Over the years I’ve written down a number of opinions about the mobile Internet and home builders.  In 2008, I wrote Homebuilder Mobile Marketing with Google discussing the impact Google’s Android platform would have on mobile usage (now with the greatest market share). In 2009, I wrote about how Foursquare would impact mobile real estate marketing. [...]

The mobile Internet is still a young frontier for builders. While directories and large brokerages have invested in mobile apps beginning a couple years ago, most builders have just begun to dip their toe in the water. The benefit to a company with an “innovator/early adopter” approach to marketing technology is that, while they pay the occasional [...]

It’s no secret the impact that Facebook is having on consumer behavior. In fact, in recent months, Facebook has risen into the top 5 referring sources of traffic for some of our clients’ websites. Despite this impact, many builders are still somewhat skeptical of Facebook’s role in the buying process, and I can sort of [...]

I’m not normally one for drama, but I’m not sure the message is really reaching the industry. In the past I’ve written about home builder mobile marketing and how to use Foursquare for real estate. Thankfully, a group called Mobile Future has put together a great “Did You Know?” type video with some sobering stats [...]

Generally speaking, most builders, salespeople, and real estate brokers I speak with agree that the last thing the Internet needs is another home search directory. Each time a new directory is introduced, it creates a new burden for the builder (focus, monitoring, plus a new SEO competitor). Ask a consumer if the Internet needs another [...]

The huge number of online marketing options available creates a virtual cosmos of possible entry points. Builders are bombarded with messages about everything they have to start doing “right now!” Get a new website. Invest in search engine optimization. Spend money with Google AdWords. Do lots of follow-up with email marketing. Everyone’s on facebook. You [...]

“More home shoppers start their search online than ever before.” “Over 90% of buyers use the Internet.” This is not news. This is not new information. The number of home shoppers who start their home search online has been above 80% for years. This is not news. Even early numbers in 2000 showed that 40% [...]

On March 9th, I had the pleasure of speaking to over 200 new home sales and real estate professionals at SMC SalesCamp. My assigned topic was “Effective Communication with Social Media.” The videos below contain my full presentation. In this presentation, I was able to introduce the concept of Lead Curation – Creating an environment conducive to [...]

“I’m not exactly sure how, but I think our listings get there.” It’s difficult to find a subject that’s less clear to most builders – How exactly do their community listings get distributed to directories on the web, and how do they change or improve their content, accuracy, placement, etc? New Home Feed is aiming [...]

If you were unable to make it to the Super Sales Rally at the International Builders Show, you missed an instantly classic performance by new home sales trainer Jeff Shore of Shore Forrest Sales Strategies and Jim Suth of D.R. Horton. I captured all but the first few seconds using my cell phone. The audio/video [...]