Our Facebook bussiness page is doing our next monthly contest. If you are not yet friends with us, please click on the link below to add us to get all the information on our monthly drawlings.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/JWListingscom/159515754084492?v=app_4949752878&ref=ts
VALENTINE's Day is coming up and we wanna know how you like to spend it....
Valentine’s Day CONTEST!!! Let us know some of your favorite traditions for Valentine’s Day… POST on our WALL your favorite things to do for Valentine’s Day and be entered for a chance to WIN a $20 STARBUCKS gift card. SHARE this on your wall so your friends can have a chance to play and plus you’ll get another entry into the drawling.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Some Google Useful Search Operators
Search has become a day to day occurrence in almost every aspect of our business and personal lives; think about shopping without the ability to search and review products – nearly impossible right? - Well at least for a growing segment of the population
Most of us use the Google Search Bar to type our search criteria phrases and then review the results – but wait; there is another layer of Search using Operators that can help you dig even deeper – in fact there are hundreds of different ways of using Operators to perform Queries; I will focus on a few good ones that experts use all the time.
1. Search for an Exact Phrase:
I use this almost daily – if I am seeking a specific phrase from a poem, or in article I type the Search Phrase within “Quotation Marks”. Let's say I am looking for the full poem of Walt Whitman but remember one line of the poem, instead of searching for: I celebrate myself, and sing myself – I perform the same search within Quotation Marks, as in:
“I celebrate myself, and sing myself” (Searches for the specific phrase within the quotation)
Putting search phrases within double quotes get you directly to exact results and eliminates permutations you are not seeking. This is quite useful if performing technical searches, quotation searches, academic papers, testing the indexing of content, but best of all to find out if anyone is scrapping your content – copying your content without your permission.
2. Searching for information within a Specific Website:
Say you are searching for information on a specific Nikon Camera, the D80, within Amazon.com; you can do so by going to Amazon or perform the search in Google by adding the operator site:www.amazon.com as in:
Nikon D80 site:www.amazon.com (Searches for all references of Nikon D80 only within the Amazon.com website)
This is quite useful if you are seeking to find out how many pages within a website have been indexed for a specific keyword or phrase.
Searching for references of books within the Library of Congress would look like this:
Essays of Emerson site:www.loc.gov (would yield results of Emerson’s Essays only in loc.gov)
3. Defining Words and Concepts:
This one is a simple easy to use Operator for finding the definition of words, concepts, or ideas from multiple sources without having to go to a specific website.
Define: Keyword (will give you a list of various definitions for the concept Keyword from Multiple Websites all at once)
Try it - you will be amazed how much you will learn
4. Find your website Most Powerful Pages for a Specific Keyword
Type this in the Google Search bar: site:yourdomain.com keyword
Example: Let’s take Craig Summerall and let’s say he wanted to find the post powerful pages related to the keyword “Lexington SC Real Estate” in his website; he would type in the Google Search bar: site:lexingtonscrealestateguide.com Lexington sc Real Estate
This could be quite a useful tool if say you wish to find out if Google has indexed you for a specific concept; if Shelia Bennett was trying to find the pages that contain the concept “St Helena Island Homes” in her website she would type: site:exitbeaufort.com St Helena Island Homes
PS: another way of finding exact phrases within your website is to add quotation marks as in: site:withexit.com “Real Estate Listings” – this will show you all the pages that contain the exact phrase “Real Estate Listings” in the website withexit.com and ordered by the most powerful pages.
There are more Operators you can use within your Searches, I picked these three because I like them and use them quite a bit. Remember my motto about Internet Marketing – it is storytelling; if you do not become responsible for your Market Story don’t expect your Real Estate Presence to flourish.
For more in depth knowledge on Advanced Operators in Google visit: http://www.googleguide.com/advanced_operators.html - it does get a bit technical but it is a fun to dig deeper into the Google Search.
SOURCE: broker agaent social network.
Most of us use the Google Search Bar to type our search criteria phrases and then review the results – but wait; there is another layer of Search using Operators that can help you dig even deeper – in fact there are hundreds of different ways of using Operators to perform Queries; I will focus on a few good ones that experts use all the time.
1. Search for an Exact Phrase:
I use this almost daily – if I am seeking a specific phrase from a poem, or in article I type the Search Phrase within “Quotation Marks”. Let's say I am looking for the full poem of Walt Whitman but remember one line of the poem, instead of searching for: I celebrate myself, and sing myself – I perform the same search within Quotation Marks, as in:
“I celebrate myself, and sing myself” (Searches for the specific phrase within the quotation)
Putting search phrases within double quotes get you directly to exact results and eliminates permutations you are not seeking. This is quite useful if performing technical searches, quotation searches, academic papers, testing the indexing of content, but best of all to find out if anyone is scrapping your content – copying your content without your permission.
2. Searching for information within a Specific Website:
Say you are searching for information on a specific Nikon Camera, the D80, within Amazon.com; you can do so by going to Amazon or perform the search in Google by adding the operator site:www.amazon.com as in:
Nikon D80 site:www.amazon.com (Searches for all references of Nikon D80 only within the Amazon.com website)
This is quite useful if you are seeking to find out how many pages within a website have been indexed for a specific keyword or phrase.
Searching for references of books within the Library of Congress would look like this:
Essays of Emerson site:www.loc.gov (would yield results of Emerson’s Essays only in loc.gov)
3. Defining Words and Concepts:
This one is a simple easy to use Operator for finding the definition of words, concepts, or ideas from multiple sources without having to go to a specific website.
Define: Keyword (will give you a list of various definitions for the concept Keyword from Multiple Websites all at once)
Try it - you will be amazed how much you will learn
4. Find your website Most Powerful Pages for a Specific Keyword
Type this in the Google Search bar: site:yourdomain.com keyword
Example: Let’s take Craig Summerall and let’s say he wanted to find the post powerful pages related to the keyword “Lexington SC Real Estate” in his website; he would type in the Google Search bar: site:lexingtonscrealestateguide.com Lexington sc Real Estate
This could be quite a useful tool if say you wish to find out if Google has indexed you for a specific concept; if Shelia Bennett was trying to find the pages that contain the concept “St Helena Island Homes” in her website she would type: site:exitbeaufort.com St Helena Island Homes
PS: another way of finding exact phrases within your website is to add quotation marks as in: site:withexit.com “Real Estate Listings” – this will show you all the pages that contain the exact phrase “Real Estate Listings” in the website withexit.com and ordered by the most powerful pages.
There are more Operators you can use within your Searches, I picked these three because I like them and use them quite a bit. Remember my motto about Internet Marketing – it is storytelling; if you do not become responsible for your Market Story don’t expect your Real Estate Presence to flourish.
For more in depth knowledge on Advanced Operators in Google visit: http://www.googleguide.com/advanced_operators.html - it does get a bit technical but it is a fun to dig deeper into the Google Search.
SOURCE: broker agaent social network.
2011: What’s On the Horizon for Real Estate
Every year I do predictions for the coming year. And in the 11 years I’ve been doing this, my success rate is 98%. You see, numbers don’t lie. Economic indicators are just that – indicators of where we’re headed.
Here are three of my predictions for 2011:
Home Prices
While most national and local economists are forecasting continued declines in the price of homes, I completely disagree. I believe 2011 is the year prices will increase. There are two reasons for this:
1) the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) is pumping jobs into the economy. More jobs equate to more home buyers … and more home buyers equate to more demand for housing, leading to an increase in home prices in many areas. Those areas that are highly sensitive to the job market will be affected more—positively when there are more jobs; negatively when there are fewer jobs.
2) The affordability index is at an all-time high, which also lures buyers into the marketplace. Both the ARRA and the affordability index are contributing factors in 2010 that will peak in 2011. Home prices should increase slightly in 2011. Look for national increases of 2-3%, and increases of 4-5% in the State of Washington.
Interest Rates
Mortgage rates will likely rise slightly throughout 2011, exceeding the 5% level before year-end. However, rates should remain below 5% until May. The Federal Reserve will not raise rates until the unemployment rate decreases significantly, and will keep the short-term interest rate near zero through 2011.
Consumer Confidence
Research from a variety of sources shows that consumer confidence was on the rise in the last quarter of 2010. This important index rose to 49.9% in October of 2010, and to 54.1% in November of 2010. Additional reports indicate a 5.5% increase in retail sales in the period from November 5 to December 24, as consumer spending continued to make a comeback. While there is always some increase in consumer confidence after an election, if the index continues to improve at this level it will most certainly help the economy and the real estate market in 2011.
This is the kind of market data that tells the real estate story for 2011.
As I said earlier, to be an expert on the topic of real estate you need to do the research. If you really want to become an authority, then take the time to understand what the numbers mean on a national, regional and local level—and how to articulate that information in your day-to-day business.
I’ve given you 3 predictions in this article; however I actually have 20 additional predictions for 2011! While I would love to share those with you, my full list of annual predictions are reserved for my coaching clients, and my Safari Club and Club Zebra clients.
If you’d like more information on my predictions and what they mean for the 2011 real estate market, feel free to send me an email at denise@thelonesgroup.com.
By Denise Lones CSP, M.I.R.M., CDEI - The founding partner of The Lones Group, Denise Lones, brings over two decades of experience in the real estate industry. With expertise in strategic marketing, business analysis, branding, new home project planning, product development, and agent/broker training, Denise is nationally recognized as the source for all things “real estate”. With a passion for improvement, Denise has helped thousands of real estate agents, brokers, and managers build their business to unprecedented levels of success, while helping them maintain balance and quality of life.
source : broker agent social network
Here are three of my predictions for 2011:
Home Prices
While most national and local economists are forecasting continued declines in the price of homes, I completely disagree. I believe 2011 is the year prices will increase. There are two reasons for this:
1) the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) is pumping jobs into the economy. More jobs equate to more home buyers … and more home buyers equate to more demand for housing, leading to an increase in home prices in many areas. Those areas that are highly sensitive to the job market will be affected more—positively when there are more jobs; negatively when there are fewer jobs.
2) The affordability index is at an all-time high, which also lures buyers into the marketplace. Both the ARRA and the affordability index are contributing factors in 2010 that will peak in 2011. Home prices should increase slightly in 2011. Look for national increases of 2-3%, and increases of 4-5% in the State of Washington.
Interest Rates
Mortgage rates will likely rise slightly throughout 2011, exceeding the 5% level before year-end. However, rates should remain below 5% until May. The Federal Reserve will not raise rates until the unemployment rate decreases significantly, and will keep the short-term interest rate near zero through 2011.
Consumer Confidence
Research from a variety of sources shows that consumer confidence was on the rise in the last quarter of 2010. This important index rose to 49.9% in October of 2010, and to 54.1% in November of 2010. Additional reports indicate a 5.5% increase in retail sales in the period from November 5 to December 24, as consumer spending continued to make a comeback. While there is always some increase in consumer confidence after an election, if the index continues to improve at this level it will most certainly help the economy and the real estate market in 2011.
This is the kind of market data that tells the real estate story for 2011.
As I said earlier, to be an expert on the topic of real estate you need to do the research. If you really want to become an authority, then take the time to understand what the numbers mean on a national, regional and local level—and how to articulate that information in your day-to-day business.
I’ve given you 3 predictions in this article; however I actually have 20 additional predictions for 2011! While I would love to share those with you, my full list of annual predictions are reserved for my coaching clients, and my Safari Club and Club Zebra clients.
If you’d like more information on my predictions and what they mean for the 2011 real estate market, feel free to send me an email at denise@thelonesgroup.com.
By Denise Lones CSP, M.I.R.M., CDEI - The founding partner of The Lones Group, Denise Lones, brings over two decades of experience in the real estate industry. With expertise in strategic marketing, business analysis, branding, new home project planning, product development, and agent/broker training, Denise is nationally recognized as the source for all things “real estate”. With a passion for improvement, Denise has helped thousands of real estate agents, brokers, and managers build their business to unprecedented levels of success, while helping them maintain balance and quality of life.
source : broker agent social network
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
The Color of the Year for 2011
Last year, turquoise brightened up home interiors across the country, but now a new color has stepped into the spotlight for 2011.
Pantone recently announced honeysuckle — a reddish pink hue — as this year’s “in” color.
“Honeysuckle is a captivating, stimulating color that gets the adrenaline going – perfect to ward off the blues,” Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, said in announcing the color choice. “The intensity of this festive reddish pink allures and engages. … Honeysuckle may also bring a wave of nostalgia for its associated delicious scent reminiscent of the carefree days of spring and summer.”
How to incorporate it: Liven up an interior space with honeysuckle patterned pillows, bedspreads, or tabletop accessories, Pantone suggests. Or, for an even bolder statement, paint an accent wall in honeysuckle for a burst of energy in the kitchen, hallway, or family room, Pantone says.
Source: January 10, 2011 by Melissa Tracey Realtor Magazine
Pantone recently announced honeysuckle — a reddish pink hue — as this year’s “in” color.
“Honeysuckle is a captivating, stimulating color that gets the adrenaline going – perfect to ward off the blues,” Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, said in announcing the color choice. “The intensity of this festive reddish pink allures and engages. … Honeysuckle may also bring a wave of nostalgia for its associated delicious scent reminiscent of the carefree days of spring and summer.”
How to incorporate it: Liven up an interior space with honeysuckle patterned pillows, bedspreads, or tabletop accessories, Pantone suggests. Or, for an even bolder statement, paint an accent wall in honeysuckle for a burst of energy in the kitchen, hallway, or family room, Pantone says.
Source: January 10, 2011 by Melissa Tracey Realtor Magazine
Thursday, January 6, 2011
If you haven't liked our Facebook page yet you can do so here
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/JWListingscom/159515754084492
We will be having fun monthly contests!
Our 1st contest was for anyone who LIKED our page was entered to win a $50 Visa Gift card and anyone who SHARED the link also had a chance to win a $50 Visa Gift Card.
Our 1st winners this month are:
LORI BACHER for liking it
JESSICA KUJAWA for sharing our page.
THANK YOU for everyone who participated in this contest :)
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/JWListingscom/159515754084492
We will be having fun monthly contests!
Our 1st contest was for anyone who LIKED our page was entered to win a $50 Visa Gift card and anyone who SHARED the link also had a chance to win a $50 Visa Gift Card.
Our 1st winners this month are:
LORI BACHER for liking it
JESSICA KUJAWA for sharing our page.
THANK YOU for everyone who participated in this contest :)
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
iPad Sparks Wave of Tablet Imitators
Many tech companies are talking tablets at this week’s annual International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. After being mostly blind sided by the popularity of Apple’s iPad last year, several tech companies are looking to debut their own versions of this new form of tablet computing.
Analyst Richard Doherty of the Envisioneering Group says that more than 100 companies will debut versions of a tablet computer. For example, Motorola, Toshiba, Research In Motion, Asus, Acer and Vizio are among the companies expected to unveil tablets during this week’s Consumer Electronics Show.
Apple's chief competitor, Google’s Android, is expected to be used in many of the new tablets.
Samsung released its 7-inch screen Galaxy Tab in November. Other companies’ debuts may still be awhile. For example, tablets from Toshiba and Motorola aren’t expected until the second half of the year.
The new tablets are expected to fill in gaps with features the current iPad doesn’t have. For example, the Tab and Toshiba’s Tablet will feature two cameras for videos and photos, a USB port as well as a slot for SD memory cards for photos, and work with Adobe Flash software.
Apple’s CEO Steve Jobs isn’t worried about the competition and called the new tablets “dead on arrival." He said many of the competing tablets will be too small with 7-inch screens. "Seven-inch tablets are tweeners -- too big to be a phone and too small to compete with the iPad," he said.
Analysts expect Apple to announce it's next version of the iPad soon.
Source: “Is 2011 the Year of the Tablet?; Tech Companies to Play iPad Catch-up at CES,” USA Today (Jan. 4, 2011)
Analyst Richard Doherty of the Envisioneering Group says that more than 100 companies will debut versions of a tablet computer. For example, Motorola, Toshiba, Research In Motion, Asus, Acer and Vizio are among the companies expected to unveil tablets during this week’s Consumer Electronics Show.
Apple's chief competitor, Google’s Android, is expected to be used in many of the new tablets.
Samsung released its 7-inch screen Galaxy Tab in November. Other companies’ debuts may still be awhile. For example, tablets from Toshiba and Motorola aren’t expected until the second half of the year.
The new tablets are expected to fill in gaps with features the current iPad doesn’t have. For example, the Tab and Toshiba’s Tablet will feature two cameras for videos and photos, a USB port as well as a slot for SD memory cards for photos, and work with Adobe Flash software.
Apple’s CEO Steve Jobs isn’t worried about the competition and called the new tablets “dead on arrival." He said many of the competing tablets will be too small with 7-inch screens. "Seven-inch tablets are tweeners -- too big to be a phone and too small to compete with the iPad," he said.
Analysts expect Apple to announce it's next version of the iPad soon.
Source: “Is 2011 the Year of the Tablet?; Tech Companies to Play iPad Catch-up at CES,” USA Today (Jan. 4, 2011)
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