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Be the best needle in the haystack | Bedford NY Real Estate
Real estate brokers and agents who want more buyers and sellers to discover them on the Internet — and to be impressed by what they find — can start by putting themselves in the shoes of their would-be clients.
If your market is Atlanta, Google “best Realtors Atlanta” or “best places to live Atlanta.” Are you in the results? Where?
Try Googling your own name or your brokerage’s name, and see what comes up — your website, or sites over which you have little or no control?
If you Google your name and “reviews,” what are people saying about you?
This little exercise is one example of what Patrick Grandinetti, head of industry across the real estate vertical at Google, calls finding the “pulse” of online consumer behavior.
Once you’ve found the consumer pulse, he said, respond — either by creating content that will draw “organic” (unpaid) traffic from search engines, or by buying keywords and paying for a set amount of “clicks” (traffic to your website).
Google has an arsenal of tools dedicated to helping you not only create effective content and keywords, but measure the results on your website. Grandinetti made sure to touch on as many of them as he could in a presentation to a room full of Realtors Sunday.
Speaking at the National Association of Realtors’ annual Conference and Expo, Grandinetti seemed intent on winning over any skeptics in the room who might still be spending a significant portion of their marketing and advertising budget offline.
For converts, he also provided detailed insight into how to use a number of Google tools — many free — to grow their business (Grandinetti’s Google real estate team posts updates on Twitter using the handle @GoogleRE — a Web page is in the works).
Having spent nearly a decade in advertising at some big-name firms like Saatchi & Saatchi, DDB, and McCann Erickson before making the move to Google in 2007, Grandinetti understands how traditional advertising works — and how the wealth of information available to consumers on the Internet has undermined its effectiveness.
In the old days, companies with household brand names like Procter & Gamble operated on the premise that there were two “moments of truth” that could make or break sales of their products, he said.
The first moment of truth came when a consumer was, say, standing in front of a shelf of products at a supermarket, with only a few seconds to decide which one to buy.
Consumers had to make a spot decision based on price, their previous knowledge about each product and brand, and whatever additional information its packaging managed to convey.
The second moment of truth was the experience they had when they actually used the product — say toothpaste — for the first time. If they liked it, chances were they’d keep buying it.
“Procter & Gamble says if you can win at the first and second moments of truth, you have a high likelihood of retaining that customer for life,” Grandinetti said.
Google’s ‘zero moment of truth’
But today, consumers can obtain detailed information about virtually any product with a few taps on a smartphone’s touch screen. Advertising may only serve as the impetus for a consumer to launch their own online investigation.
Google calls the decision that results from this online research the “zero moment of truth,” or ZMOT.
Grandinetti told a story about his father purchasing a Canon digital camera after seeing a TV ad featuring Ashton Kutcher.
“I said Dad, he advertised for Nikon,” Grandinetti recalled. After seeing the ad, his father had gone online to research cameras. “He saw an ad for Nikon, but Canon won in that zero moment of truth,” Grandinetti said.
Thanks to online reviews, one consumer’s experience using a product — their “second moment of truth” — can become another consumer’s zero moment of truth.
Consumers have been always been willing do some homework on big purchases like a car or a home. But the rise of consumer rating sites and other sources of online information — and the ease of accessing it via mobile devices — means that the “zero moment” comes into play even with more modest purchases.
Google is so enamored with the concept — which dovetails nicely with the company’s business model — that it’s published an e-book, “Winning the Zero Moment of Truth.”
“Over the past couple of years, online research is changing the nature of the game,” Grandinetti said.
From January 2009 through June 2012, searches related to automobiles were up 262 percent, as were searches related to travel (up 211 percent) and real estate (253 percent), he said.
Applying ZMOT to real estate
Think of real estate brokers and agents as products that consumers research, and it’s not hard to understand how the “zero moment” would apply to them.
Brokers and agents not only need to be discovered, they need people to discover things about them that will differentiate them from the competition.
Finding the pulse of online consumer behavior makes it easier to create relevant website content and keywords.
The process doesn’t have to be rigorous or complex. Grandinetti noted that a quick way to get a feel for what consumers are searching for is to start entering a search term, and see what suggestions Google Instant displays as you type.
As you begin typing “best real estate,” for example, Google Instant may suggest search terms like “best real estate websites,” “best real estate apps,” or even “best real estate companies to work for,” because that’s how most users complete that phrase.
Showing up in a search of “best real estate companies to work for” in your market might not seem like an obvious way to connect with buyers and sellers.
But, Grandinetti asked, “Wouldn’t your customers want to use the company that’s best to work for?”
Google Trends is a free tool that provides more insight, allowing users to type in up to five search terms, and see indexed query growth over time. Users can see results at the global, national, state or local level, choosing the time period that they want to view.
A chart generated using Google Trends shows search volume for “foreclosures” has declined in the Orlando area in the last month, but still outnumbers “vacation homes,” “investment property,” “short sales,” and “rental properties.”
To make sure that Google’s spiders find the unique content you create for your site, Grandinetti recommended Google Webmaster Tools for optimizing websites for crawling.
Grandinetti also recommended another free tool, Google Reader, for staying on top of news about what’s happening in your real estate market and what people are saying about rival companies.
Better to lead than follow?
Many brokers and agents may find that time-tested, proven methods like advertising in newspapers are still working for them today. But Grandinetti suggested that those who haven’t given much thought about how to “win the zero moment,” should feel some urgency to do so.
“Be nimble — experiment,” he said. “Don’t be afraid to innovate.”
There’s often an advantage to being the first to stake out new territory online, he said, citing the example of a “little recipe gadget” Betty Crocker launched that captured the eye of 81,800 users after six months. When Kraft launched what Grandinetti described as a much more sophisticated app, it had only 9,900 users after six months. Betty Crocker won eight times more users because they were first, he said.
Grandinetti encouraged brokers and agents to at least experiment with AdWords, the pay-per-click ad campaigns built around keywords.
“See how many leads you get from spending $50 or $100 day,” he said. “Play around in Google AdWords, it’s an amazing tool.”
To boost your rankings in organic (unpaid) search results, create content that answers questions that your would-be clients are asking.
“Homebuyers have so many questions,” Grandinetti said. “You know how to help them. Position yourself as the expert.”
YouTube videos are a good way to demonstrate your expertise. Choose specific topics that are relevant and useful to your target audience.
“Tips for first time home buyers in Bay Area California,” is a great example of a specific subject that will attract potential clients, he said.
“Don’t be afraid to make a homegrown video of yourself,” he said, citing the YouTube video above as an example.
YouTube — a Google company — is the second-largest search site in the world, he said.
You can build up your customer base by signing up subscribers to your YouTube videos. Create a YouTube channel, and put its URL on your business card.
Research commissioned by Google shows people take three months to one year from the time they begin researching a home purchase until closing (33 percent take three to six months, and 27 percent take 6 months to a year, he said).
Keeping a steady stream of information to those people as they do their research can help you win the zero moment, he said.
Google’s social media offering, Google+, allows users to organize and communicate with their customer networks via circles, targeting specific messages only to first-time homebuyers, or second-home buyers, for example.
“I send one message to one group, another message to another group,” Grandinetti said.
Like Facebook, Google+ also offers the option of creating a business page that’s geared for building a large audience and marketing to it.
Adding a +1 button to your website allows visitors to recommend the content they find there to other Google search users, and share it on Google+.
Google’s “enterprise class” web analytics tool, Google Analytics, is also free because, Grandinetti said, “we believe, if you have better understanding of the data, you’re going to be a better customer for us.”
Grandinetti’s final piece of advice for brokers was to “make plans to win at ZMOT (zero moment of truth). The No. 1 thing you can do is put someone in charge in the ZMOT. If you don’t put someone in charge, it’s not going to happen.”
via inman.com
Power Outages: New Jersey, New York Slowly See Lights Back On After Hurricane Sandy | Bedford NY Real Estate
NEW YORK — Even as the lights came on for many who lost power in New York and New Jersey during the superstorm and a later nor’easter, hundreds of residents protested Saturday outside a Long Island utility, frustrated by its slow response to outages.
Power restoration has been slower there than in other areas hit by Superstorm Sandy, sparking criticism of the Long Island Power Authority. Some of the 130,000 blacked out homes and businesses the utility serves may not have power restored until the end of Tuesday, according to LIPA.
In the rest of the region hardest hit by the storm, most service was expected to be restored by the end of the weekend, though that doesn’t include tens of thousands of homes too damaged to juice up.
“We are sitting in a cold house. No one comes by,” said John Mangin of Levittown, N.Y. “There should be criminal charges against the CEO and the executive board of LIPA for failure to do their jobs.”
He was among about 300 people staging a rally in front of LIPA’s office in Hicksville, N.Y. Not all were without power, but some who have power said they were there to protest LIPA’s lack of communication.
LIPA Chief Operating Officer Michael Hervey said the utility was aware that customers haven’t gotten the information they’ve needed from it, partly because of an outdated information technology system it’s in the process of updating.
“I certainly feel the frustration of customers whose power remains out. Our hearts go out to them,” Hervey said.
But he said workers are repairing unprecedented storm damage as fast as they can. About 6,400 linemen and 3,700 tree trimmers are at work, compared with 200 linemen on a normal day.
In Suffolk County, where about 28,000 customers remain without power, County Executive Steven Bellone announced he was cutting ties with LIPA and would deal directly with substation coordinators.
Hervey said he would not comment on that directly, but added that an ad hoc takeover of the system would lead to anarchy.
“The utility is the best suited to restore power and manage that,” he said. “We can’t have people step in and take over.”
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has called for an investigation of the region’s utilities, criticizing them as unprepared and badly managed. On Friday, two congressmen from Long Island called for the federal government to help LIPA restore electricity.
“It’s a totally disorganized effort, and LIPA unfortunately seems to have lost control of the situation and that’s why you see so many people becoming so angry,” Rep. Peter King said Saturday.
In New York City and neighboring suburban Westchester County, utility Con Edison said about 11,400 customers remained powerless, down from a peak of more than 1 million. The number of remaining outages doesn’t include about 30,000 Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island homes and businesses that the utility says are too damaged to receive power for now.
In New Jersey, fewer than 85,000 customers were without power Saturday, most along the coast. That was down from 2.7 million at the height of the storm. Most were expected to have power by the end of the weekend.
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Long Island Residents, Many Still Without Power, Continue To Clean Up After Superstorm Sandy
LONG BEACH, NY – NOVEMBER 09: A man walks past a destroyed section of the boardwalk at the base of Lincoln Boulevard as Long Islanders continue their clean up efforts in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy on November 9, 2012 in Long Beach, New York. New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has said that the economic loss and damage to homes and business caused by Sandy could total $33 billion in New York, according to published reports. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Storm-Damaged Communities On East Coast Hit By Nor’Easter
NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 08: Alex Vila, 2, carries a box of cereal after visiting an aid station for people affected by Superstorm Sandy on November 8, 2012 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Household supplies and groceries were distributed to Red Hook neighborhood residents by Catholic Charities at the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary church. Meanwhile a nor’easter storm plunged temperatures to below freezing, bringing more misery to many Red Hook residents still without power, heat nor running water in their public housing apartments. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
US-WEATHER-STORM-SANDY
Boats and docks damaged by Hurricane Sandy are seen at the Mansion Marinia on the shores of the Great Kills community November 7, 2012 on Staten Island, New York. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Tuesday announced a limited evacuation of some neighborhoods ahead of harsh weather barreling toward a city still recovering from superstorm Sandy. The national weather service forecast heavy rain and likely snow on Wednesday and Thursday, accompanied by gale force winds gusting as high as 43 mph (69 kmh). Though barely half the strength of Sandy, the autumn storm will lash already damaged buildings and bring lower temperatures for tens of thousands of people still struggling without electricity. Bloomberg told a news conference that parks and beaches would close. The worst-hit patches of waterfront neighborhoods, including Rockaways in the Queens borough, and in Staten Island, were being asked to evacuate again. AFP PHOTO/Paul J. Richards (Photo credit should read PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images)
Storm-Damaged Communities On East Coast Hit By Nor’Easter
LONG BRANCH, NJ – NOVEMBER 08: Debris from Superstorm Sandy is seen on a beach November 8, 2012 in Long Branch, New Jersey. Meanwhile a nor’easter storm plunged temperatures to below freezing, bringing more misery to many residents throughout New York and New Jersey still without power. (Photo by Allison Joyce/Getty Images)
Long Island Residents, Many Still Without Power, Continue To Clean Up After Superstorm Sandy
OCEANSIDE, NY – NOVEMBER 09: (L-R) James Vouloukos and William Ferris sort through donated clothes at a site maintained by the Town of Hempstead in cooperation with FEMA at Oceanside Park during in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy on November 9, 2012 in Oceanside, New York. New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has said that the economic loss and damage to homes and businesses caused by Sandy could total $33 billion in New York, according to published reports. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Funeral Held in Brooklyn For Two Young Brothers Killed During Superstorm Sandy
NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 09: New York sanitation department workers watch as a hearse arrives with a casket carrying the bodies of two brothers killed during Superstorm Sandy for a funeral at the St. Rose of Lima Catholic church on November 9, 2012 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Brandon Moore, 2, and Connor Moore, 4, were swept away from the arms of their mother Glenda Moore as she fled Superstorm Sandy floodwaters in New York’s Staten Island borough to seek safety with family in Brooklyn. She is married to New York Sanitation worker Damian Moore, and dozens of workers and officials from the sanitation department attended the funeral ceremony. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
Long Island Residents, Many Still Without Power, Continue To Clean Up After Superstorm Sandy
ISLAND PARK, NY – NOVEMBER 09: (L-R) Residents Paul and Donald Zezulinski and their dog ‘Plywood’ of Island Park show their appreciation to first responders during their clean up efforts in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy on November 9, 2012 in Island Park, New York. New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has said that the economic loss and damage to homes and business caused by Sandy could total $33 billion in New York, according to published reports. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
- FILE – In this Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012 file photo, people stand next to a house collapsed from Superstorm Sandy in East Haven, Conn. While Connecticut was spared the destruction seen in New York and New Jersey, many communities along the shoreline, including some of the wealthiest towns in America, were struggling with one of the most severe storms in generations. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill, File)
- Meg Dolan holds her dog “Nellie” during Sunday mass at St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Breezy Point, in the wake of Superstorm Sandy, Sunday, Nov. 4, 2012, in New York. With overnight temperatures sinking into the 30s and hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses still without electricity six days after Sandy howled through, people piled on layers of clothes, and New York City officials handed out blankets and urged victims to go to overnight shelters or daytime warming centers. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
- A representative of the Salvation Army walks past homes destroyed by Superstorm Sandy in Breezy Point, Sunday, Nov. 4, 2012, in New York. The beachfront neighborhood heavy populated by firefighters and police officers was devastated during the storm when a fire pushed by Sandy’s raging winds destroyed 100 or more homes and buildings. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
- Ginny Flanagan, right, and her sister go through photographs and mementos that were recovered from Flanagan’s flooded bungalow in Breezy Point, in the wake of Superstorm Sandy, Sunday, Nov. 4, 2012, in New York. The beachfront enclave heavy populated by firefighters and police officers was devastated during the storm when a fire pushed by Sandy’s raging winds destroyed 100 or more homes and buildings. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
US-WEATHER-STORM-SANDY-MARATHON
Runner Jonathan who would have run the ING New York City Marathon, spend the afternoon volunteering by unloading and organizing emergency supplies near Midland Beach as New York recovers from Hurricane Sandy on November 4, 2012 in Staten Island, New York. AFP PHOTO / Mehdi Taamallah (Photo credit should read MEHDI TAAMALLAH/AFP/Getty Images)
- A woman with her groceries passes a group of National Guardsmen as they march up 1st Avenue towards the 69th Regiment Armory, Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012, in New York. National Guardsmen remain in Manhattan as the city begins to move towards normalcy following Superstorm Sandy earlier in the week. (AP Photo/ John Minchillo)
- Patrons on foot carrying gas canisters line up for gasoline at a Hess station in the New Dorp section of the Staten Island borough of New York, Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012. Those on foot reported waits up to 40 minutes while motorists lined up for two hours as Staten Islanders fueled up to run their generators and automobiles in the wake of Superstorm Sandy. (AP Photo/Eileen AJ Connelly)
- Girls hold hands during Sunday mass at St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Breezy Point, in the wake of Superstorm Sandy, Sunday, Nov. 4, 2012, in New York. With overnight temperatures sinking into the 30s and hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses still without electricity six days after Sandy howled through, people piled on layers of clothes, and New York City officials handed out blankets and urged victims to go to overnight shelters or daytime warming centers. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
- Many streets in the Silver Lake section of Belmar, N.J., remain underwater Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012, Neighbors and volunteers clean out homes Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012, in Belmar, N.J., five days after the storm surge by superstorm Sandy. (AP Photo/Ben Nukols)
- Water from superstorm Sandy is pumped from a flooded basement of an office building near New York’s Battery Park, Friday, Nov. 2, 2012. The massive storm that started out as Hurricane Sandy slammed into the East Coast and morphed into a huge and problematic system, killing at least 96 people in the United States. The cost of the storm could exceed $18 billion in New York alone. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
- Cars that were uprighted and submerged by Superstorm Sandy remain at the entrance of a subterranean parking garage in New York’s Financial District, as the water is pumped out, Friday, Nov. 2, 2012. . The cost of the storm could exceed $18 billion in New York alone. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
National Guard in Lower Manhattan
The National Guard 827th Engineer Company helps hand out MREs to Lower Manhattan residents at the Alfred Smith Playground on Friday Nov. 2, 2012. (Damon Dahlen, AOL)
National Guard in Lower Manhattan
The National Guard 827th Engineer Company helps hand out MREs to Lower Manhattan residents at the Alfred Smith Playground on Friday Nov. 2, 2012. (Damon Dahlen, AOL)
Grand Central Terminal, New York City
People walk through Grand Central Terminal as the sun rises during a subdued morning rush on Nov. 1, 2012 in New York City. Some trains are back up and running into Grand Central following shutdowns in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy. Subway train service in the city is back in a limited capacity, but with much of lower Manhattan still with out power, trains are not running there and busses are replacing them.
Seaside Heights, N.J.
A roller coaster sits in the Atlantic Ocean after the Fun Town pier it sat on was destroyed by Superstorm Sandy on Nov. 1, 2012 in Seaside Heights, New Jersey. With the death toll continuing to rise and millions of homes and businesses without power, the U.S. east coast is attempting to recover from the effects of floods, fires and power outages brought on by Superstorm Sandy.
National Guard in Lower Manhattan
The National Guard 827th Engineer Company helps hand out MREs to Lower Manhattan residents at the Alfred Smith Playground on Friday Nov. 2, 2012. (Damon Dahlen, AOL)
Charging Station Provided By AT&T
Phillip Melly charges the phones of Hurricane Sandy victims at Kimlau Square in Lower Manhattan on Friday Nov. 2, 2012. The generators used were brought in by AT&T to help out the residents of Lower Manhattan in New York City who currently have no power. (Damon Dahlen, AOL)
Stocking Up On Ice
United City Ice Cube Company workers who refer to themselves as “Icemen” take in a shipment of ice into their 45th and 10th ave. store on Friday Nov. 2, 2012. The workers who asked not to be identified by name said there had been a run on ice purchases due to Hurricane Sandy and they were stocking up in anticipation of more demand in the coming days. (Damon Dahlen, AOL)
Car Crash Due To Power Outage
The power outage in Lower Manhattan due to Hurricane Sandy has created a gauntlet of dangerous street intersections as can be seen by this car accident at the Houston and Varick Street crossing on Friday Nov. 2, 2012. (Damon Dahlen, AOL)
Car Crash Due To Power Outage
The power outage in Lower Manhattan due to Hurricane Sandy has created a gauntlet of dangerous street intersections as can be seen by this car accident at the Houston and Varick Street crossing on Friday Nov. 2, 2012. (Damon Dahlen, AOL)
Clean Drinking Water
Pedestrians fill up on water at a drinking station that had been setup at the corner of Centre and Canal Streets in Chinatown on Friday Nov. 2, 2012. The stations use water from fire hydrants and have been erected due to the blackout caused by Hurricane Sandy in Lower Manhattan. (Damon Dahlen, AOL)
Trash Picking In Chinatown
A pedestrian looks through discarded food near a supermarket located at Henry and Market Streets in Chinatown New York on Friday Nov. 2, 2012.
Fort Lee, N.J.
People wait in line for fuel at a Shell Oil station on Nov. 1, 2012 in Fort Lee, New Jersey. The US death toll from Hurricane Sandy rose to at least 85 as New York reported a major jump in fatalities caused by Monday’s storm. Fuel shortages led to long lines of cars at gasoline stations in many states and the country faced a storm bill of tens of billions of dollars.
New York City
Commuters ride the F train Nov. 1, 2012 in New York City. Limited public transit has returned to New York. With the death toll continuing to rise and millions of homes and businesses without power, the U.S. east coast is attempting to recover from the effects of floods, fires and power outages brought on by Superstorm Sandy.
Toms River, N.J.
A gas station displays a “No Gas” sign on November 1, 2012 in Toms River, New Jersey. With the death toll continuing to rise and millions of homes and businesses without power, the U.S. east coast is attempting to recover from the effects of floods, fires and power outages brought on by Superstorm Sandy.
Fort Lee, N.J.
Cars wait in line for fuel at a Gulf gas station on Nov.1, 2012 in Fort Lee, New Jersey. The US death toll from Hurricane Sandy rose to at least 85 as New York reported a major jump in fatalities caused by Monday’s storm. Fuel shortages led to long lines of cars at gasoline stations in many states and the country faced a storm bill of tens of billions of dollars.
Brooklyn, N.Y.
New Yorkers wait in traffic as they head into Manhattan from Brooklyn as the city continues to recover from superstorm Sandy on Nov.1, 2012, in New York, United States. Limited public transit has returned to New York and most major bridges have reopened but will require three occupants in the vehicle to pass. With the death toll currently over 70 and millions of homes and businesses without power, the US east coast is attempting to recover from the effects of floods, fires and power outages brought on by superstorm Sandy.
Hoboken, N.J.
Mud and debris liiter a street on Nov.1, 2012 in Hoboken, New Jersey. Hurricane victims continue to recover from Hurricane Sandy, which made landfall along the New Jersey shore, and left parts of the state and the surrounding area flooded and without power.
Washington, D.C.
Firefighters shoot water into a building in the 1200 block of 4th St., NE, near the recently opened Union Market, after responding to a blaze that broke out around 9pm Wednesday night.
Seaside Heights, N.J.
Debris lies on the boardwalk in front of the Casino Pier, which was partially destroyed by Superstorm Sandy on Nov.1, 2012 in Seaside Heights, New Jersey. With the death toll continuing to rise and millions of homes and businesses without power, the U.S. east coast is attempting to recover from the effects of floods, fires and power outages brought on by Superstorm Sandy.
Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, N.Y.
A New York City Police Department (NYPD) officer looks over flood waters at the entrance to the Brooklyn Battery tunnel in New York, U.S., on Nov. 1, 2012. The New York region is replacing a rail network built over a century with a patchwork constructed day-by-day to move its 8 million people again as it struggles back to life after Hurricane Sandy.
New York City
Residents charge their cell phones and computers on the East River esplanade in New York, U.S., on Nov. 1, 2012. The New York region is replacing a rail network built over a century with a patchwork constructed day-by-day to move its 8 million people again as it struggles back to life after Hurricane Sandy.
Toms River, N.J.
An American flag flies in front of a home damaged by Hurricane Sandy on Nov. 1, 2012 in Toms River, New Jersey. With the death toll continuing to rise and millions of homes and businesses without power, the U.S. east coast is attempting to recover from the effects of floods, fires and power outages brought on by superstorm Sandy.
Lower Manhattan
Water is pumped on to the street in lower Manhattan in New York, U.S., on Thursday, Nov. 1, 2012. The New York region is replacing a rail network built over a century with a patchwork constructed day-by-day to move its 8 million people again as it struggles back to life after Hurricane Sandy.
North Bergen, New Jersey
A woman leaves an Exxon gas station which was out of gas on Nov. 1, 2012 in North Bergen, New Jersey. The US death toll from Hurricane Sandy rose to at least 85 as New York reported a major jump in fatalities caused by Monday’s storm. Fuel shortages led to long lines of cars at gasoline stations in many states and the country faced a storm bill of tens of billions of dollars.
Manhattan from Hoboken, N.J.
People board the NY Waterways ferry with the Manhattan skyline in the background Nov.1, 2012 in Hoboken, New Jersey. Hurricane Sandy, which made landfall along the New Jersey shore, left parts of the state and the surrounding area without power including much of lower Manhattan south of 34th Street.
South Ferry 1 Train Station, New York City
Joseph Leader, Metropolitan Tranportation Authority Vice President and Chief Maintenance Officer, shines a flashlight on standing water inside the South Ferry 1 train station in New York, N.Y., Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2012, in the wake of superstorm Sandy. The floodwaters that poured into New York’s deepest subway tunnels may pose the biggest obstacle to the city’s recovery from the worst natural disaster in the transit system’s 108-year history.
Seaside Heights, N.J.
John Okeefe walks on the beach as a rollercoaster that once sat on the Funtown Pier in Seaside Heights, N.J., rests in the ocean on Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2012 after the pier was washed away by superstorm Sandy which made landfall Monday evening.
Grand Central Terminal, New York City
People exit a Metro-North train arriving in Grand Central Terminal during the morning rush on Nov. 1, 2012 in New York City. Some trains are back up and running into Grand Central following shutdowns in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy. Subway train service in the city is back in a limited capacity, but with much of lower Manhattan still with out power, trains are not running there and busses are replacing them.
Brooklyn, N.Y.
Pedestrians look over a fence at a pile of boats flooded inland at the Varuna Boat Club on Oct. 31, 2012, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. Sandy, the storm that made landfall Monday, caused multiple fatalities, halted mass transit and cut power to more than 6 million homes and businesses.
Queens, N.Y.
People walk by a destroyed section of the Rockaway boardwalk in the heavily damaged Rockaway section of Queens after the historic boardwalk was washed away during Hurricane Sandy on Oct. 31, 2012 in the Queens borough of New York City. With the death toll currently at 55 and millions of homes and businesses without power, the US east coast is attempting to recover from the affects of floods, fires and power outages brought on by Hurricane Sandy. JFK airport in New York and Newark airport in New Jersey expect to resume flights on Wednesday morning and the New York Stock Exchange commenced trading after being closed for two days.
Queens, N.Y.
Damage is viewed in the Rockaway neighborhood where the historic boardwalk was washed away during Hurricane Sandy on Oct. 31, 2012 in the Queens borough of New York City. With the death toll currently at 55 and millions of homes and businesses without power, the US east coast is attempting to recover from the affects of floods, fires and power outages brought on by Hurricane Sandy. JFK airport in New York and Newark airport in New Jersey expect to resume flights on Wednesday morning and the New York Stock Exchange commenced trading after being closed for two days.
Atlantic City, N.J.
A damaged car is shown in the wake of superstorm Sandy, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2012, in Atlantic City, N.J. Sandy was being blamed for at least six deaths across the state plus power outages that at their peak Monday affected 2.7 million residential and commercial customers.
Brooklyn, N.Y.
A worker picks up debris outside of the damaged Tatiana Grill on the Brighton Beach boardwalk, on Oct. 31, 2012, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. Sandy, the storm that made landfall Monday, caused multiple fatalities, halted mass transit and cut power to more than 6 million homes and businesses.
Mauricio Umansky is most often recognized as the husband of Kyle Richards of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.” | Bedford Real Estate
His full-time job is in real estate, but Mauricio Umansky is most often recognized as the husband of Kyle Richards of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.” The CEO and co-founder of luxury Los Angeles brokerage The Agency, Umansky has his hands full with balancing a successful real estate business, his family and of course, his appearances on TV.
We asked Umansky a few questions before Monday’s premiere of the third season of “RHOBH.”
Zillow: How do you balance reality TV with your real estate business?
Umansky: It’s less about balancing reality TV and my work and more about balancing my family life with The Agency. Whether I’m at work or with the family, I give 110 percent and focus on what I’m doing at that given time. I’m fortunate to have an amazing wife — Kyle helps me keep it all together. My biggest challenge is finding the time to be just with the kids.
Zillow: Has the show helped your real estate business?
Umansky: Before the show ever started, I was already one of the top producers in the country. However, a major component of selling real estate is marketing. I think the show has been beneficial, since it has brought more of a spotlight to me and The Agency, which, in turn, allows us to draw more attention to our listings.
Zillow: Will there be more visibility to your business this year? I understand Kyle has a shop next door to your office.
Umansky: It’s possible. We now both have offices in Beverly Hills. Kyle recently opened KYLE by Alene Too, a retail shop on the corner of Bedford and Brighton, of which I am very proud.
Zillow: How “real” is reality TV? You’ve mentioned before that your wife is so much funnier than the show gives her credit for.
Umansky: I think reality TV is very real, especially our show. It is completely unscripted. And yes, my wife is hilarious. She makes me and the family laugh all the time. I’m not sure that is captured completely on the show, but there are a lot of things that aren’t completely revealed.
Zillow: You just sold Adrienne Maloof’s home. How was that with the timing of the show?
Umansky: The sale of Adrienne’s house was an unfortunate situation. Both Paul and Adrienne are friends of mine, and selling a home of friends getting divorced is never easy. I try and keep it professional, and I try and accomplish my job as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Zillow: How was starting your own brokerage through all this? What are the best parts — and what are the most challenging parts?
Umansky: Amazing! I must say that not only do I have great partners, but we are blessed with a team of highly-skilled, successful agents and incredibly talented people working together toward one common goal – to represent our clients with the highest degree of attention, professionalism and service.
We embarked on a mission to create a brokerage firm with a progressive, definitive culture, and I think we have succeeded in this, although this will always remain a challenge.
via zillow.com
What types of emergencies justify landlord entry? | Bedford NY Realtor
Q: Last week the city was working on replacing gas lines in our neighborhood, which required turning off the gas. When they were done, they went house to house, turning the gas on and then going inside to relight pilot lights. They explained that this was a necessary safety precaution. We gave them permission to enter, but our tenants were upset when they found out. Were we in the wrong? –Donna and Mike
A: Many states regulate the reasons for which landlords may enter unannounced and without permission from the tenants. Shared by all of them is entry in order to deal with an emergency, such as to address a suspected gas or water leak, to respond to sounds of distress inside, and so on. The common thread is that landlords may enter to stop serious property damage or personal injury.
Your situation is an interesting wrinkle on the “emergency” nature of your entry. As I understand it, once the gas was shut off at the street, any remaining gas in the house lines was quickly used up by the pilots. Relighting pilots can be tricky, especially when you’re dealing with empty gas lines that have just been reopened. In addition, many pilots are in hard-to-reach places, such as under stoves and in furnaces located in attics.
I suspect that the plumbers come inside to relight the pilots to avert the possibility of any nasty surprises. In other words, they’re coming in so that they can avoid an emergency.
I can’t recall seeing “in order to avoid an emergency” on any state’s list of approved reasons for unannounced entries. But here is where we must get real: If there’s solid engineering or scientific reasons for having a professional relight the pilots, few judges are going to say that you should have kept the pro out of the house, especially when there’s no allegation of misconduct on the part of the plumber.
True, you could have asked them to come back later, after you had either posted appropriate notice (one or two days, in most states) or obtained permission from the tenants. But in the meantime, the gas appliances would have been nonfunctional, and you’d run the risk that the tenants, frustrated with no hot water, heat or stove, would have taken matters into their own hands. That would have been dangerous.
Q: My sister has a physically abusive relationship with her husband. He has threatened to harm their young children if she does not comply with his demands. Can she get out of the lease and move? –Lucy G.
A: Your sister’s best hope is that she lives in one of the 20 or so states that have laws enabling victims of domestic violence to terminate their leases before the terms expire. In addition, several states are considering legislation that would do the same.
States provide tenants with rights when they experience “domestic violence,” “intrafamily violence,” and so on. In a couple of states, termination rights exist when there has been sexual assault or stalking. But who must be the target of these actions?
In a few states, termination rights apply only when the tenant is the victim or intended victim. If your sister lives in one of these states, she may not be able to take advantage of the law. But isn’t the child a tenant too, you ask? A judge may say no, in the sense that a child doesn’t sign the lease and isn’t responsible for paying rent. But, on the other hand, the child is entitled to the benefit of many tenant-protection laws, such as the ban on illegal discrimination, and in the broader sense, could qualify as a tenant.
Perhaps in order to avoid this rather technical problem, many states have taken a common sense approach and have extended protection to the tenant and the tenant’s child or another member of the tenant’s household. Such laws would cover your sister’s situation.
via inman.com
Snow Blankets Bedford, Delays Schools – Bedford Patch | Bedford Real Estate for Sale
Residents are waking up to chilly temperatures and over six inches of snow from a Nor’easter that snarled last night’s commute, causing accidents and rendering many local roads a parking lot.
Katonah-Lewisboro and Bedford Central schools announced they would be operating on a two-hour delay on Thursday. The delay also affects Rippowam-Cisqua Schools, which will open at 10:30 a.m. and The Harvey School, which is closed, due to a power outage, according to their websites.
Bedford police said as of 5 a.m. Thursday highway crews were plowing local roads but all were clear except for a downed tree blocking Maple Ave in Katonah.
Drivers should use caution on local highways as some snow and ice conditions are reported on I-684 between exits 10 and 4, according to the Hudson Valey Traveler.
In addition, accidents are being cleared on the Sprain Brook Parkway in Mt. Pleasant and the Taconic Parkway north of 134.
Police said last night several accidents were cleared off local roads; locals reported treacherous commutes on Bedford-Katonah Patch’s Facebook page, citing two-hour drives from Armonk to Katonah and a car fire on Route 35 that slowed east-bound traffic to a stop.
“It took over three hours to get from I-287 up I-684 to exit 4,” said Jessica Welt-Betensky. “Roads seem completely unplowed and some people are trying to drive on the shoulder.”
The National Weather Service forecasts a wintry mix of rain, snow, and sleet before 9 a.m. this morning, with some snow blowing and a possible accumulation of up to another half-inch today. Tonight’s temperatures dip into the high 20s with Friday likely bringing some meltoff when temperatures rise into the low 50s.
NYSEG said it had prepared for additional outages from the winter storm but as of Thursday morning, outages were down to 1,292 in Westchester County, from a reported 2,700 at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday night.
If you experienced a power outage during the snow storm, call NYSEG at 800-572-1131 or Con Edison at 800-752-6633.
How to Diagnose and Fix (not set) Visits from Flowplayer in Google Analytics | Bedford NY Realtor
Webmasters using Flowplayer 3.2 or earlier may have woken up to a pleasant surprise in Google Analytics the day after implementation. Visits doubled overnight, but how is that possible? Don’t get too excited because half of those visits are most likely fake visits. Flowplayer 3.2 or earlier has its own built-in analytics code, which clashes and conflicts with Google Analytics. Whether or not these issues have been fixed in the newly released 5.0 is still questionable.
Here’s a few tips for understanding, diagnosing and fixing the issues between Flowplayer and Google Analytics.
Visits doubled in the month of February as soon as Flowplayer was set up
Cause of the Flowplayer Analytics Issue
Flowplayer has its own custom analytics code embedded within the service. This tracking causes clashes with Google Analytics if the video is tagged as an Event in GA. The Events set up on Flowplayer videos get triggered as if they were interacted with even though the user may not actually interact with the video. The clash causes the Google Analytics tracking code to generate a second visitor ID, which doubles the number of visits. All of the fake visits show up as (not set) in Google Analytics as a result of not being an actual visit.
Not Set showed up as the top landing page during a two week span after launching Flowplayer
Diagnosing the Flowplayer Issue in Google Analytics
Diagnosing Flowplayer issues in Google Analytics is quite simple. The first step is to closely monitor Google Analytics on a daily basis after launching a Flowplayer video. The area to monitor closely is landing pages and page depth. Since this issue creates fake visits, there will be no landing page or page depth for the fake visits, and will show up as (not set) in GA. If (not set) shows up anywhere in GA, there is most likely a problem with one of the Events set up in GA. If any of the Events have been triggered much more than any realistically would be, you may have discovered the source of your issue. Flowplayer does not agree with Events tracking codes.
An advanced segment used for correcting the (not set) issue
How to Fix the Flowplayer Analytics Issue
Since the data collected in Google Analytics has already been skewed due to this issue, an advanced segment will be needed to filter out the fake visits. In most cases, excluding the dimension “page depth” of less than one will filter out the (not set) visits.
The event tracking code will also need to be customized to work with FlowPlayer. The first set of code is the stock version of the analytics tracking code provided by FlowPlayer. The second set of code is the fixed version of the code.Stock analytics code from flash.flowplayer.org
<script src="flowplayer/flowplayer-3.2.11.min.js"></script> <script> (function() { $f("player", "flowplayer/flowplayer-3.2.15.swf", { plugins: { gatracker: { url: "flowplayer/flowplayer.analytics-3.2.8.swf", accountId: "UA-######-#", events: { all: true } } } }); })(); </script>Fixed version:
Benefits:
1. Start and Finish will be treated as non-interactive events. This will make your bounce rates more accurate.
2. Event tracking Visitor ID will match with the trackPageview Visitor ID.
3. No extra bandwidth used by downloading an additional swf.<script src="flowplayer/flowplayer-3.2.11.min.js"></script> <script> (function() { function trackEvent(options) { options = options || {}; options = { category : options.category || "Video", action : options.action || "", label : options.label || "", value : options.value || null, noninteractive : options.noninteractive || false } options.label += ""; // Coerce this into a string. _gaq.push(["_trackEvent", options.category, options.action, options.label, options.value, options.noninteractive]); } $f("player", "flowplayer/flowplayer-3.2.15.swf", { clip: { onStart: function() { trackEvent({ action: "Started", noninteractive: true }); }, onPause: function() { trackEvent({ action: "Pause", label: this.getTime() }); }, onResume: function() { trackEvent({ action: "Resume", label: this.getTime() }); }, onFinish: function() { trackEvent({ action: "Finished", noninteractive: true }); } } }); })(); </script>Related Stories ▼
About Our Guest Expert – Harrison Jones
Harrison Jones is an SEO and Web Analyst at The MX Group – a full service b2b marketing firm near Chicago. He specializes in search engine optimization, link building, analytics, paid search, social media, and content marketing. Harrison writes frequently about SEM tactics and techniques as well as his own experiments. He has been published on several leading industry journals, and also writes for a series of food and travel blogs.
Please Note: Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily that of ReelSEO.comBecome a Guest Expert: Occasionally, we like to offer experts within the online video industry the chance to write a guest post for ReelSEO. We like it because it offers you readers great content, and it comes directly from those in the field that are working on the technologies to power this online video revolution of sorts 😉 If you are interested in becoming a guest author, please feel free to let us know. Read our post on becoming a guest author for additional information.
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via reelseo.com
Bedford Patch Storm Hub: Schools Cancelled All Week | Bedford NY Real Estate
Outages as of Thursday 7 a.m.
Town Number of Customers Number of Customers without power Bedford 6,657 6,650 Pound Ridge 2,365 2,361
No signs of pressure on home loan rates | Bedford NY Real Estate
Mortgage rates stayed in the basement this week, as mortgage-backed securities that fund the vast majority of home loans continued to look like a safe bet to investors.
Rates on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages averaged 3.39 percent with an average 0.7 point for the week ending Nov. 1, down from 3.41 percent last week and 4.00 percent a year ago, Freddie Mac said in releasing the results of its latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey. Rates for 30-year fixed-rate loans hit an all-time low in Freddie Mac records dating to 1971 of 3.36 percent during the week ending Oct. 4.
For 15-year fixed-rate loans, rates averaged 2.70 percent with an average 0.7 point, down from 2.72 percent last week and 3.31 percent a year ago. Rates for 15-year fixed-rate loans reached an all-time low in Freddie Mac records dating to 1991 of 2.66 percent during the week ending Oct. 18.
Rates on 5-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) loans averaged 2.74 percent with an average 0.6 point, down from 2.75 percent last week and 2.96 percent a year ago. Rates on five-year ARM loans hit a low in records dating to 2005 of 2.69 percent during the week ending July 19.
For 1-year Treasury-indexed ARMs, rates averaged 2.58 percent with an average 0.4 point, down from 2.59 percent last week and 2.88 percent a year ago. Rates on one-year ARM loans hit an all-time low in records dating to 1984 of 2.57 percent during the week ending Oct. 4.
A weekly survey by the Mortgage Bankers Association showed demand for purchase mortgages was up a seasonally adjusted 1 percent during the week ending Oct. 26 when compared to the week before, and up 6 percent from the same week a year ago.
Members of the Federal Reserve’s Open Market Committee said last week they expect to keep their target for short-term interest rates at “exceptionally low levels” at least through mid-2015.
The Fed is also keeping mortgage rates low, by boosting purchases of mortgage-backed securities guaranteed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac by $40 billion a month. Economists at Fannie Mae think the open-ended program may continue through next year and into 2014.
via inman.com
Cinemek Storyboard Composer: Mobile Storyboarding iPad App Review | Bedford NY Realtor
One of the most important aspects of pre-production is to create a storyboard. While having a script perfected is important, it is just as important to have a storyboard before you start shooting so you don’t miss any essential shots. This will prevent you from wasting time and money. In this week’s Reel Rebel we look at an app by Cinemek to help you easily put together a useable storyboard using your iPhone and iPad mobile device.
Reviewing the Storyboard Composer App by Cinemek:
If you are an iPhone user, a great app to use for storyboarding is called Storyboard Composer by Cinemek ($14.99 in iTunes App Store). Storyboard Composer is the world’s first mobile story boarding application. You don’t need to know how to draw and there are no complicated programs to learn. It works with pictures from your photo library, so your first step is to take some pictures. Think about how you want your shot composed, set up a rough version of the scene in your home or on your location if you can make that happen, and then snap some photos. That is something you can handle on your own.
Then the fun part comes, you get to dive into the app. To load your pictures tap—Menu, New Storyboard, and select photo library. Then all you need to do is click on any of the pictures you want to load up for your piece.
When you click cancel to close the screen, you’ll now see all of your photos on the canvas. If they’re not in the right order, just drag them around until they tell the story properly. This isn’t difficult at all.
It doesn’t matter if there aren’t actors in your pictures. Just click on the photo you want to add someone to, click on these little people, and you have instant actors. Just fiddle with the settings at the bottom until they match your characters as closely as possible. Once you’re done adding people into your scene, add some motion to your shots.
Storyboard Composer has made it extremely easy to simulate camera moves. Just select your shot, pick what kind of move you want to add from the choices on the left, and adjust it intuitively with your fingers. When you play it back, magic happens. You see what your final shot should look like. You can even set a duration time to make sure you get the timing right.
When you get everything in place, you can playback all your clips in order and see a rough idea of what your final product will be. Make any final tweaks and then either export a movie file, or export a PDF to keep with you on set to keep you on track and keep you from forgetting any of your shots. You can have your first story board up and running in a matter of minutes. Storyboard Composer allows professionals and students to portray their vision to others in an easily controllable and transportable format. Overall, Cinemek has provided people who can’t draw at all an easy way to organize their storyboards so they can run shoots as professionally and efficiently as possible.
via reelseo.com