Realty World Northern California & Nevada

Image via gdgt.com

After numerous years of rumors and speculation, Apple Inc. unveiled a new tablet computer called the iPad at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. Price for the iPad starts at an unbelievably low price at $499 and up to $829 (for all of the options) and will be available in 60 days (90 days for a 3G model). I am VERY excited about this and cannot wait to get my hands on it firsthand.

There’s so much to say about the iPad. I’ll first start with the highlights on the iPad specs and at the end go into how to use the iPad.

iPad Specifications:

• 1/2″ thick
• 1.5 pounds
• 9.7″ screen
• 10 hour battery life (up to a month of standby time)
• Accelerometer & compass
• Bluetooth
• 1GHz Apple A4 chip
• 16GB – 64GB flash storage
• Speakerphone & microphone

Internet on the go is available at additional pricing through AT&T on the 3G network. There are two price plans. First is a 250MB per month plan at $14.99 per month. For some users 250MB per month may suffice. For more “power users” an unlimited plan will be available at $29.99 per month. Both do not have any contract and can be canceled at any time.

Two accessories were announced which are very exciting! The first is a keyboard dock/charger. You slide the iPad onto the keyboard dock so you can use a full size keyboard and charge the iPad at the same time. The second accessory is a cover for the iPad which doubles as a slightly tilted stand for desk use.

The interface for the iPad is very similar to the iPhone. The iPad utilizes full capacity multi-touch, enabling you to interact with the screen without the use of a pen or mouse using your fingers directly to the surface of screen. The keyboard is onscreen (like the iPhone) and takes up the bottom half of the landscape mode. It is large enough to use two hands like you would on a regular keyboard, but slightly smaller.

The iPad comes with a wide array of applications standard. Additionally, ALL apps from the App Store work as well!

Some of the default apps include:

• Email
• Web
• Photos
• Calendar
• Address Book
• Google Maps
• Music
• iBook (Brand new application)
• iWork – Keynote, Pages, Numbers ($9.99 each)

iBook is a new application that allows for the discovery, purchase, and download e-books. It is much like the Amazon Kindle but on steroids.

Following are some more images of the Apple iPad

Image via gdgt.com

Image via gdgt.com

Image via gdgt.com

Image via gdgt.com

Image via gdgt.com

Image via gdgt.com

Image via gdgt.com

Image via gdgt.com

Image via Wikipedia

I’m new at this real estate thing. I have lived my life in technology, an industry that has a community that knows many of its influential members and keeps an eye on them. The real estate community is large as well and made up of lots of people who know about specific areas, which means it can be daunting to try to track and talk to key players.

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try though. I suggest getting to know and getting active in local committees, groups and associations. Forget about the politics of the organization, as that often distracts members or perspective members, and focus on the larger mission. Why wouldn’t you want to get to know the people that are making decisions that affect your job, stay on top of the latest and greatest, and voice your opinion when you don’t like something?

There are a lot of changes happening, getting involved is good for you, good for business and good for the entire industry. Looking for a list of places to get started – try checking with your broker or franchise – if they don’t know, start asking why not.

Image via Wikipedia

Today is my birthday, a day when I typically spend some mental energy reflecting on where I’ve come and where I think society has headed. Today I was frustrated. Has anyone else heard that schools are considering cutting spelling and learning multiplication and division from the curriculum? I thought about what I’d do with a society of people that couldn’t jot a coherent note without spell check software or a group of people that couldn’t understand how to leave a tip or see if they’re getting ripped off without a calculator in their pocket and I was disgusted.

I was reminded of times back when I was younger and my parents would ask me to do something that I didn’t know how to do and I’d struggle with it for 15 seconds (which of course I explained was “forever”) and then I’d ask for help. By help I meant, “Can’t you just do it for me since you already know how?” Thankfully, my parents believed that even if it took me twice as long and was frustrating as heck, I was going to learn how to do the basics on my own.

This is how I feel about Facebook, blogging, social media and real estate in general. It’s my job to teach, to keep people informed, to propose new ideas and to provide tools to make your job possible, competitive or easier… maybe all three. It is not my job to be a Realtor. Sometimes, part of my job is helping agents and brokers figure out how to use tools themselves so that they can continue to use the tools more effectively in the future and hopefully teach those around them how to do it as well. This will raise the quality of all in the real estate profession, fostering a community of well-informed, helpful individuals – not a few people who have the answers and dole them out for a fee or at their leisure.

I ask that people keep this in mind before and when calling with a question or issue – if my response is, “Did you try to solve the problem yourself first?” or to help you help yourself – it’s because I care about creating a long-term lesson instead of a short-term solution.

Image via Wikipedia

It’s often said that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. I tend to disagree when it comes to real estate. Regurgitation shows a distinct lack of originality and initiative to find out what people in your location, neighborhood, market outlook want and need. Copying the competition means your competition doesn’t have competition, they have a watered down version of the their own brand and consumers know it. Copying your competition means you’re not willing to think outside of the box or too afraid to act on the outside of the box thinking you may have.

If you’re going to copy someone – copy thinkers from other industries who have implemented great process, innovation and communications tools. Copy their spirit of change, willingness to be wrong and the way they embrace the shifts the market throws at them.

Gone are the days of all real estate agents being the same, a faceless mass of people who don’t know or care about what consumers want. Here are the days of Realtors as individuals, distinguishing themselves in their community as valued members of a productive, people-focused group.

This is where things NEED to be headed. This is what people want, the people that pay your commissions. I know, because I’m one of them.

Image via Wikipedia

When we’re freshmen, we know we’re new. We’re cautious, optimistic and aware of our lowly status on the totem pole. Then something magical happens as we transition into sophomores – we develop arrogance. Greek for “wise fool” – the term sophomore describes the feeling that we can take on the world, know everything there is to learn and deserve the riches and spoils we toiled for the year prior. It also describes the foolishness of this notion, and by the time we are seniors, we realize it too.

This accurately describes much of the social media world and those learning to use it. We started using social media recently, we learned a few things, made some headway and now we think we’re king of the castle.

Beware that king of the castle feeling though – we’re just sophomores! We don’t know what we don’t know. We idolize the popular kids who may lead us astray, we think our teachers don’t know anything or aren’t teaching us what we really want to be taught, and we poke fun at the freshmen to make ourselves feel better.

This will pass, we’ll mature into people who recognize the ill-advised assumptions we’d previously made and laugh at our mistakes or cringe at our foolishness. We’ll emerge stronger and with a greater respect for the teachers that stayed the course while we scoffed at their suggestions.

Just something to keep in mind as we journey into this new territory of social media. Be nice to the freshmen, remember your teachers are here to help you and don’t worry about being popular – be a good person.

Image by maistora via Flickr

I’ve always believed that the business world is a lot like dating and relationships. That has its good points and bad but there are a lot of things both of these world could learn from one another. The biggest one that both need to learn is loyalty.

In relationships, when we first start dating we’re wooed by the opposite sex with their best attire, wittiest remarks and engaging conversations. They spend money on us, bring us flowers and go out of their way to make us happy. Within a year’s time, people have settled into who they really are, sometimes this works out well because we grow closer based on shared foibles, and appreciate the person’s little eccentricities. Other times we wonder when Dr. Jekyll switched with Mr. Hyde and feel fooled by someone’s initial act.

This happens in business all the time. We’re lured away from existing services or to new gadgets with slick advertising, marketing gimmicks and giveaways. We’re told that the first six months of service are only $19.99, that we’ll pay no money down, etc.

I’m stumped.

Instead of rewarding the customers that stick around for longer than marketing gimmicks and short term offers, we give the best stuff to the people most likely to leave! Why not give people fair upfront pricing and guarantee them that as they remain loyal you guarantee their price will never increase or that they will receive increased services or perks for loyalty? Surprisingly, the hospitality industry is one of the few to catch onto this the right way. If you use a brand that has a rewards program you can earn free stays, upgrades, food, spa services, etc. The longer you’re a member the higher your status typically.

So, what’s this have to do with real estate and social media? I know Realtors can’t offer people free houses for loyal service, but there should be some real incentives for loyalty and referrals.

In order to make that a worthwhile proposition, you have to actually get a lot of referrals and repeat business and make some money from it! So, here are some thoughts on how you can create loyalty:

• Be yourself from the get-go. If you’re putting on an act when you first meet someone or in your social media outlets, people will feel you’ve been dishonest when they get to know you better and find you to be something other than what you started as.
• Provide great service the first time and every time. People remember who gave them knowledgeable and friendly service.
• Be honest about pricing, how you’re paid, what’s fair and ways they can save money. People don’t mind paying for things as much if they know what they’re paying for and why.
• Remember the little things. If someone tells you about their dogs, kids, hobbies, or travels it’s because they want to share it with you. Write it down on their business card or customer file and be sure to ask about it next time you’re in touch. If someone with a pet purchases a home from you, be sure to include a little something for Fido and Mittens in the home when they move in.
• Use social media to keep in touch with ease. Friend them on Facebook, connect with them on LinkedIn, find a way to stay in touch and make a calendar reminder to touch base at least once a month to see how they’re doing.
• Be a loyal person. Don’t just expect loyalty, be loyal to your favorite organizations, businesses and service providers. Recommend them when someone is looking for services and maintain good relationships.

Reward loyalty and be loyal to your customers and favorite companies and vendors as well – it’s just good business.

A few companies that I’ve had positive loyalty interactions with – in case you’re looking!

• Nordstrom
• Volkswagen
• Hilton Hotels
• Target
• Silk Nail Salon in San Francisco
• Kimpton Hotels – also pet friendly!
• Kildaire Animal Hospital in North Carolina (bulldog specialist on board!)

Image via Wikipedia

I always get a little frustrated at the end of the year because it seems like resolutions are all about reminding you what you’ve done wrong the last 365 days. “I ate too much so I need to lose weight.” “I spent too much so I need to save.” And on and on it goes… reminding us of what we’ve done wrong and how we could, no, SHOULD, be doing better.

Well I’m sick of it. I’d like to celebrate some of the stuff people have done right and I’d love an agent or broker that did it too. Here are some ways you can help home buyers and sellers feel good about starting the year.

• Congratulate all the people that bought a home on achieving their piece of the American Dream. Remind them that they have already accomplished a huge milestone!
• Give a hi-five to those that managed to sell their homes with you this year – letting them know that selling a home in this market was no small feat!
• Reach out to those that have contacted you this year and congratulate them on taking the first step toward one of the biggest purchases of their life and give them kudos for making home ownership a priority.
• Send thank you’s and a pat on the back to your family and friends for sticking with you through a rough economy and for being a big part of your life.

Give these reaffirmations a try when you’re pondering those resolutions. You’ll start the year off with a smile.

Image via Wikipedia

I’m sitting in Raleigh-Durham Airport after my first Christmas at home in three years. Having my first few moments of peace and quiet in over a week I can reflect on the time I got to spend with my wacky yet normal family. It occurs to me that there are a lot of practices we use in our personal life that translate well to the business world, and certainly to social media. Here are a couple things I took note of:

• Greet everyone with a hearty handshake, a smile and ask them how they’re doing – and care about the answer. Nothing warms people up like some sincerity, a little laughter and a personal anecdote or two.
• Be yourself, your regular wacky self. People like people that are genuine – even if they don’t agree with you. It makes you more trustworthy (because you never know if you can believe someone that seems to be trying to please everyone) and gives you a unique personality.
• Offer people refreshments. Too often when I get to a business engagement I’m hustled into a room where I’m immediately inundated with questions, put on a podium or asked to start a PowerPoint. I typically am much more at ease with my surroundings when I get the chance to have a glass of water and a short chat with the person I’m doing business with first.
• Write “thank you” notes – on paper. Then mail them – in the actual mail with a stamp. It shows people you appreciate their time, gift, donation, whatever. I write thank you notes for job interviews, donations to charities, dinner parties, etc. and they have done more for my relationships with people than a million emails ever could.
• Remember names. I know, I know – this is a tough one. That’s what your phone is for though – in the contact section that you save the business contacts, right after you have left someone’s office, home or wherever you were meeting – put their spouse, children, dog, etc. names in there under the notes area. People are really happy when you ask how little Sarah is doing with gymnastics or if Fido is doing well, plus it’s a great conversation starter when you need more to talk about than the weather.

I hope you enjoyed your holidays and learned a few things from your families as well – feel free to share them here!

I guess you could call them resolutions, if you’re into that sort of thing. I’m not, I don’t really like the word resolution – I like having a to do list, it implies that I can check stuff off and should keep at it til it’s been done. Whatever you want to call it, below is a list of some things I’m going to try to get done during 2010 in my online life.

1. I will cleanse my Facebook page of people I don’t know. There is no reason to have 1,000 “friends” on Facebook if you only really know or like 150 of them. If I haven’t met you in real life or have a good reason to know you otherwise then I’m deleting you to reduce virtual clutter.
2. I will pay attention to what’s happening in people’s real lives. I will not, however, comment on your Farmville status, give you a vampire bite, throw an online snowball at you or participate in your Sorority Life toga party. I will, instead, care about your actual job, family, and attend actual parties so we can have a real conversation.
3. I will not Tweet out of obligation. I will only use Twitter when I have something I think the twittersphere might benefit from hearing or care about. I will help clean up my follower’s Twitter feeds by not posting every time I get coffee, take a shower or change the channel.
4. I will respect your privacy. If we go out and have a good time at an event, I will not post the photos of you with your head over the toilet, you giving your boss the finger when he turned his back, etc. I will not post that I’m sorry you and Bobby broke up or anything else about your personal life – that’s up to you. (It’d be a really happy year if everyone else would do the same.)
5. I will not censor you. I will not delete comments that I disagree with (unless they contain racial slurs or excessive profanity) just because I may not like your opinion. I’m a believer in free speech and that Facebook and Twitter are places that those things are not just tolerated but encouraged – so go ahead and be Republican, Democrat, push for legalized marijuana, healthcare changes, whatever… I may not like it – but I won’t delete that you do.
6. I will be less available. I will turn off my computer and cell phone for a couple of hours every day and for at least one day on the weekends so that I can have a real life and be an interesting person (and to ensure my dogs and significant other get the attention they deserve). This way, when we connect on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, or – oh my goodness – in REAL LIFE, I’ll have interesting things to talk about besides Joe’s most recent Facebook update.

Got some to do items of your own? Let’s hear them!

Whatever your goals for the upcoming year may be, even if it’s to not have any goals, I wish you a safe and happy close to 2009 and hope to hear from you in 2010.

Everyone knows what surge protectors are… but are they really necessary?

The simple answer to this question is “Yes, absolutely.”

Power spikes are quick, short duration overvoltages of electricity and are typically caused by lightning strikes, power outages, tripped circuit breakers, short circuits, and malfunctions caused by the power company. These overvoltages do not occur often but they can occur and you should protect your electronic investments with a surge protector.

Surge protectors range in price and quality. How “good” of a surge protector do you need?

Unfortunately, the answer to this question is not as simple.

The main factor to consider when purchasing a surge protector is to look at what will be plugged into it. For example, when protecting your computer, big screen TV, or home theatre equipment, you wouldn’t want to spend five dollars on a basic surge protector. Conversely, you also wouldn’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on a battery backup unit for your alarm clock. (Some people may argue differently on that one but I think you get the picture)

A basic surge protector, or power strip, offers minimal protection to sensitive electronic equipment and typically provides an easy way to plug in multiple devices into a power outlet. This is not recommended to be used for sensitive electronic equipment. (Ie. computers, TVs, or home theatre equipment)

The next step up resembles a basic surge protector, or power strip, but is intended for sensitive electronic equipment. You can easily find a quality APC brand surge protector in the mid twenty dollar range at a local Best Buy.

Another jump up in protection is called a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply), also known as a battery backup, which provides emergency power to your electronic device (Ie. computer and monitor) in cases where there is power interruption. Typically, there is enough emergency power available to save any unsaved documents as well as safely shutdown the computer. A quality APC brand UPS can be found in the sub one hundred dollar range at a local Best Buy.