Monthly Archives: June 2013

5 Creative Ways to Drive More Traffic to Your Blog Posts | Katonah Realtor

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Do you want more traffic to your blog?

Are you struggling to catch the attention of more readers?

Does this sound familiar? You write an amazing piece of content. You made sure tocraft an attention-grabbing headline. You share the link on Twitter, Facebook, even Google+.

Then you wait in breathless anticipation for your share count to skyrocket. Except it doesn’t.

Never fear, in this article you’ll find fresh ideas to generate buzz and get your posts noticed.

two prong

Use a two-pronged approach with a variety of platforms and different types of media to get your post shared. Image source: iStockPhoto.

Promote Your Article Across a “Wider” Variety of Platforms

Everyone is using Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn to promote their content. It’s tempting to focus only on these four networks because they have popularity and community numbers on their side.

However, you get a competitive advantage when you share your content on smaller or less well-known networks. These sites often have active, focused audiences and offer less competition for attention, so your content will stand out.

Here are some examples of smaller networks:

  • Quora.com—A question/answer-based website founded by two former Facebook employees. What makes Quora unique is that all content is created, edited and organized by its user community. The user base tends to be more business- and academic-oriented.
  • Tumblr—A microblogging site that recently made headlines when Yahoo! acquired it. Its user base tends to be younger and more “hip,” making it the perfect platform to share edgier, niche-based content.
  • Empire Avenue—Part social network, part social media marketing tool, Empire Avenue uses gamification to enable users to broadcast content across all of the other social networks. The primary members of EAv are small businesses, social media professionals and bloggers.

    intel on empire ave

    Intel on Empire Avenue.

Grab Viewer Interest With Different Types of Media

Sharing a link to your post isn’t enough to guarantee that it gets read. You need togive users a compelling reason to click your link.

Use one or more of these outside-the-box, creative methods to promote your posts with images, audio and video.

#1: Use Dubbler to Give a Short Audio Introduction

Available for iPhone and Android devices, Dubbler offers a simple way to record up to 60 seconds of audio on your phone, and then share it with other Dubbler community members.

dubbler

Dubbler brings the simplicity and fun of audio to the social world. Record your voice, add a filter or photo and share with your friends.

The app includes voice filters and lets you add a cover image.

Spark interest in your blog post and record an audio message that communicates your excitement and passion about the content in a way that text or static images can’t.

Add an image, enter your blog post URL in the description and you’ve got a ready-made sound bite that can be shared with the Dubbler community, as well as Facebook and Twitter.

 

 

5 Creative Ways to Drive More Traffic to Your Blog Posts | Social Media Examiner.

Prices Rose 12 Percent in April | Bedford Corners Real Estate

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Home prices nationwide, including distressed sales, increased 12.1 percent on a year-over-year basis in April 2013 compared to April 2012. This change represents the biggest year-over-year increase since February 2006 and the 14th consecutive monthly increase in home prices nationally. On a month-over-month basis, including distressed sales, home prices increased by 3.2 percent in April 2013 compared to March 2013*, according to the April CoreLogic HPITM report.

Excluding distressed sales, home prices increased on a year-over-year basis by 11.9 percent in April 2013 compared to April 2012. On a month-over-month basis, excluding distressed sales, home prices increased 3 percent in April 2013 compared to March 2013. Distressed sales include short sales and real estate owned (REO) transactions.

The CoreLogic Pending HPI indicates that May 2013 home prices, including distressed sales, are expected to rise by 12.5 percent on a year-over-year basis from May 2012 and rise by 2.7 percent on a month-over-month basis from April 2013. Excluding distressed sales, May 2013 home prices are poised to rise 13.2 percent year over year from May 2012 and by 3.1 percent month over month from April 2013. The CoreLogic Pending HPI is a proprietary and exclusive metric that provides the most current indication of trends in home prices. It is based on Multiple Listing Service (MLS) data that measure price changes for the most recent month.

“House price growth continues to surprise to the upside with an impressive 12.1 percent gain year over year in April,” said Dr. Mark Fleming, chief economist for CoreLogic. “Increasing demand for new and existing homes, coupled with low inventory, has created a virtuous cycle for price gains, most clearly seen in the Western states with year-over-year gains of 20 percent or more.”

“The pace of the housing market recovery quickened in April as home prices rose across the U.S.,” said Anand Nallathambi, president and CEO of CoreLogic. “For the second consecutive month, all 50 states registered year-over-year home price gains excluding sales of distressed homes. We expect this trend to continue, bolstered by tight supplies and pent up buyer demand.”

Highlights as of April 2013:

  • Including distressed sales, the five states with the highest home price appreciation were: Nevada (+24.6 percent), California (+19.4 percent), Arizona (+17.3 percent), Hawaii (+17 percent) and Oregon (+15.5 percent).
  • ncluding distressed sales, this month only two states posted home price depreciation: Mississippi (-1.7) and Alabama (-1.6 percent).
  • Excluding distressed sales, the five states with the highest home price appreciation were: Nevada (+22.6 percent), California (+18.3 percent), Idaho (+16.4 percent), Arizona (+15.3 percent) and Washington (+13.9 percent).
  • Excluding distressed sales, no states posted home price depreciation in April.
  • Including distressed transactions, the peak-to-current change in the national HPI (from April 2006 to April 2013) was -22.4 percent. Excluding distressed transactions, the peak-to-current change in the HPI for the same period was -16.3 percent.
  • The five states with the largest peak-to-current declines, including distressed transactions, were Nevada (-47.3 percent), Florida (-40.5 percent), Michigan (-36.1 percent), Arizona (-36 percent) and Rhode Island (-34.7 percent).
  • Of the top 100 Core Based Statistical Areas (CBSAs) measured by population, 94 were showing year-over-year increases in April, the same as in March 2013.

 

Prices Rose 12 Percent in April | RealEstateEconomyWatch.com.

Investors Cautioned On Hottest Markets | Chappaqua Real Estate

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In some markets–many of them in California–the home price rebound has pushed prices above their EHP level, which should be a caution sign for investors seeking to make money in a quick re-sale, according to the latest HomeVestor/Local Market Monitor Best Market Ratings for investors.

Citing new quarterly data compiled by HomeVestors (known as the “We Buy Ugly Houses®” company) and national real estate forecaster, Local Market Monitor, Hicks said that in the top 100 housing markets in the U.S., only one-Providence, Rhode Island–is categorized as “dangerous” for investors. The HomeVestor/Local Market Monitor Best Market Ratings, issued quarterly, concentrate on factors that affect the demand for housing and therefore affect home prices. The potential for price increases is the investment opportunity, the potential for price decreases or stagnation is the investment risk.

“Five of the 11 markets where the price run-up has driven the EHP into positive territory are in California, with the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale market leading the pack. Average home prices now running 19 per cent above the EHP for that market,” said Ingo Winzer, president and founder of Local Market Monitor. The EHP, or Equilibrium Home Price is a measure of how much a market is over-priced or underpriced relative to local income.

“Markets with a positive EHP can still provide strong rental returns for investors,” Winzer said, “since most of those markets have strong population and job growth which provides upward pressure on rents.

“The San Jose market is a good example,” he continued. “Although the EHP is six percent, strong population growth provides a good source of renters, making it a ‘low risk’ market according to our data.”

Winzer also thinks the sharply higher prices in some markets will be difficult to sustain. “They’re more the result of a short-term shortage of inventory rather than a long-term recovery of demand,” he noted.

Investors should weigh the data carefully according to their risk preferences before making a decision about investing in a market,” said HomeVestors co-president Ken Channell.  “For those who can handle more risk, markets ranked as ’speculative’ in our data could provide more upside potential.”

Despite the record-setting increases in home prices this year, there is still plenty of room in most markets for prices to move even higher, and that’s good news for investors in single family homes according to David Hicks, co-president of HomeVestors of America

“Even though housing prices in Providence are still 12 percent below their EHP level, the weak jobs market and relatively high unemployment depresses demand for rental properties,” said Ingo Winzer,

Of the top 100 markets, there are 13 ranked as “speculative,” all of them in Northeast or the Midwest. “Most of these markets have higher than average unemployment rates, but have other factors such as home prices well below the EHP, strong rents or continued population growth that make them particularly attractive investments,” Hicks said.

“What we have learned over the last 16 years with our HomeVestors® franchisees buying more than 50,000 houses allows us to analyze individual neighborhoods for sales trends and rental rates,” Channell said.  “This information can help investors determine a purchase price for a property that may allow them to build equity over the long term while generating rental income immediately.”

The quarterly data categorizes all U.S. markets according to different investor risk preferences including Dangerous, Speculative, Medium Risk and Low Risk.  California leads the nation in the number of markets ranked “low risk” with 14.  Texas is next with 12 markets ranked as low risk and Florida is third with 11.

But, Winzer cautions “Not all low risk markets are equal. When you factor in job growth and unemployment, it’s clear that some markets like Texas have better long-term potential than a market like Florida.”

 

Investors Cautioned On Hottest Markets | RealEstateEconomyWatch.com.

Investors Plan to Reduce Purchases | Armonk Real Estate

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Real estate investors are responding to higher prices by buying fewer properties in the next 12 months and holding their rental properties at least five years or longer, according to a national survey of real estate investors conducted by ORC International for MemphisInvest.com and Premier Property Management Group.

Investor purchasing intentions have changed significantly since ORC surveyed investors in August, when only 30 percent said they planned to buy fewer properties in the next 12 months than they did in the previous year. In the latest survey, the percentage of investors who said they plan to cut back on purchases in the coming year has risen to 48 percent. Only 20 percent of investors said they plan to increase purchases compared to 39 percent ten months ago.

While they may be buying fewer new properties in the year to come, over half of investors who own rental properties plan to hold them for at least five years or more. One-third, 33 percent, of investors plan to keep them for 10 years or more.

“Higher prices are reducing returns on investment and investors are responding by cutting back on their purchasing plans until conditions sort out. Fewer foreclosures, rising property values and competition from hedge funds are making it tough to find good ideals on distress sales,” said Chris Clothier, partner in MemphisInvest.com and Premier Property Management Group.

“On the other hand, investors are planning to hold onto their rental properties for at least eight to ten years and realize the benefits of rising rents and low vacancy rates. Cash flow is much more important than appreciation,” said Clothier.

Real estate investors play a major role in the national housing economy. Investors purchased 24 percent of all existing homes sold in 2012, a decline from 27 percent in 2011, according to the National Association of Realtors. The drop in purchasing intentions could result in a further decline in investor market share in 2013.

Single-family rentals are the fastest growing component of households, expanding over 25 percent since the 2005 peak in homeownership, according to Zelman & Associates. The number of renter-occupied singe family detached homes is about 11.4 million, almost 2.1 million (or 22 percent) higher than in 2006, according to the Census Bureau.

How those who do plan to make purchases will pay for them has also changed over the past ten months. In August, nearly one out of four investors said they will use all cash on their next purchase and the balance would use some form of financing. Today the percentage has increased to 37 percent. Most investors today plan to use a commercial mortgage.

“Cash sales make sense when prices are rising. They lower investors’ costs,” said Clothier.

About half of investors said real estate investing is harder today than when large numbers of foreclosures started five years ago. The entry of institutional investors into residential real estate is often cited as a source of competition for properties and a reason foreclosure inventories are shrinking, but only 13 percent of investors in the survey said the large competitors have impacted their businesses while 54 percent said they have experienced no impact at all.

However, more than half of the investors participating in the survey said they believe that five years from now there will more real estate investors than there are today.

“The reasons people invest in real estate-cash flow, passive income for retirement, exceptional return–will be as important five years from now as they are today,” Clothier said.

The study was conducted using ORC International’s CARAVAN Omnibus survey using both landline and mobile telephones on May 2-5/9-12/16-19 2013 among 3020 adults, 1,507 men and 1,513 women 18 years of age and older, living in the continental United States. Some 1,970 interviews were from the landline sample and 1,050 interviews from the cell phone sample.

 

 

Investors Plan to Reduce Purchases | RealEstateEconomyWatch.com.

Home sales may begin to soften this summer | Katonah Real Estate

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Despite the fact that inventory improved in April, and will have improved again in May, Redfin anticipates a lull in sales this summer. Months of bidding wars and record-low inventory earlier this year has finally taken a toll on some buyers. Rising interest rates are likely discouraging some buyers as well, writes Redfin.

Month over month, the number of customers taking tours fell 3.0% from April, compared to a 2.2% loss between April and May in 2012. Meanwhile, the number of customers making offers dropped 2.1% from April to May, also slightly more than last year’s 1.1% decline.

 

Home sales may begin to soften this summer | HousingWire.

Google Glass apps to download for real estate | South Salem Real Estate

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At HousingWire’s Real Estate Expo (REX Annual) this week,VaynerMedia Founder and CEO Gary Vaynerchuk advised the audience of real estate professionals to start eyeing up Google Glass. So, as a real estate agent, how should you be utilizing this new technology?

Google Glass allows users who walk down a street wearing the technology to see alerts about nearby houses on the market. The alerts are courtesy of Trulia which this week introduced an app for Google Glass. It is one of only a handful of apps available for the Internet-connected glasses, and is an example of how software developers are experimenting with the new device.

To read the full article, click here.

Google Glass apps to download for real estate | HousingWire.

Monday Morning Cup of Coffee: Mixed reactions on Florida foreclosure bill | Waccabuc Real Estate

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Monday Morning Cup of Coffee is a quick look at the news coming across the HousingWire weekend desk, with more coverage to come on bigger issues.

Almost inevitably, perhaps, reaction to the bill signed in Florida by the state’s governor to speed up foreclosures has been mixed. Or so says a piece in The Tampa Tribune.

Gov. Rick Scott signed the bill that expedites the default process on Friday. While some see it as a boon for the consumer and the foreclosure-laden state, others are viewing it as a more efficient means for banks to snatch away people’s homes, the newspaper reports.

It’s one of a few pieces of housing-related legislation becoming law in the Sunshine State. For example, under a new landlord-tenant bill, the article states a tenant could pay partial rent and still be evicted within days if they fail to turn over the rest of the money.

The Wall Street Journal breaks down the housing recovery in a bulls-versus-bears feature article. Reporter Nick Timiraos gets his hands on a research paper by Joshua Rosner, managing director of Graham Fisher & Co. in order to help lay out the bears side of things.

Ivy Zelman of advisory firm Zelman & Associates gives the bulls case.

“If you were waiting for homeownership rates to improve, you would have missed the housing recovery,” says Zelman. “It’s all about occupancy and shelter.”

 

Monday Morning Cup of Coffee: Mixed reactions on Florida foreclosure bill | HousingWire.

7 Popular Types of Social Media Fans [Infographic] | Pamorama | Cross River Realtor

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If you’re using social media to market your company, you know that social media fans are not all alike.

7 types of social media fans 7 Popular Types of Social Media Fans [Infographic]Many different types of people follow you on social networks. While every person is different, social media fans and customers can be broken down into roughly 7  categories. Once you understand who these customers are, it’s easier to target them to improve brand awareness, find leads, and drive sales. Here’s a look a who they are, why they’re following your brand on social media, and what to do to get the most out of them.

The folks at ReachLocal, a localized-marketing agency, have illustrated the 7 popular types of social media fans in the infographic below. Here’s a quick take on these different personas:

1. The Quiet Follower

This fan has liked your business on Facebook or followed you on Twitter, but they don’t say much and don’t really engage with you. One of the easiest ways to reach them is by ask them to do something — create stronger calls to action by requesting that they retweet or “like” your posts. Getting these fans to engage with your brand on Facebook means that your content will appear more often in their news feeds. (See my post Understanding Facebook Edgerank to learn how to give your Facebook posts a higher probability of appearing at the top of news feeds.)

2. The Casual “Liker”

This person occasionally retweets your Twitter content or  “likes” your Facebook or LinkedIn posts. They probably followed your business because they want to let their friends know that they buy products from your company and/or because they genuinely enjoy your content. Use calls to action on your Facebook posts encourage your fans to share your content. Example: If you own a coffee shop, you could share a photo of the new hot drink you’ve just introduced with a caption that says, “Share this if you love coffee!” This will help turn casual fans into brand advocates.

3. The Deal Seeker

This fan wants exclusive access to coupons, deals, incentives, and events. There are a lot of deal-seekers out there: Studies have shown that more than half of Facebook users expect access to sales or to receive discounts or promotions after “liking” a brand on Facebook:

facebook fans expect access to exclusive deals content coupons sales events 7 Popular Types of Social Media Fans [Infographic]

Reach these customers by regularly posting deals-of-the-week, offers, contests, and specials for your social media audiences. Companies that regularly do this attract new fans.

4. The Unhappy Customer

No one wants unhappy customers — let alone seeing their negativity on your social media sites — but people are using social media more and more as a form of public communication with brands. Posts on Facebook pages or @mentions on Twitter are used to complain about customer service, and can harm your reputation. It’s important to continually monitor your pages and quickly respond to feedback and complaints. This sends the message that you care and are listening, and that you put your customers first.



Read more: http://www.pamorama.net/2013/06/09/7-types-of-social-media-fans-how-to-connect-infographic/#ixzz2VoDo20GZ

 

7 Popular Types of Social Media Fans [Infographic] | Pamorama | Social Media Marketing Blog.

Schiliro To Run For North Castle Town Supervisor | Armonk NY Homes

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ARMONK, N.Y. – The North Castle Democratic Committee endorsed Michael Schiliro for Town Supervisor for the upcoming November election in this week’s top news.

In other top news this week:

 

Schiliro To Run For North Castle Town Supervisor Tops This Week’s News | The Armonk Daily Voice.

Mount Kisco Chef’s Upcoming ‘Chopped’ Appearance | Mt Kisco NY Homes

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MOUNT KISCO, N.Y. – Mount Kisco restaurant Village Social Chef Mogan Anthony upcoming appearance on Food Network’s “Chopped” in a June 13 episode topped this week’s news.

In other top news this week:

 

Mount Kisco Chef’s Upcoming ‘Chopped’ Appearance Tops This Week’s News | The Bedford Daily Voice.