Go Beyond MLS » Real Estate Websites

In The Spotlight: Josh Dorkin and BiggerPockets.com

Vlad Zablotskyy — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 16:39:04 +0000

I am not a real estate investor. I managed only to last as a real estate agent for about 3 or months back in 2005. But you do not need to bee a real estate investor or real estate professional to know about BiggerPockets – an online community of real estate investors. All you need is a slight interest in real estate investment and Google. Chances are that if you have ever researched something related to real estate investing, you have stumbled across BiggerPockets.com.

I am always fascinated by a good website but more so by its founder(s). Every time I visit one, I immediately start to research who was behind it. So was the case with BiggerPockets a few years back. As soon as I visited the website for the first time I wanted to know who was behind it. It is extremely inspiring to learn from people like Josh Dorkin, the founder of BiggerPockets.com.

Josh started the the website in 2004 and today BiggerPockets is an extremely vibrant community of real estate investors with over 60,000 active members.

If you are like me, wondering why did Josh start such a website, watch the video bellow:

In addition to being a great learning place for beginner investors BiggerPockets features hundreds investment properties.

And here is another short video in which Josh tells you how you can benefit from being a part of BiggerPockets- the community of real estate investors:

I am not sure if I ever venture into real estate investing myself. If I do, BiggerPockets will be the first place I will turn to and not the “real-estate-”gurus”-who-sell-their-books-on-TV”. BiggerPockets is a community of real investors many of whom are more experienced and more successful that any given “guru” you see selling their books on TV.

I understand that Josh is planing to make plenty of new videos for BiggerPockets- so I might be posting few of those in the future.

Now go and explore this wonderful resource of real estate investing!Similar Posts:

Crossroads Realty- Website Review

Vlad Zablotskyy — Mon, 18 May 2009 17:22:08 +0000

It has been long time since I have reviewed a real estate website. When I was contacted by Crossroads Realty to review their website, I knew that I have an opportunity to offer some spotlight to another New Jersey business. But I also hope that suggestions I am about to offer will be welcomed and used to improve their website and their Internet marketing efforts.

Website’s usability – user’s prospective…

When you visit Crossroads Realty’s website, it is hard to be confused as to where you are. You know immediately that you are on website of a real estate firm. It is very easy to search for properties or if you prefer you can search real estate agents.

Crossroads Realty website offers visitors to register a user account where they can save and organize the listings they are interested in- good feature for those of us whose browser’s favorites are miles long.

If there were any improvements to be made to the website, I would highly recommend adding additional “sharing” channels for visitors to use. Currently visitors can share listings with their friends via e-mail.

But there is no option to share listings (or agent profiles) on social networking website like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and many others. There are many solutions that will allow you sharing the content of your website on social networking website- ShareThis, AdThins, AdToAny just to name a few. Most of these solutions offer a simple “copy and paste” implementation.

Marketing, SEO/SEM suggestions…
The current state of traffic.
Quick comparison to another local real estate websites reveals that although Crossroads Realty ties with Diane Turton Realtors – it has some catching up to do with Gloria Nilson‘s website:

Pay Per Click advertising…
It appears that Crossroads Realty has reduced pay per click advertising budget in October 2008:

Most likely a move to cut spending in the face of the economic decline and market conditions. I somewhat disagree with the decisions to completely cut down the pay per click efforts- the pay per click does help visibility. Although the decision on pay per click advertising has to be made considering other factors. My instinct tells me that the return on investement did not justify

Incoming Links…
Search engine optimization requires a long term effort and dedication. But it of course has a potential to bring great results. One of the first thing I look analyzing a website is the amount and quality of incoming links. Comparing to the other two above mentioned real estate websites (Diane Turton and Gloria Nilson) Crossroads Realty has half the number of incoming links (source: Yahoo! Site Explorer). Use online press release distribution services such as PRWeb.com can help to increase incoming links as different publishers may feature company’s press releases.

In addition I would recommend that Crossroads Realty would start a corporate blog and increase presence and interaction on social media websites. Crossroads is poisoned well against the competitors, improving on certain aspects of online marketing can dramatically improve their visibility and reach online.

Disclosures: I briefly worked for Diane Turton Relators in the past under the management of Margaret Ann Cesta -currently the office manager of Crossroads Realty in Brick, NJ.Similar Posts:

RealBird Launches Property Search Engine

Vlad Zablotskyy — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 17:42:48 +0000

Last few days I have been pocking around RealBird’s latest product – Property Search Engine. To put it as simply as I can their new product is impressive. With a few clicks and a “copy and paste” – you can be featuring thousands of listings on your blog or website. Just as you see in the examples at the end of this post as well as to your left. The search query for a zip code with 3 miles radius can return hundreds of listings. I have limited my widget to only 16 properties because I do not have an active licenses and do not look to get it active any time soon. The 16 properties listed in my widget are the listing of good friends of mine Pat and Wayne Harriman- so if I receive a lead or two as a result of this post, the leads will not be wasted. This also gave me an opportunity to discover a flaw in the search results which RealBird might want to address in the future updates to their system. The number (16) of course can change as RealBrid works on eliminating the duplicate results and/or my friends take in or sell some listings.

Embedding RealBird’s Property Search Results.
There are two ways you can currently embed the search results into your website. A side bar widget which you can see in action to your left. And a wider widget which can be embedded in to a post/page or other parts of your website. You can specify a custom width for both widgets to accommodate your websites look and feel. You are free to brand your widgets and full page results by adding you logo/pictuire along with contact information.

Email Inquiries Are Sent To The Publisher Not The Listing Agent…

Each property detail page of RealBird’s search results has an contact form. Once a visitor decides to use the form to inquire about further details, the e-mail sent to the listing publisher rather than the agent who owns the listing. For example, all the listings I am showing in the widgets belong to Wayne and Pat Harriman of Wallingford, CT. If a visitor happens to use the contact form from the detail page the e-mail will be sent to me. I think this is important to know for any agents hesitant to publish RealBird’s property search results on their websites.

Use Google Analytics To Analise The Traffic To Your RealBird’s Property Search Engine.

Once you have decided to publish and promote the property search engine, RealBird offers you an option to use your own Google Analytics code to track and examine the traffic.

The Widgets Are Fast.
Unlike RealBird’s Virtual Tour, I reviewed in the past, the property search widgets are extremely fast. It is rather obvious RealBird is reinvesting to improve their product.

Things RealBird Might Want To Improve On
It appears as if RealBird is pulling in results from several different sources. While it is not noticeable when your widget is showing hundreds or thousands of listing- it sure catches your eye when you limit your search results. Some listings can appear two or three times. It would be good idea to develop some sort of filters to eliminate the duplicate results.

About RealBird
RealBird is a technology leader with a solid track record in the real estate industry. The founders of RealBsird have pioneered some of the tools that are now ubiquitous on the Web: they built the first real estate websites back in 1994, first MLS email alert and CRM tools, and invented the patented wireless access to MLSs.

The company was established in 2003, and our initial emphasis was to provide affordable and powerful GIS (Geographical Information Systems),s mapping and aerial photos to the real estate industry.

Disclosure
As of this morning (April 22, 2009) the RealBird is an active sponsor of Go Beyond MLS. However this post was in the working since the end of last week and is not related to RealBird’s decision to sponsor Go Beyond MLS.

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The State Of Top 100 List: Say Hello To New Blogs.

Vlad Zablotskyy — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 18:07:03 +0000

Since relaunching the list of real estate blogs las week, there were number of new blogs submitted. I will take time every week to introduce the blogs. This week we welcome ten new blogs to the list:

Developments- this is blog is a part of WSJ blog section. I was rather surprised to receive the request to include this blog. Even more so, I was hesitant including the blog to the list as it has an “unfair” advantage over the signle blogger who is just starting to write their blog. I can see the Developments blog going to the top of the list with the next update.
All About Mortgages – this blog is written by Kristen Emery. Kristen is a Mortgage expert from California and is dedicated to provide you with the most comprehensive information and to make your transaction as seamless as possible! Make sure to visit here and blog and hit the “subscribe button”!
The Big Orange Press- written Rick Smenner of Knoxville, TN. Jennifer Stinnett – Jennifer is a New Media / E-Business Consultant for Real Estate Brokers, Agents and Small Business owners.
Living Twin Cities- by Jason Sandquist. You can also find Jason on Twitter.
CraigMische.com – written by Craig Mische. Craig Mische is a licensed real estate broker in the State of Minnesota.
Focus On Crofton- a real estate blog by Margaret Woda.
Let’s Talk Real Estate- a real estate blog written by Cristina McBreairty.
Georgetown Texas Real Estate Blog- written by Edward Lui.
Denton County Real Estate – written by Jay Myers.
Lake Lanier Real Estate Blog- by Nesa Kleinheksel.

If you don’t see the blog on the list yet, it is most likely because I added your blog while the script was going through a scheduled update. The above mentioned blogs are now in the database and will be included in the list with the next update. Please follow GoBeyondMLS on Twitter to be notified about updates to the list.Similar Posts:

RealDiggity.com – “Digg-like” Website For Realtors

Vlad Zablotskyy — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 13:35:14 +0000

RealDiggity.com has a hard act to follow. Made to look and feel like Digg.com, RealDiggity is aimed at helping to promote stories related to real estate.

The website is being developed using an open source content management system called Drupal, with the help of Drigg- a Digg clone module for Drupal. I personally would prefer Pligg if I was developing the website.

The success of the website however will not be in the software used to create it. It will largely depend on whether or not internet users will find it useful.

I personally would love to see more “social” components on the website such as ability to connect friends (adding friends)- my main reason why I would have opted for Pligg instead of Drupal.Similar Posts:

ActiveRain: Why Every Real Estate Professional Should Join?

Vlad Zablotskyy — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 16:23:56 +0000

Over the past few months I have been slowly falling in love with ActiveRain. The first time I have ever came across this real estate network, I did not know what to make of it. I did not join ActiveRain right away because I did not feel there was a place for me. I had no interest renewing my real estate license and was under impression the network is reserved to real estate professionals exclusively. I am not sure why I had this perception, but after joining ActiveRain I quickly realized that this community is very open minded and most importantly not limited to real estate agents exclusively.

However in this article I would like to point out that real estate professionals can probably benefit the most from ActiveRain. And here are just few points why.

Blogging. Every member upon joining the community is given their own blog. If you were thinking to start blogging yet was not sure you were ready to invest resources and time into it, ActiveRain blogs is a place where you can try to “wet your feet” as far as blogging is concerned. While their blogs may not offer all the bells and whistles that you can normally get when hosting a blog on your own domain. It does offer the basics and can get you started.
Instant Audience. One of the best part about blogging on ActiveRain is that you have an instant audience for your blog. Even a newbie to ActiveRain like myself can often get 10+ comments on their initial posts. To me the most rewarding part of blogging is an audience that is engaged.
Networking. As I am writing this post there are 108,851 members on ActiveRain. My guess that majority of the members are real estate professionals or working in the field closely related to real estate. If you ask me that is an impressive number of members!
ActiveRain’s Popularity. Before joining any online community or forum, I am always trying to look at the “popularity factor”. The more popular certain website is, the better chance to gain some extra visitors to my own websites. According to statistics from Alexa and Compete (see the charts below) ActiveRain is outranking Inman by quite a margin:

Click on the image below to see detailed statistics on Alexa:

Click on the image below to see detailed statistics on Compete:
ActiveRain Referrals- a place to share and find referrals posted by other ActiveRain members. If you are on a “hunt” for leads, why not to browse referrals by other agents rater than spending money on lead generating schemes?

To conclude, I simply would like to repeat my earlier statement- I am slowly falling in love with ActiveRain. I am also confident you will appreciate ActiveRain as well. If you are already a member, visit my profile page and add me to your associates, I would love to connect with you on ActiveRain.Similar Posts:

AgentRank- Keep Your Clients Happy To Rank High!

Vlad Zablotskyy — Thu, 01 May 2008 16:24:49 +0000

AgentRank is attempting to rank real estate agents based on professional experience, home sales, endorsement from former clients and other variables.

The founders of the AgentRank are very clear that rankings can not be manipulated and if you want to rank well in their system all you need to do is to sell homes and keep your clients happy. One of the factors that will affect agent’s rankings is based on whether or not the agent publishes a blog. Hopefully it will encourage agents using the system to start their own blog.

Out of curiosity I used the system to search for the real estate agents in my area. I found 7 agents, whose rank varied from 8 to 1. I presuming that 10 is the most an agent can be ranked at.

While I did not find any familiar faces, few things about AgentRank system jumped at me. While claiming to rank real estate agents based on endorsements from former clients, there is no mechanism for that if you would like to endorse an agent you worked with in the past. Since some of the agents do have endorsements at AgentRank, it leaves me to think that these endorsements are completely under control of individual agents.

While one agent on the list is in the real estate for 230 years- a clear advantage as far as rankings are concerned based on professional experience.

To provide unbiased ranking can be a difficult task. I learning that from my attempt of ranking real estate blogs. So I am sure AgentRank is working hard to improve their website and it’s features.

At the end of the day you have nothing to loose when you decide to join AgentRank. The membership is free and you will get some extra exposure and a link to your blog. You can also follow AgentRank Blog for further news and developments. Feel free to come back and share your experience with AgentRank.Similar Posts:

Give Me Your Blog

Vlad Zablotskyy — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 18:30:53 +0000

Figuratively speaking of course…

Many of you know that I have been involved in a project 100 Top Real Estate Blogs. Again, 100- figuratively speaking. If you visited the listed lately you probably know that there are more than100 blogs on the list.

If you blog about real estate and related issues, feel free to submit your blog. I know that this list was criticized quiet a bit for using unreliable statistics. While we attempt to rank your blog, it is not the ranking that matters. It is an extra exposure your blog will get. By submitting your blog, you get a link and we ask nothing in return.

To “make in” for the next update, all blogs must be submitted by 6:00 PM (Eastern Time) tomorrow (April 13).Similar Posts:

Fizber Introduces API

Vlad Zablotskyy — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 23:45:40 +0000

Fizber announced today introduction of API (Application Programing Interface). Very smart use by Fizber I must add. If marketed properly this can explode in new widgets, just like the one you see to the right.

It would be interesting to see this development. At this early stage Fizber APIs will allow web masters to pull in the data about climate, schools, unemployment some other general neighborhood information.

Julia Foster, Fizber.com VP of marketing, in a low key press release was quoted say: “This new API access is going to be a useful tool for every agent and site that wants to offer something special in their real estate portfolio.”

I personally think many web masters should pay attention to this development. It also should be as warning sign to many of the local MLSs. Instead of fighting real estate agents over stupid trademark use, why don’t you guys pay attention and develop the API for your own members.Similar Posts:

RealBird.com- Viral Marketing Widget For Real Estate Agents

Vlad Zablotskyy — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 21:17:01 +0000

When I came across RealBird Listing Widget on Wallingford Wired Blog, it immediately grabbed my attention. It is not a secrete that many real estate gents can be very protective of their listing. If you don’t believe me, read the blog post by Greg Swann about a listing that was not his own.

I can’t blame Realtors for being overprotective about their listings. You don’t want your inventory to be misrepresented. However, at the same time many real estate websites have their local Multiple Listing System integrated into their websites so when visitor searches for the property, he can browse through hundreds of listings without leaving the website. Of course this can result in a lead where you can work as a seller’s agent on a property that you did not list.

But what about offering an opportunity just to any webmaster to “advertise” for you for free? Going back to Wayne and Pat, below is an example of a listing served via Realird.com Listing Widget I was able to grab right from their blog:

Why would you consider RealBrid.com? Simple. Viral marketing. There are many bloggers like myself that are on the constant lookout for good content for their blog. This can create an exponential exposure for you listing.Similar Posts:

And The Question Remains… Why?

Vlad Zablotskyy — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 04:25:36 +0000

Since publishing the infamous Cease and Desist notice, I was asked by fellow bloggers few questions that I cannot ignore. But before I start, I need to say this- the publicity may scare the “beast” away, but this sort of publicity is the last thing I am looking for. I just want to do the right thing. Nothing more, nothing less.

This is also a great opportunity to say thank you to other and way more influential bloggers for noticing my story. Greg Swann, Marlow Harris, Jay Thompson, Pat Kitano, SEO Emperor, Wayne Harriman – thank you everyone for your support and advise.

So lets get to it…

Why did I take the posts down?

I wish it was simple. The cease and desist letter sent the chills down my spine. When the original post was getting so many comments I was hoping that some of the other influential bloggers would notice my article. But as Greg Swenn points out this blog is insignificant. There are barely 100 unique daily visitors to my blog. So when I received the lawyer’s letter I knew that I was facing the Goliath all alone. To put it simply, I was scared.

Why am I posting this now?

Since attempting to comply to the demands of the lawyers from WILLOUGHBY, STUART & BENING it not feel right. I basically was admitting that all their false accusations are true. I also felt like I had betrayed all who offered their feedback. Publishing the cease and desist letter was a way for standing up not only for myself but for all who commented on my post.

And finally an extra bonus if you wish: I still believe that idea for the website was good. Way short of brilliant, but good enough to run with it. The execution of the idea was absolutely terrible.

EPerks.com claim to be a part of what we know as Web 2.0 marketing. As such, Web 2.0 is a form of marketing where engagement with those who like you as well as those who criticize you is of great importance. But so is reevaluating your product and improving it.

Many companies of this “Web 2.0 pound” started off by offering free membership to their potential clients and customers knowing that their product is so darn good that 99% of the free members will pay money to continue to use their products. EPerks has chosen a different path, launching their website they charged real estate agents $100+ dollars per month, without a proven record for their product’s effectiveness. I am not saying it was wrong way to launch a website. But if you do so, not listening to the criticism is like shooting yourself in the foot.

I would suggest to go back to the drawing board. Consider all criticism and come back a winner. Of course you can continue the way you go about your business. Continue to send cease and desist notices and even sue small guys like my self. Will any one remember your name a year from now?

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Century21′s YouTube Channel

Vlad Zablotskyy — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 18:22:09 +0000

Have you seen it yet? Here is the link. I think it’s great that real estate companies are finally realizing the potential of such websites like YouTube for the growth of their own business. I do find the videos a little cheesy. Here is one for you. Let me know what you think in the comments.

Does your company have a channel on YouTube? What are you waiting for?Similar Posts:

Homeferret?

Vlad Zablotskyy — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 00:56:52 +0000

Yes. Homeferret. Or rather Homefarret.com launched a few days ago:

Homeferret.com officially launched ten days ago on Saturday, March 1, 2008 with over 5,400 page views. Visitors came from 7 different countries and 35 different states. Providing customers and realtors with the most comprehensive inventory of new homes and communities available in the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex, the new site is being hailed by industry professionals everywhere as a long overdue and welcome solution to a consistent and chronic problem: a dearth of internet access to new homes on the market.

Website looks good and all. Great attempt to utilize videos as well. But, judging from the press release I think the marketing team can use some advise and/or help. PrWeb allows you to utilize links back to your website in the press release. If you pay close attention to the press release, there is no link back to Homeferret.com inside of the copy. With that they are missing on many potential links from the websites and blogs who will publish the entire press release. But that is a subject for another post, so stay tuned and subscribe to my blog.Similar Posts:

Smart Fox Homes- New FSBO Site Launched

Vlad Zablotskyy — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 06:15:13 +0000

Smart Fox Homes, a New Jersey based FSBO website was launched today. In the spirit of FSBO rhetorics it promises customers to save on real estate commissions by selling your home on your own. Currently it offers three types of listings with a prices that range from free (two months) to $59.95 (six months).

Timothy O’Connell, Director of Business System Development of Smart Fox Homes was quoted in a press release:

Due to the downturn in the real estate market, many people simply cannot afford to pay a real estate commission and break even, let alone make a profit

It is not that hard to predict that Smart Fox Homes are going to be faced with other well established FSBO websites. The website lacks any tools that may help sellers to determine the value of their homes.

Hopefully as with many other FSBO websites, Smart Fox Homes will also become a good source of future listings to the real estate professionals.Similar Posts:

New And Sexy Inman

Vlad Zablotskyy — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 19:59:42 +0000

It appears as the good folks at Inman News have decided to redesign their website. The redesign is not only about feel and look of the website. Their new logo now says: “Inman News- The first word in real estate” as opposed to the former slogan “Inman News- Where the real estate and technology connect”:

I personally am fine with either slogan, but I do like the new design. If you have not subscribed to the latest from Inman News you might be missing out on a lot of real estate news.

I am not sure what do they mean by “beta” though. The Inman News has been around ate least from the mid 90′s. Unless of course they are referring to the new design as a beta, or testing stage.

The Inman News is one of my favorite real estate websites. Do you read Inman News?Similar Posts:

Oh Fizber…

Vlad Zablotskyy — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 08:41:02 +0000

Fizber website just got bigger by about… 15,000 pages. Can you imagine? Well this time around it seams like they are trying to provide some useful data about neighborhood safety. Announcing the launch of crime and safety resource on their website today, Fizber’s VP of Marketing Julia Foster was quoted in a press release:

Crime rates are based on local crime statistics from the FBI and the U.S. Justice Department. We reveal the safety from crime for every community in America, and show you how each community compares to other communities nationwide, so you can make good decisions for you and your family.

Not so long ago I posted a video, in which founding CEO of PropertyMaps defended their decision to publish neighborhood data on sex offenders. Fizber’s safety information does not include that information.

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Top 100 Blogs: Gathering Feedback And Responding To Criticism.

Vlad Zablotskyy — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 17:32:04 +0000

I has been more than one week since list of top 100 Real Estate Blogs went live. If you made the list before we launched the list, you may be well aware of it. If you have not heard about it. It is a list of real estate blogs that ranks blog. To rank real estate blogs we have factored in Google PR, Technorati Rank and Alexa Rankings. It is a first list of its kind and of course such an attempt will draw some attention and criticisms. So today I would like to acknowledge the incredible feedback we received and to respond to some criticisms.

Thanks For The Buzz

Fir of all I would like to take time and thank every blogger and blog that linked to my original post announcing the list or to the list itself:

Agent Genius mentioned the list twice: Agent Genius Ranks #19 and I’m Number #1- thank you and we appreciate your feedback.
The Real Estate Weenie was laughing at our list as well as at the reaction to it by some real estate bloggers. Thanks for lightening up the subject!
RealcentralVA acknowledged the list in the following post: Realcentralva is #30 real estate bog.
Bonzai Real Eatate Blog evidently did not make the list before the first update- this mistake of mine was quickly corrected.
Finally Maureen McCabe offered her feed back of our list in Top 100 Real Estate List- Did YOUR Blog Make THE List. Maureen decided against linking to neither this blog or the list, her feedback is appreciated nevertheless.

I also would like to acknowledge all who took their time and commented on the post that originally announced the list.

Responding To Criticism

Now I would like to respond to some criticisms. While I tried to respond to some of it personally on the blogs offering their feedback, I think t is important to gather the criticism into one place. I have tried to counter the criticism I found so far, but I have decided to include the criticism or rather my response to what I see as trends in criticism of our list. I tried hard to respond to particular posts personally, however it doing so I mark all the criticism with hope to improve our list or or to respond to something in a greater detail here on my own blog.

The list is unreliable. Just because we use rankings that are not necessarily most reliable does not mean our list not worthy to take a look at. Out of all list that rank blogs and websites our list is the most focused on real estate even though some blogs that are not primarily write about real estate slipped through. However unreliable one may hold Google, Technorati and Alexa- these statistics are hard to manipulate and artificially inflate therefore it will be very hard to progress on our list as well.
I can’t compete with big Blogs. There is an underlying consensus among real estate bloggers out there that in order to have nigh rankings you either need to write about technology or otherwise to be connected to “Silicon Valley” or you need to have a multi authored blog. I would argue that when it comes to blogging it is not your connection and your niche that are crucial to your success – it is the content of your blog. Here is an example. Doshdosh- an internet marketing blog is barely year old and is authored by one person. In just over one year not only the blog gained 11,000 subscribers but is widely accepted as leading blog in that particular niche.
The list has many blogs that should not have been there. I have tried to be diligent in compiling the list. I started with 30+ blogs from my Google reader. Then I moved to the blogrolls of the blogs I subscribe to and other websites like Blogflux to come up with the “first” 100 blogs. I certainly may have made a mistake or two and if your notice a blog that should is “home an living” kind of website please let me know and I will correct.
What other value our list brings comparing let say to Blogflux. Our list is more focused. I examine carefully each submission before including the blog into our list. We give each blog clean and search engine friendly links. We aggregate the latest post form each blog on the list.
Infringing on NAR trademark. I just have to say that it was on oversight on my par when we purchased the domain. There was no intention to neither compete with nor associate ourselves with NAR. As you an see our list is hosted on it’s own domain now.

Feel free to offer your onion about the Top 100 Real Estate Blogs. If you have a real estate blog feel free to submit it to me via email: vlad @ go-beyond-mls dot com. Special thanks to Mark from 45n5 fro his tireless effort programing the list. If you have not visited the list lately we have 127 blogs already with more submissions in my mailbox. Make sure to bookmark the list for the future reference and use.

Picture credits: atroszko and Daino 16.
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Real Estate Top Blog List- Day2

Vlad Zablotskyy — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 20:40:20 +0000

After announcing the list of Top 100 Real Estate Blogs, I realize that I left many are under the impression that this list will be published here on this blog. In yesterday’s post I just simply copied pasted the list from http://geekrealtors.com:

As you can see from the above screen shot, there are two main columns on the list. Named Property Links and Real Estate Blogs Top 100. Basically the entire page is produced from data we receive via API from websites like Technorati and Alexa. The Property Links column shows the latest post from the blogs on the list to the left- the Real Estate Top 100.

I do not anticipate to publish the entire list on my blog again any soon, so if you would like to see how your blog is doing you have to visit the above described page yourself. Please remember that the list will be updated once a week.

I know that creating the list I have missed many outstanding real estate blogs. If you have one feel free to submit it to me at vlad @ go-beyond-mls.comSimilar Posts:

Short Sales Website Launched

Vlad Zablotskyy — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 15:43:55 +0000

A new website called 96short.com was launched today. The website is aimed at providing assistance to overextended homeowners in Virginia, Maryland and Washington DC. If you live in one of these areas and have fallen behind on your mortgage payment and are facing a foreclosure make sure to visit the website.

Matt Marting the confounder of 96short.com explains in today’s press release:

A short sale means selling your home for less than what is owed on the mortgage. Short sales can be a good deal for many borrowers – those with piggy-back mortgages, mortgages that exceed the current market value of the property and other overextended homeowners – provided the lender agrees to accept the proceeds of these short sales as payment in full

Matt Maritn, who is also the president of Matt Martin Real Estate, claims that his short sale team has closed on 10,000 of such transactions in the past fourteen years, effectively saving about $1,000,000,000 to customers.

Martin also quoted a real life example of how the short sale can help individual homeowners:

We met a great couple who had purchased a home in Bristow, VA, $630,000 at the height of the market in late 2004.They had taken a Pay Option or Negative Amortizing loan for the property and, when they contacted us, they owed close to $700,000 because of the negative amortization. The biggest problem was that the property was only worth $550,000 and, after fees and commissions, they would only be left with around $510,000 to pay towards the mortgage. We negotiated a short sale with the lender to write off the $190,000. The lender only asked for $5,000 in return for the write-down. The couple was then able to buy a new home in the same neighborhood for $200,000 less than what they were stuck with in their old home.

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Real Estate Blogs Top 100

Vlad Zablotskyy — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 05:34:12 +0000

UPDATE: Click here for the “up to date” version of the “top 100 Real Estate Blogs”.
The idea to compile such a list was born a few months ago. Just as other similar top lists where appearing. After talking to Mark from 45n5- who is an outstanding programmer and internet marketer, a decision was made to bring the idea to fruition. Mark was in charge of programing the list, while my job was to find the blogs to be placed in the list- an easy job I should say for a former real estate agent.

So I present you today with GeerRealtors Top 100 Real Estate Blogs. It is a must bookmark page for many reasons. Not only will you be able to see who is who among real estate bloggers. You can also see the latest posts from the blogs featured on the list. If you are on the list this will give you an opportunity to see how your blog compares to your colleagues and/or competitors. Visit those blogs and see what are they doing that makes them more popular than yours.

If you visit the list, you will notice that there are actually more than 100 blogs.This means that you also can submit your blog, and then work your way to the top. If I have missed your blog feel free to submit your blog, and depending to the rankings elsewhere (Google Page Rank, Alexa Rankings, Technorati Rank) you may very well end up in the top 100. If not, you have some work to do.

The list will be updated once a week, so if you see N/A next to your blog, it means it was added after the last update. Just bookmark the Top 100 Real Estate Blogs and come to look at it one week from now. Finally I hope the list itself will bring you a visitor or two.

And now, without further ado, I present you with the first edition of Top 100 Real Estate Blogs:

Real Estate Blogs Top 100

GR Rank*	Blog Name
1	Apartment Therapy	4	461	20724
2	Curbed	5	2749	32155
3	Inman News Blog	6	12130	34870
4	Brownstoner	6	8447	137136
5	Lansner on Real Estate	5	42090	52158
6	Zillow® Blog	6	17501	148023
7	Future of Real Estate Marketing	3	11756	80208
8	BiggerPockets Blog	3	29692	42467
9	Realtor Blogging Service	5	39041	101093
10	Dr. Housing Bubble	5	34802	118248
11	Sellsius Real Estate Blog	3	11591	94468
12	Nubricks	6	33456	198039
13	Rain City Guide	5	13963	215255
14	The Real Estate Tomato	5	13165	260972
15	Housing Panic	3	18779	150367
16	Agent Genius	4	28253	243589
17	Trulia Blog	5	53658	302100
18	The Real Estate Bloggers	3	23628	221092
19	Overseas Property Blog	5	137774	159636
20	Condo Blog	5	129395	272191
21	Mortgage Fraud Blog	5	72941	418080
22	HisMove	4	103170	241729
23	Miami Condo Investments	4	112625	250963
24	360Digest	5	62410	505650
25	Consumer Mortgage Reports	4	82932	348748
26	Charles and Hudson	5	81766	515494
27	LAS VEGAS REAL ESTATE	4	124139	292310
28	YoChicago	5	57124	618539
29	Piggington Econo-Almanac	3	92012	316173
30	Real Central VA	5	41092	803329
31	Altos Research Real Estate Insights	4	189138	311768
32	Luxury Home Digest	4	110648	492205
33	Technology for Real Estate	4	50119	633386
34	Ubertor Real Estate Blog	4	170597	377857
35	Carnival of Real Estate	4	71974	656356
36	EWM Realtors	4	211248	344229
37	True Gotham	5	103170	810330
38	Bubble Meter	5	162356	683259
39	Mike’s Corner	4	78235	700319
40	New Condos Online	4	360865	56421
41	The Real Estate Zebra	4	59623	786853
42	Sacramento Real Estate Voice	4	129395	727335
43	BlueRoof	4	119246	847456
44	Real Estate Sizzle	4	129395	894749
45	Realty Blogging	4	179530	797181
46	Pine Needle Lawn	5	415686	672779
47	Realty Thoughts	4	140824	990254
48	Arizona Real Estate Notebook	4	166367	952243
49	Triple Mint	5	297907	1532776
50	miOaklandCounty.com	3	89301	1420123
51	Naples Real Estate Blog	3	629416	256388
52	Pittsburgh Homes Daily	5	87977	2672551
53	St Louis Real Estate Voice	4	179530	2252476
54	Texas Realty Blog	3	317977	1530995
55	Real Estate Cafe Weblog	4	517455	2528654
56	BlogArizona.com	4	437475	3061824
57	Go Beyond MLS	2	731678	419104
58	Blue Collar Agents	3	395824	2246269
59	PropertyMaps Corporate Blog	4	1644723	463262
60	Lake Martin Voice	4	437475	3419729
61	Minneapolis Real Estate Blog	3	331293	2597171
62	nyc BLOG estate	3	587893	3043864
63	Property Monger	4	674367	4536111
64	Cobb Real Estate Blog	3	1212405	2617730
65	Edmonton Real Estate Blog	3	2124856	4493571
66	Fliperati	3	1948248	5043858
67	The Silver Bee	4	795643	11709774
68	Vancouver Real Estate Blog	N/A	N/A	N/A
69	Laguna Niguel Real Estate Blog	N/A	N/A	N/A
70	Thoughts about Real Estate	N/A	N/A	N/A
71	The Trump Blog	N/A	N/A	N/A
72	Connecticut Real Estate Blog	N/A	N/A	N/A
73	The Silver Fern	N/A	N/A	N/A
74	Calgary Real Estate Market Blog	N/A	N/A	N/A
75	Dothan Home Search	N/A	N/A	N/A
76	Tucson Real Estate In The News	N/A	N/A	N/A
77	Tampa Florida Real Estate Blog	N/A	N/A	N/A
78	Toronto Real Estate Blog	N/A	N/A	N/A
79	Ian Marshall	N/A	N/A	N/A
80	Long Beach Real Estate	N/A	N/A	N/A
81	Atlanta Intown Lofts	N/A	N/A	N/A
82	Smyrna Vinings	N/A	N/A	N/A
83	South Beach Condo Blog	N/A	N/A	N/A
84	St. Paul Real Estate	N/A	N/A	N/A
85	The Phoenix Real Estate Guy	N/A	N/A	N/A
86	ProHabber	N/A	N/A	N/A
87	Kuna Real Estate	N/A	N/A	N/A
88	Real Life Real Estate	N/A	N/A	N/A
89	Housing Doom	N/A	N/A	N/A
90	Blown Mortgage	N/A	N/A	N/A
91	RealEstateFacts.org	N/A	N/A	N/A
92	The Real Estate Post	N/A	N/A	N/A
93	House Hunting 101	N/A	N/A	N/A
94	Wilmington NC Real Estate Blog	N/A	N/A	N/A
95	ExpertRealEstateTalk.com	N/A	N/A	N/A
96	Arcadia Housing Blog	N/A	N/A	N/A
97	Outer Banks Real Estate	3	N/A	4213042
98	Reese’s Pieces of Real Estate	4	N/A	N/A
99	LendingClarity.com	4	N/A	4293234
100	Appraisal Scoop	4	N/A	771018
Almost
101	The Real Deal	6	N/A	552922
102	Housing Bubble Casualty	4	N/A	1644324
103	Matrix	7	N/A	545538
104	The Housing Bubble	3	N/A	88748

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