considered by many to be important for content and allowing readers to get a better feel for the blogger as a person.

My entire series was shot on a Flip Mino. I shot from a tripod on my desk, and edited first with Flip Share (the software that comes with the Flip) and later with Windows Movie Maker. I intentionally used free editing software, and a low budget camera to see what could be created at minimum expense.

I like the results. I did two multi-part tutorial series (one on HootSuite and one on Facebook). I created a video I intend to continue producing called 20 RE Professionals, 1 Question. I became comfortable with these video tools and I can now help agents learn and use them. Best of all, I now have a library of over 100 videos at my disposal. If a client sends me an e-mail asking for an explanation about the lenders policy of title insurance, I can reply with a link to the video post in my blog that answers the question.

Video number one hundred is below. It’s a blooper reel from my challenge. If you decide to work with video, don’t just toss those mistakes. I began categorizing and saving them, with the intention of eventually using them. I’d love to hear what you think…

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