San Antonio's Rockstar Turned Realtor®

The Lones Group sues Realtor® Daniel Rothamel aka The Real Estate Zebra.

By now you've heard the news, aptly called The Stripes Heard Round the World in one of the many posts I've read over the last twenty four hours.  Real estate marketing company The Lones Group filed a complaint against Daniel "Real Estate Zebra" Rothamel for his use of zebra-related branding and marketing.

Like most real estate industry professionals, I'm not a lawyer, so I won't comment on the merit of the suit or opine over what constitutes trademark infringement.  Most agents who are posting about this are agreeing on one thing:

The Lones Group made a big mistake.

Daniel Rothamel is well known in the industry (particularly the real estate blogger subset) as the Real Estate Zebra.  His knowledge of blogging and social media have made him a speaker, mentor, and guide to many of us.  I relate to Daniel's branding because of our use of non-real estate items to help market ourselves and set us apart from others.  I have know him as the Zebra since the day we met online.  I think I even called him Zebra when I met him in real life.  Daniel Rothamel and Real Estate Zebra are synonymous in my book.

What The Lones Group complaint has done is shed light on a company for all the wrong reasons.  I had never heard of The Lones Group or its services, despite being the target market (a Realtor®) for them.  Perhaps they are excellent at what they do.  I won't ever know.  While Daniel's friendship matters to me, there's more to it than that.  I don't like lawsuits (in my rockstar days we were nearly sued to death at one point - preventing us from touring America for quite some time).  I don't like lawsuits that seem (from my view) to be aimed at garnering a few bucks.  Daniel works with consumers.  The Lones Group works with Realtors®.  Although one might argue they are in the same industry (real estate as a whole), they are doing two vastly different things.

While The Lones Group mounts their attack on the Real Estate Zebra, the social media world is abuzz with the news.  Too bad for The Lones Group that it has mostly been negative.  Knowing when your social capital is worth more than your trademark is the key in this one.  Even if they were to win the lawsuit against Daniel, would it be worth the damage to their social capital?  I know I won't be using their services anytime soon (in all fairness, I probably wouldn't anyway).  Now, when I hear the name The Lones Group, I will forever be reminded of the day my friend, Daniel Rothamel, was sued.  That's not an image I would want as a company.  They might think it's no big deal, as I am just one person, but this sentiment is being echoed over and over again across the internet.  Even a Google search for "lones group" is starting to be filled with posts like this one.  Would you want that as your only search result?  I wouldn't.

Two great posts written about the case:

"The Lones Group v. Rothamel: A case study in destroying your on-line reputation" - Jay Thompson (he's also building a list of blog posts, so this will be a great resource on the case as it goes on)

"The Lones Group Lesson: Destroying Your Brand Online" - Jeff Bernheisel (this is an excellent read and I think Jeff breaks down the case for "is it worth it" with great conviction)

And of course, I wrote a post over at RErockstar.com - "Lones Group sues Daniel “Real Estate Zebra” Rothamel"

You can see the entire complaint over at the Zebra Defense Fund (and make donations to Daniel's legal defense).

photo courtesy of mape_s

Need a #savethezebra badge for your ActiveRain blog? Get the code below and insert it in My Home>Settings>Blog Description.  I will also be posting a Wordpress widget code for the #savethezebra badge (with PayPal link for donations) over at RErockstar.com (feel free to use and distribute).

HTML Code for ActiveRain Blogs - #savethezebra

<center><a href="http://www.zebradefensefund.com" title="Zebra Defense Fund" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.rerockstar.com/documents/zebra-defense-fund/save-the-zebra.jpg" title="Save The Zebra - Zebra Defense Fund" alt="#savethezebra"></a></center>

Cut and paste it into your blog sidebar.

Is your URL a Perfect 10?

Thanks to Renee Burrows (whose name I consistently spell completely wrong) and her shackdiva.com domain name, I got to thinking about URLs and what I liked about various real estate domain names.  Some are funny or witty, some define the real estate agent that owns them, and some create a whole universe around them.  Acquiring a domain name can be a fun process (and it can be hellish when every good idea you dream up seems to be owned already) and selecting the right one can make a huge difference.  Finding a domain name that is memorable can boost your traffic and help you build "brand awareness."

With that in mind, I created my Top Ten Real Estate Domain Names list at RErockstar.com.  Stop by and check them out and if you have some suggestions for other great domain names, leave them in the comments.  I'm thinking I might make it a semi-regular contest, what do you think?

photo courtesy of woodleywonderworks

Can a buyer searching the internet find your home?

We all want the most exposure for our homes when we put them on the market for sale and the internet is king these days - depending on which report you read, anywhere from 80-90% of buyers start their home search on the internet.  No one seems to be denying that or shouting from the rooftops that the internet doesn't matter when selling your home.

There are so many sites out there that list properties and that can be found by search engines.  So how does a Realtor® market your San Antonio home and make sure your home is being found by buyers?  Each agent does it differently and although there are some basics that you should get from any agent, there are some that have more than just the basic marketing tools up their sleeves.

Introducing San Antonio single property websites.

The first thing most home sellers do is google their own home when it goes on the market.  I love when my clients do, because they're never disappointed with the results.  In addition to the multitude of sites that list their homes for sale; my clients will also find results for my various blogs (including ActiveRain and RErockstar.com), YouTube, and my latest endeavor to push my client's homes to the top of the rankings: single property websites.  Single property websites are nothing new and Realtors® have been using them for years.  What makes this new addition to my marketing tool-kit for your San Antonio home special is how they are built and maintained.  Single property websites are often generated via various companies and real estate related websites.  While they can be useful, the canned nature of them can often lead to very bland results (same with many of the canned agent sites).  With these new single property websites for my San Antonio home seller clients, I am working to change San Antonio real estate for the better.

One of the biggest benefits of these single property websites is better Google search rankings (through the diligent use of SEO - search engine optimization) for you and your home.  By combining detailed property information, maps, photos, videos, local area information, neighborhood information, and much more; these websites will give potential buyers a more complete picture of the home for sale and help them make the decision to call their agent and view your home in person.

See what a single property website looks like - 19311 Terra Brook, San Antonio 78255

Looking to sell your home in San Antonio?  Contact Matt Stigliano with RE/MAX Access.

Sometimes you have to look back.

I was searching for a post that I wanted to send someone today and while looking through the lists of posts, I saw one that I couldn't quite remember.  I knew I wrote it, but I just didn't remember what it said.

Taking a few moments to read through it, I thought it was a interesting look at where my mind was (in this case, on September 16, 2009) and where I was in real estate and more specifically, blogging.

I was just about to hit my one year anniversary at AgentGenius and I was reflecting back on a few things I had learned about blogging in the 359 days previous to that post.  Reading through them, they all still hold true to my efforts today.

The five things I had learned?  1. You don't have to be an English major.  2. Your looks are important.  3. Commenting is crucial.  4. It's not just about real estate.  5. When in doubt, read.

Stop by the post, "5 Things About Blogging I Didn’t Know 359 Days Ago" and see if these still hold true for you today.  Are there other valuable lessons you learned along the way?  Any you'd like to share?

photo courtesy of gbaku

I'm frustrated by what I see.

Imagine what a consumer feels if I'm frustrated.  I work in this industry, so I know what's going on and read up on everything I can.  I spend hours doing research for posts, ideas, and clients.  I actually enjoy that side of real estate and real estate blogging.  When I see misinformation being passed around on things like the First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit recently, it really frustrates me.  Not just because I then have to field questions from my clients and locals in my area who say "but I just read on ______ that it was extended," but also because I worry about those consumers who rely on someone's blog who didn't check their facts first.

As a real estate blogger, I feel the necessity to try and deliver the most timely and correct information to my clients as well as to those who aren't my clients, but choose to read my blog anyway.  In some ways, I have even more responsibility to those non-clients.  When a reader stops in to read an article I've written on the First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit from Kalamazoo, I hope that my post helps them understand it and encourages them to seek a local blogger in their area who upholds the same ideas as I do and can be a great real estate agent for them.

But Matt, it's such a small percentage.

Most of the incorrect posts and tweets about the First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit were done by a small number of agents when you look at the big picture.  Most of the agents I consider friends and mentors didn't tell anyone that it was "passed."  They wouldn't dare, but a quick search on Twitter for "tax credit extended" brings up all sort of results that say it "has been extended" (in all fairness, there are a bunch who say "has not").  What is even more shocking is that when you look at the "has been extended" tweets and then follow the links to the posts, they typically say "might be" or other such non-definitive words.

So what?

Our industry should strive everyday to be better and more educated.  We should do everything in our power to help people make sense of real estate.  Giving them false hope or misinformation is not a good way to do either.  We require clients to trust us as we go about our work in helping them buy and sell their homes, yet we give them a great reason to distrust us with things like this.  We will destroy our own industry if we let ourselves.  "But Matt, I don't do this."  Ok, so you're on my side then.  So when you hear people giving out incorrect information - get involved, do what you can to fight the wrong information.  You may not save everyone, but at least you'll be fighting to save our industry as a whole.  And who knows, someone might just hear you and think, "hmmmm...I'd like to work with that person."

photo courtesy of hyku

FTC handing down $11,000 fines?  Yikes!

When first announced, the changes to the FTC Act of 1980 caused quite a stir throughout the blogging community.  The idea was that if you were endorsing a product, you had better disclose your relationship with that company.  Were you given a free sample?  Did they let you keep that $5,000 product in exchange for a glowing review?  After many for-profit bloggers were seen as becoming the mouthpiece for advertisers and more or less company spokesman, the FTC decided to step in and stem the tide of possible false claims in exchange for free stuff.

Although some of the heat from the initial announcement has died down thanks to some explanations by the FTC, it is still a good idea to disclose any relationships between blogger and products or services.

Enter CMP.ly.

I bumped into Kris Smith of CMP.ly (as in "comply") quite randomly at Blog World Expo 2009.  He started a conversation with Jeff Turner, Todd Carpenter, and I and he gave us a quick rundown of CMP.ly and I thought it sounded like a great, simple idea.  Back in the hotel room, I loaded up the site and checked it out.

screen capture from CMP.ly

Use of the site is about as simple as it gets.  Go to CMP.ly and select one of the five (currently) available disclosures.  Once selected, the site will give you a quick and easy cut and paste wording to provide a link to your disclosures (which according to Kris Smith were checked out with the FTC and comply to their definitions of disclosure).  Paste onto your post and away you go.  Full FTC disclosure compliance in seconds.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: http://cmp.ly/0

(see how it works?)

photo courtesy of Google Analytics and RErockstar.com

Will you miss me when I'm gone?

You've all heard it before, your blogging needs to be consistent to matter most.  The veterans shout it from the rooftops all day long, yet when you're new to blogging it's hard to see why.  No one's reading your blog anyway, right?  Wrong.  Google is always out there, day and night - reading everything it can get it's hands on.  (Note: when I say "Google" I mean all search engines and not just the mega-giant that I prefer to all others.)  Google never sleeps.

Google does have a terrible short term memory problem though.  If you don't remind Google you exist, it will forget you.  Take a week off and you'll find those precious visitors just aren't finding you.  Take a month off and your page one results will slip through your fingers.  Without a consistent feed of reading material from your site, Google will forget you.

Dear Google, I will be away for a few days.

The graph above is from my personal Google Analytics for RErockstar.com.  There I was trucking along when I left for Vegas last Wednesday.  Thursday?  A few less visitors.  Friday?  A few less.  Saturday?  A few less.  You get the picture.  I posted on Monday (the last point on the graph) and it wasn't a hot topic, but as you can see, the act of posting something alerted Google that I existed again.  The article itself wasn't even the source of the most traffic, but even the not-so-well-read articles matter when Google takes a look at the whole picture.

Of course, there are other reasons for fluctuations in the number of visitors (you can see earlier on the chart that I experienced a spike in traffic that I was able to hold for a few days), but time and time again - when I have been less than consistent, my numbers have slipped.

Do you want more traffic on a regular basis?  Well then, start writing.  The veterans have been shouting it from the rooftops since you started - don't ignore them.

This post is part of my Ambassador Series - posts designed to encourage new bloggers and help answer some of the questions you might have.  These are tips I learned that have become inavaluable to me, so I wanted to share, like so many others did with me.  You can check out my posts, as well as other Ambassadors' posts that are part of the series by searching ActiveRain for "Ambassador Series".

photo courtesy of ChicagoGeek

It already feels like it was weeks ago.

I landed in San Antonio late last night from my trip to BlogWorld 2009.  This morning it already feels like it was a long time ago.  So much fun had in such a short space of time always seems to make it feel like the distant past a lot quicker.  To say it was a blast would be to lie.  It was more than a blast.  Seeing friends, meeting new ones, listening to some of the best and brightest, and toying with new products for a few days will keep it fresh in my head, but I believe I'm already missing it, as if I've been away too long.

I feel honored to have been there (and thank those who helped get me there) and over the course of the next few days, I'll begin to dump some of this knowledge and thought that's crammed into my head, but first, I wanted to talk about secrets.

Can you keep a secret?

I learned a big secret in Vegas.  One I shouldn't share with anyone.  One that could change the course of history.  One that might just rattle everything you believe in and leave you questioning your faith in everything you've ever stood for.

Can I trust you?  Will you swear to secrecy?  Can you keep your lips sealed?

The secret isn't as complex as I thought it might be, in fact, it's quite simple.  I asked real estate industry vets, social media mavens, and run of the mill bloggers.  I phrased the questions so many different ways to be sure I was getting "different" answers and no canned responses.  They all lead back to the big secret.

The not-so-secret secret.

There are no secrets anymore.

The one thing everyone told me in different words each time, was just that: "There are no secrets anymore."  With social media reaching the masses and becoming more than just a buzzword, we are creating a new reality.  One where information flows from source to source, all without regard to "letting the competitor know our secrets."  Bloggers I met outside of real estate seemed quite fascinated by our use of social media and loved the idea of us being there not to be gate-keepers like we once were, but instead information desks - ready to dispense our knowledge and expertise on a waiting world.  Many of them agreed that when we do so, we only make ourselves more attractive as a viable way to buy and sell homes.

One blogger who I spoke to for awhile outside the convention center told me how he met an agent who was open, honest, and gave information at the drop of a hat.  He gave so much information in fact, that the blogger thought "I could do that."  The one thing every agent fears - training a FSBO to do it themselves.  Instead the blogger contacted the agent and listed his house immediately with the agent.  Why?  Trust.  He knew that the agent was "there for him" and would do his best.  He felt that the agent was willing to give up his secret at the risk of losing the business.  No longer was the agent there to build his bank account, but instead he was there to build a community.

By giving away the knowledge, the agent took the blogger's fear away.  He took out all the years of distrust he had learned from others.  He took away all of the negative news stories and bad reports.  In an instant, he became a trusted adviser...and as the blogger told me, "a friend."

Enough with the secrets.  We must continue to open our industry up to the consumers that patronize it.  Will we lose business?  Depends on how you look at the word lose.  Do you think the FSBO was ever going to list with you?  Do you think the person who equates purchasing a home to picking up a pair of socks at Wal-Mart is ever going to see the value you provide?  There are people who will always go it alone.  And there always will be.  This will never change.  The secret to our success as an industry lies within the phrase itself - there should be no secret.  We may not convince those who don't want to be convinced, but we might just show someone why they can trust us and become our friend.

And that is worth more than any Vegas casino vault's cash reserve.

photo courtesy of _lmaji_

So simple, yet so powerful.

I was watching a bit of the Dakno TV feed from REbarcamp Lynchburg today when I saw David Patterson and our very own Clint Miller speaking.  The talk was great - there was a lot of territory that was covered, but one thing stood out to me.  It's simple, but says so much.

David was talking about Google and trying to figure out how "searchable" you were.  All of us constantly want to know if we're holding the #1 spot or if we are holding 3 on the first page or which keywords are being picked up in the latest post we wrote.  We love Google and the information it provides us and the information it gives people about us.  Google is your friend.

But does Google even know you exist?

David's simple cure to learning how important Google thinks you are is awesome.

Hop on over to Google.

Enter in two things to search for.  1. Your first name (no last name - just your first).  2. Your city.  (he also added state, so I would check both).

Look at the results page.

Where do you rank?

What does this tell you.

I live in San Antonio.  My name is Matt.  Google returned 8.27 million hits for that combo.  Matt isn't an uncommon name and San Antonio is a top 10 city population wise (we rank from 6th to 8th depending on who you ask), you can see how finding your face in the crowd might be difficult.

But there I am, on the first page.  Beaten only by Mexicans & Americans Thinking Together (M.A.T.T. - get it?) in ranking, little 'ole me is more important to Google than all the other people named Matt in San Antonio that have any sort of web presence.  Think of how many news stories contain the name "Matt" in San Antonio alone and you'll see why my head spins at how powerful this simple search is.

Try it yourself and see where you fall into place.

Oh yeah, Google knows I exist alright.

A step in the right direction.

I've been pondering the issue of registration recently.  When it comes to searching the San Antonio MLS, I am confident that RErockstar.com (my main site) provides one of the best ways to search for homes in San Antonio (thanks to my good friends at ARE-TEC).  After thinking about it for a few months, I have decided to open up the floodgates and remove all registration requirements from the site.

Why?

The answer is simple.  You would have done it anyway.  I never required registration on my site.  While searching for a home in San Antonio using our MLS (Multiple Listing Service) and IDX, my site would remind you to register.  It's called the "nag" function.  Every so often, the MLS search would "nag" you to register.  Soft, gentle reminders.  I decided they were getting in the way of your search.

Some agents would say this is crazy, because I am just throwing the information out there and hoping someone will contact me and say "I want to buy this house."  My gut (and local San Antonio Twitter friends) say differently.  We all know I'm not doing this for free, I expect to work and be paid for my work.  All Realtors® do.  People in general like to get paid.  Here's my theory.  If you try out my San Antonio home search and like it, you're more apt to come back if you don't keep getting nagged to enter in your name, telephone number, and email address.  You'll actually use the site more frequently and as you become comfortable there, you'll start reading my blogs and getting to know me.  From there, the choice is yours - do you trust me enough to pick up the phone and call me or enter in your contact info so I can call you?

I'm here to build a relationship with my clients and my prospective clients (as well as the local community in general) and by allowing you the freedom to explore on your own, without me calling you every five minutes of the day, you will have time to make the kind of choices that I am a big proponent of - personal, educated, informed choices.

Complete confidence.

I know you'll love the search feature on RErockstar.com so much, that I'm confident to know you'll come back for more.  And when the time is right and you feel ready, you'll pick up that phone or send me an email and ask for an appointment to sit down with and see if we're a great match.

What are you waiting for - search for San Antonio homes without registration today! - RErockstar.com San Antonio MLS Search

Alternately, you can also use the handy quick search to begin your basic search right here (it will open the full search site from there):