Looking Out From the Garage: May 2009

Big ROUND number... 1000

This post has been in the works since June 14th, 2007.  That is right, just two weeks short of two years!  That was the day I wrote my very first blog post on Active|Rain.  This is post #1000. 

That is a lot of posts... and honestly, I never thought I would be writing a 1000th post.  Keep in mind, I didn't think I wouldn't be...  I just didn't ever think about writing 1000 posts.  Now I wonder about #2000... 

For you beginning bloggers, it all starts with one post.  One single, solitary, lonely post on a blog.  And then another... and another... and another.  Whether you write two posts a day, two a week or two a month, it all starts with writing a post.  And there is something else to keep in mind...  Blogging isn't about perfection, it is about growth.  My posts aren't perfect... I don't think ANY of my posts are perfect.  I find typos and misspellings when I am back in them all of the time.  Information changes.  Laws change.  We change... 

Here are a few posts from the past:

Some are pretty good... some aren't great.  They were mostly well read and commented.  But they all give ideas for writing more posts. 

If you are a veteran blogger, you know what I am talking about... if you are a newbie, get busy and write.  Every day we see 100 ideas for posts.  Just write a couple of them.  Shoot some pictures and the next thing you know, you are at 400,000 points.

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8 comments • Lane Bailey - REALTOR & Car Guy • May 30 2009 12:39PM

Community Builder? Go nuts with this one...

Matt at REBCCLTThis ISN'T about Jeremy and Brad...  It isn't even about Rich or Mike.  It is about something that WE do as real estate agents.  We build communities.  Builders build houses.  People build homes.  Neighbors build communities.  We are the ultimate neighbor... when we are really doing our job. 

I found a new toy.  I haven't rolled it out yet, but I am excited...  Really excited!

BuddyPress...

WordPress is a very cool tool.  It is quite flexible, and very easy to use.  It can be made to be a lot of different things, from a blog to a news site.  It can be used to write posts, create podcasts or video blog.  It can be deployed as a gallery or a portfolio.  It does a lot of really cool stuff... 

But can it be a total social network...

According to BuddyPress, yes it can.  Of course there is a blog component.  There is also a forum component.  There is a stream (like Twitter or the FaceBook Wall).  Users can create and/or join into groups and share specific info.  Of course, they can send private messages to each other.  And if there is going to be socializing, there need to be profiles.  And finally... pictures... they aren't ready to roll with the albums quite yet, but later this year.  

All of this is based on the WordPress architecture.  It is customizable and extensible.  And it is pretty close to brand new.  Version 1.0 was only released a few weeks ago, on April 30th.  They are already working on the next generation. T racer

Talk about sticky...  Can you imagine getting a group on here to discuss, share and plan local events and issues?  Like maybe a subdivision... or a club... or a group of employees...  There are a lot of cool possibilites. 

Normally at this point I would send you to my cool new site to show how I have deployed it as a test.  But I haven't... yet.  I am going to, and I am sure I will write about it.  But it is too new for me to have taken the time to roll it out.  Look for it sometime in June.  It will likely be built out for a 4wd club.  Only a couple of them know so far...  The ones that normally freak out will be the first to find out... after I flip the switch.  [smirk]

*** Last word.  If you are a neighborhood in the Lilburn area, and you want to try this out for your association (formal or otherwise), let me know.  I will set it up and host it for you for free.  Also for car clubs in Gwinnett County.  ***

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26 comments • Lane Bailey - REALTOR & Car Guy • May 30 2009 12:29AM

Learn the 3 Levels of Whuffie

 

Mike makes a VERY good point. 

 

Via Mike Mueller (Tech and Social Media Consultant):

Whuffie is the term used to describe Social Media Capital.

From Wikipedia:

Whuffie is the ephemeral, reputation -based currency of Cory Doctorow ’s science fiction novel, Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom .

Tara & Whuffie!
Image by LexnGer via Flickr

The term has since seen some adoption as a synonym for Social capital , including its use in the title of the Tara Hunt book The Whuffie Factor.

It’s a simple concept.  Do something for someone else and you get a little Whuffie.  Later on, should you need a little favor in return, you can call in that Whuffie personally or if you believe in the grander scheme of things – the Universe will provide that for you.

You can call it Whuffie, Karma, Brownie Points, Kudos, or just being good.  Some people are natural born Whuffie Givers , others have to be reminded from time to time and still others that are “Lifetime Members of the Whuffie Takers of Society ”.  We all know prime examples of each.

Whuffie building happens quietly with little or no fanfare.  There is no scoreboard, no points paying system.  It’s honest hard work.  Today is the start of the weekend and a prime time for you to go out and build a little Whuffie.  What can you do to build Whuffie?  Here’s a couple of ideas…

First Level Whuffie Building:

  • Comment on a blog.  People love to know they are being read.
  • Social Bookmark.  Digg their post, StumbleUpon , Technorati etc.
  • “Like” something on Facebook .  Then take it one more step and comment on their status update.
  • ReTweet a self promoting item of someone (theirs not yours). 5% to 10% of a tweetstream might / should be self promoting – this helps them tremendously.
  • Follow Fridays – if you are not familiar read What is Follow Friday?

Second Level Whuffie Building:

  • After leaving that comment on their blog head on over to Facebook, Twitter, or Linkedin and share that link with your friends.
  • Introduce two people on Twitter that you think should know each other.
  • Like a particular product?  Write a post about it detailing what it is that you like and why you recommend others buy it.   This should go without saying but, No Hidden Agendas! <= Major Negative Whuffies!
  • Find a cause and promote it.  Promote the poop out of it.  Blog it, Digg it, Facebook it, Tweet it and ReTweet it.

Third Level Whuffie Building:

  • Create a Google Search / Alert or Twitter keyword search looking for something that you are an expert on. Then reach out and help those people you find, sharing your expertise.  For the tech minded that might be help with a snippet of code or designing a widget.
  • Create something of value for someone else and then give it to them.  Whatever your passion, there’s something you do that is better than others.  I was in Downtown San Francisco the other day and noticed a homeless person with broken eyeglasses. How hard would it be if I was an optician to say, “Here, let me fix those for you .” So often we forget that something small and insignificant for us might be major and life changing for others.

I hope that gives you a better understanding of Whuffie and encourages you to go build a little Whuffie.  On a personal level I owe HUGE amounts of Whuffie to every single one of these people who have recommended me .

Warning: Blatant Self Promotion Area

Want a quick easy Whuffie?  Use the Tweet This! button (below).  Want to earn a HUGE Wuffie?  Introduce me to the right person who will hire me!  http://areweconnected.com/2009/04/director-of-social-media/

Now that you know all there is to know about Whuffie it’s time to go out and make some of your own!

Tweet This!

are you following me?   Are We Friends Yet?   It's not just a Rolodex   You've got to see this...   Feed Your Reader

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0 comments • Lane Bailey - REALTOR & Car Guy • May 29 2009 11:26PM

For Whom the Dog Pees...

We got a new dog...  All of my Twitter followers and Facebook friends and FaceBook fans have known this for a week.  They got to see the pics within minutes of picking her up from the shelter (actually, the vet... the shelter sent her over for a little maintenance).  But this isn't about social networking and how fast information moves...Meet Maggie 

This is about a cute little dog...

Meet Maggie.  She is part Beagle and part Dachshund.  She is sweet, docile, energetic and loving.  The boys really like her and she seems to really like them.  She is quite happy hopping up on Garrett's bed and laying on his legs during story time... and he is quite happy to have her there. 

But she LOVES Gail. 

She thinks I'm ok... but I'm not the Mommy.  Gail wanted a little dog that loved her... and she got it. 

In fact, Maggie won't go to the bathroom for anyone but Gail.  So, Gail has to take her out on the leash to go potty.  That is a dedicated animal. 

When Gail went out this afternoon, I got a concert... whimper, whine and then howl...  We howled together for a few minutes.  Then Maggie jumped up on my couch office, and curled up next to me before retiring to her crate room.  Dedicated...

Of course, Everyone Loves Gail... 

 

And for those that missed it, Maggie did get a post here, but not everyone picked up on the joke...

How long will it take for Lisa Heindel to find the Cowboy Mouth video?

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17 comments • Lane Bailey - REALTOR & Car Guy • May 29 2009 10:29PM

Exceptionalism

There are a lot of real estate agents.  The NAR reports over 1.2 million members, and the Atlanta area alone has more than 40,000.  It is hard to NOT know a real estate agent.  Regardless of where I go and who I talk with, they know an agent.  Today at the cell phone store, the clerk helping me has an agent for a Mother-in-Law.  There are three in my small neighborhood.  There are at least two at my son's pre-school. 

The fact is that is is hard to turn around without bumping into one of us. 

And there are agents that make it even worse.  Mention on Twitter that you are thinking of buying or selling a home and all of sudden you are getting creamed with direct messages and reply tweets... and they aren't even just local... agents from all over the country will try to refer you to someone they "know" near you. 

I'm not shocked that much of the public is annoyed, at best, by our omni-presence. 

And to make matters worse, the vast majority of agents are interchangeable.  The same weak "strategies" are touted as innovation.  The same ads with the same taglines.  The same property descriptions.  The same "slide show with funeral music" virtual tours. 

How many times have you seen...

  • #1 for Service.
  • Integrity has found a home!
  • You're neighborhood expert... everywhere in Atlanta.
  • Show & Sell
  • To see it is to LOVE it!
  • Good Bones...

I'm in the industry, and I know scores of agents that are different... and I'm still turned off by the stereotypes I see.  I can fully understand why consumers are turned off. 

"Prices are going up, up, up... It's a GREAT time to buy!" the NAR exclaims. 

"Prices are coming down, there are deals... It's a GREAT time to buy!" says the NAR. 

Yeah, that makes us trustworthy advisors...  NOT. 

But I do want to say something.  I want consumers to know something.  And this is important... 

There are some GREAT agents out there! 

There are agents that look for new technologies to help their buyers and their sellers.  There are agents that are just as upset by the dregs of our industry as you are! 

We strive to be exceptional!

Some of us are struggling.  This IS a tough market.  Listings take more work to sell.  Buyers want to see more properties.  Instead of cutting corners and hoping, we are doing more.  We are pushing beyond what the "normal" agent does. 

  • Better websites... when most agents don't even produce a website for their listings... even though at least 85% of buyers start their search on the web.
  • Unique Signage... instead of the boring, easy to ignore sign just like the one up the street.
  • Property Video... because buyers want to know what it is like to be in the home... and video is better at that than still pictures... and a slide show with crappy music isn't going to cut it.
  • Score of Pictures... because buyers say they want more pictures... and 8 or 12 or 16 from the MLS isn't fulfilling that need.
  • Interactive Virtual Tours... because consumers want to be engaged.  They want to participate, not just spectate. 

In every aspect of the business, there is a way to push beyond what most are doing.  Some of us are pushing those boundries. 

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0 comments • Lane Bailey - REALTOR & Car Guy • May 24 2009 11:18PM

101 Cars, Part 67...

1987 Lotus Turbo Esprit HC at the Bonhams & Bu...
Image via Wikipedia

Lotus may be tops for the most cars on my list.  And here is another, the Lotus Esprit.

While it certainly changed from 1976 to 2004, it didn't change all that much.  Only the Lotus 7 and Porsche 911 have longer runs... ok, maybe the Morgan Plus8... probably some others, but the point is that the Esprit went for 28 years with only minor tweaks to the formula.


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0 comments • Lane Bailey - REALTOR & Car Guy • May 24 2009 10:42PM

Smoke Rise Baptist Church Car Show

Showers flirted with the event, with a few passing through, but there were some pretty cool rides that dodged the drops to make the event.

Smoke Rise Baptist Church holds this event on the first Saturday in May each year.  Here is the event website.

Below is a slide show with all of the cars that showed up for the event.  The Pastor’s Choice went to the ‘65 Mustang Convertible, while the Best In Show went to the Red Alfa Romeo Convertible.



From LaneBailey.com

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0 comments • Lane Bailey - REALTOR & Car Guy • May 24 2009 09:58PM

Deals are everywhere... Houses, Cars... all sorts of stuff...

Ok, I know that almost every real estate agent in the country is harping about how great the deals are in real estate right now.  Interest rates rock and inventory is dropping, but still above average.  I'll lay off the houses...  You guys need a break. 

But there might be some good deals on cars!

General Motors is closing 1100 dealers... at least.  Chrysler is closing at least 789 dealers.  Because of the Chrysler bankruptcy, their list is public, but GM has not had to release their list and hasn't.  Also, while the GM closings ares tretched out over the next 18 months, the Chrysler dealership closings are supposed to take place in the next two weeks!

So, there may be some deals on GM cars from dealers that are losing their franchises, but they won't probably be as good and they will be harder to find since the list of closing dealers isn't public.  Chrysler on the other hand might offer up some fire sale opportunities.  Some of these dealers have a couple hundred cars that they need off of their lots by June 9th.  In many cases they can't sell them as new after that time.  They also won't be able to offer warranty service... so, buyers could find them willing to dump their inventory.  Chrysler has already stated that they aren't buying it back...

I have heard reports of Chrysler dealers (Dodge, Chrysler and Jeep) selling vehicles for 50% of MSRP after including rebates and other incentives. 

I'd love to hear what kind of deal you get if you are out buying a car between now and then... 

Source for Chrysler closings

List of Chrysler Dealers to be Closed

The closings around Gwinnett that I am aware of are:

  • Family Dodge Chrysler Jeep in Cleveland, GA
  • John Cullen Dodge in Newnan, GA
  • Justin Dodge Chrysler Jeep in Acworth, GA
  • Premiere Dodge Chrysler Jeep in Decatur, GA
  • Southtowne Motors Chrysler Jeep in Newnan, GA
  • Chuck Clancy Chevy in Cartersville, GA

And remember, if you are buying a house, you probably shouldn't consider buying a car that has to be financed or that eats into your cash reserves until after closing!

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2 comments • Lane Bailey - REALTOR & Car Guy • May 24 2009 01:31PM

Sign, sign, everywhere's a sign...

Real estate listings need a sign.  They all have one, right... or at least most...  But there is one problem with the ubiquitous real estate sign... it is boring!

I don't like "normal"

I like EXCEPTIONAL...

Real estate signs aren't an exception.  I have long been tired of the same ol' signs...  so I decided to do something about it.

I needed an EXCEPTIONAL sign.

So... I looked for a solution.  A sign that would stand out.  I wanted something that would give an interested buyer a reason to stop and actually take a look.

1033 Constitution Way Sign
< 1033 Constitution Way Sign
590 Baltimore Ave Sign
590 Baltimore Ave Sign >

I think this is a pretty good solution.  The idea is to get a buyer out of the car... maybe even to take a picture of the sign. 

Of course, as with all marketing, it will be tweaked as time goes by to be even more effective. 

And as always, I'd love your feedback!

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6 comments • Lane Bailey - REALTOR & Car Guy • May 23 2009 10:27PM

We have our first new-hire...

Bailey Services/GarageHomesUSA.com has brought onboard a new staffer.  This is the first that we have gone outside of the immediate family to find help.  Maggie looks to be a great worker.  We are confident that she will sniff out the best deals for buyers, scratch out the competition and hunt down the best new technologies for the company. 

Maggie is relocating from the Athens area to Lilburn.  We have already helped her find a suitable home. And she already feel like part of the family.  Even the kids have taken to her... and she seems to be quite fond of them as well.

We have already talked with her about appearing here on Active|Rain, and she is looking forward to her debut.  We are holding off a little on that until she is a little more settled.  However, we'd love for everyone to give her a warm welcome. 

Here is a little more about Maggie on LaneBailey.com.

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5 comments • Lane Bailey - REALTOR & Car Guy • May 22 2009 12:39AM