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Monday, December 21, 2009

Green Realtor Associations of North America

Here are some links to green realty associations, ecological realtor groups, green builder guilds and more:

Green designation for agents AND property managers recognized by the National Association of REALTORS®



National Association Of Green Agents and Brokers (NAGAB) is Canada's largest Non Profit association of Greerealestate™ Real Estate representatives.



Green Tool Kit for REALTORS®. A a collaboration between the BC Real Estate Association and the Greener Realty Association,



HomeFinder.com Guide to Green Realtors



Guide to USA Green Home Builders



ListedGreen.com Eco-friendly Homes and Properties




Green Building and Environmental Trends


Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Optimization for realtors; optimizing real estate websites

The key to successful optimization of a realtor website is localizing localizing localizing...

Important factors to consider:

1) Keywords within links to your website, and within internal links on your website

2) Keywords "after the slash" eg. in page title names

3) Keywords in domain name

4) Page content

5) Meta Tags


Let's look at these areas one at a time:

1 - Anchor Text, or "phrased links"

When you are linking your website from another webpage, use a phrase in the hyperlink that you'd like to come up for on Google, for example, Find Markham luxury homes, then link your website from that phrase.

I work at MCS Real Estate Systems (if you are an Ontario realtor seeking a strong web solution call 1866.470.4007 x 239 or just ask for Joe), so if I am linking our website from another website or blog, I may use something like:


Note that the underlying link is to www.mcsres.com

For competitive terms, like "toronto real estate", there will be thousands of links to major websites, so pick an area or three and get farming. Think in terms of neighborhoods, subdivisions, towns and areas. Phrases like Unionville detached homes, or Maple luxury homes, or Streetsville family home, will be more successful than Markham homes or Scarboro real estate.

2 - Keywords "after the slash"

Think about it; while keywords in the domain tell Google what your 50-page website is all about, the keywords after the slash (eg. Page Title at end of URL) let Google's index know what that specific page is about. For example:

JohnRealtor.com/SearchBurlingtonHomes.html

OR

GTAproperties.com/MarkhamLuxuryHomes

See how there is much more detailed info after the slash? Name your pages properly and you'll come up in a wider variety of searches and generate more leads from the web.


3. Keywords within the domain name

Something like SearchTorontoHomes.com will usually (not always, as #1 factor remains keyworded links to your website - anchor text) rank higher for that specific phrase and variants of it than something like JohnSmithRealtor.com would.

This is particularly important if you are farming a new subdivision area or section of town you really like. The smaller the area, the more value you'll get out of having keywords in the domain. Now, you don't want all your branding to reflect one small area, so if you register a domain name for an area you are farming / prospecting, consider it a sub-brand, and create a page on your website about that subdivision, then forward that domain to that page. A web branding rule: Main brands point to homepage via DNS, sub-brands forward to specific sub-page via Enable Forwarding (a GoDaddy.com term).


4. Words content on your website

The more you write about various parts of your city and cool towns nearby, the wider a range of searches you will come up in at Google. Search engines want to deliver relevant results. To make your website relevant to what your ideal client would search for at Google, write down the 15 phrases that this ideal client might type into the Google search engine.

Now try and work 3 or 4 of of those phrases into sentences on each page of your website, making your web presence organically relevant to what your desired client would search for. How do you do this? Okay, let's say these are 2 of your phrases:

find Toronto homes

If you are looking to find Toronto homes for sale online, THIS is the website for you!


Markham luxury homes

We offer expertise on elegant homes and properties throughout the Toronto GTA region, including the best neighborhoods for Markham luxury homes, Richmond Hill detached houses and luxurious Thornhill condos; call today!


5. Meta Tags - Not what they used to be!!!

Before Google began their global takeover (they ARE the 800 pound gorilla we were all afraid Microsoft might become...) in 1998, meta tags were a key factor in deciding search engine rankings, but not any more. They can still break a tie, however, so do a great job on your meta tags and this will enhance your search engine rankings. A couple of tips:

a) Do separate meta tags for each of your crucial pages

b) Whenever possible, don't use any keywords that are not on that specific page


Many happy returns!!!!


Links Relevant to Real Estate SEO:






Real Estate website design:










Saturday, September 26, 2009

Website Links for Toronto GTA Real Estate Agents

Toronto GTA Websites for Realtors

MCS Real Estate Systems offers websites with listings and lead capture for Ontario real estate agents, with exclusive competitive advantages for realtors with Remax, Royal LePage, Sutton Group and any agents in Durham Region.

Ontario Realtor website with listings IDX


Toronto GTA Real Estate Agents: Links for Your Website

Here are some links that Toronto-area realtors may find helpful when working on localizing your websites:

Toronto Parks and Recreation

Toronto Public Libraries Information

Toronto Catholic Schools Info

Toronto Public Schools official website

Toronto GTA Private Schools Information

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

TTC - Toronto Transit Commission

Ontario GO Trains - Go Transit website

Realtor.ca Ontario Homes For Sale search website


PropertySold.ca Canadian real Estate For Sale By Owner


Realtor.com Toronto Homes Condos search


HowRealtorsHelp.ca Canadian Homebuyers Information website


MCS Real Estate System Online Marketing for Realtors


ByTheOwner.com Ontaio FSBOs Real Estate For Sale


Toronto Board of Trade official website


Ontario Chamber of Commerce online


Toronto Real Estate Board


CMHC Canadian Mortgage Loan Insurance


Explanations of legal terminology from Toronto Real Estate Board


Wikipedia entry on Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation


Wikipedia webpage on Toronto


Wikipedia page about Mississauga


HomeTrader.ca Online GTA Home Showcase


IncomRealEstate.com Websites for Toronto Realtors


Free IDX for TREB - Web Templates for Toronto Real Estate Agents


Toronto Zoo official website



Toronto District School Board

Toronto GTA Catholic School Board





Peace 2 All!































Saturday, September 12, 2009

Green Energy Stocks Websites and Clean Power Technology Blogs

Here are some links to many of the top alternative energy investing websites and green power blogs:






























Partner Websites:





















6 Best Toronto GTA Real Estate Web Design Companies

Here are some of the leading Toronto-area Ontario web design companies specializing in real estate or offering websites for realtors:

MCS Real Estate Systems websites for realtors


Moneymaker 4 Agents


RealtySoft.com for Brokers and Agents


RealWebLeads.com Websites CRM SEO


IncomRealEstate.com Websites for Realtors


5fish.net Real Estate Web Design and SEO for Ontario and BC

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Monday, June 15, 2009

504 Loan DOUBLES: Now allows max $4 million financing for greening buildings

HuffingtonPost.com is featuring this article about how real estate investors can get up to $4 million in financing by reducing energy consumption by 10% or more (eg. conservation, efficiency technolgy) and/or by introducing green, renewable power. Considering the type of market many cities are in, buildings most suitable for a green retrofit are likely to be in demand.

Here's the article:

The Small Business Admistration has amended its existing 504 loan program, which was originally created to encourage small- to medium-sized business owners to acquire commercial property by providing them with long-term, fixed-rate financing. One of the biggest accommodations is that these loans required a minimal equity requirement and the size of the loan correlates directly to the borrower's impact on the community, including revitilizing and stimulating local business, improving and diversifying the district, and expanding a minority-, woman-, or veteran-owned business.

The new loan program has now been doubled to a maximum of $4 million to borrowers who reduce energy consumption by 10 percent or generate renewable energy. This opens up whole new avenues to businesses that focus on sustainable design, reduce energy consumption, and promote renewable energy generation. This is where some of the federal government's stimulus programs' rubber is beginning to meet the road. Although the SBA 504 loan program was originally intended to revitalize local areas through its financing program, this new expansion literally broadens these possibilities on an exponential level. Sustainability, in a way, has been considered a minority class on a pure business level. Now the seeds are being planted in order to invigorate a model that is not only essential on an environmental level, but on a profitable business level as well.

Full on;line story about green real estate loans by Jonathan Schein

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

The 3 Biggest Mistakes Realtors are Making in 2009

Here are 3 common, revenue-killing errors in perception and practice that real estate agents and brokers are making this year:

1 – Exclusively focusing on the “sell” side
2 – Not utilizing the effectiveness of web marketing
3 – Waiting for things to “turn around”



In more detail:

#1 - Working the SELL side only; in 90% of North America, this makes no sense, as the money is being made on the buy side! This is the biggest buyer's market in the past 75 years. Does your branding reflect service to buyers? Has your website been keyworded to appear in front of homebuyers?

Have you summarized and linked the 8k Federal Housing Tax Credit info on your website? Have you thought about and contacted previous clients who may be ready to move up during this biggest buyer’s market in UDSA history?

Having written all that, listings are always useful, and providing great service to buyers during this phase will set you up well for 2010 / 2011 listings presentations, as you’ll be known as the realtor who “has lots of buyers looking.”



#2 - Underestimating the power of the Internet. You wouldn't believe how many realtors say "I only want to have one website"; they may as well say, "I don't want to make a lot of money." Where I work (joe.trainor@realtysoft.com or via 1.866.857.1657 x 113) you can get a lead generation website with world-class IDX and a domain name and hosting included all for less than $20 a month via our annual deal (THIS month June 2009), but even if you’re spending a lot more, the key is to optimize it well during the first few months. After that, you’ll only need to spend 20-30 minutes per month to keep it generating high quality leads.



#3 – NOT being proactive; if you are thinking and expecting other people will call you, it’s time to get back to doing everything as if it's your first year in the business. Touch base with your prospects and regularly make 20 calls per day and you’ll see your situation start to turn around.


Send me an email if you are looking to gereate more leads and revenue from the web, and we can send you some samples to view or set you up with a free trial, whatever you prefer!

Monday, May 18, 2009

Home Builders - Wells Fargo Housing Market Index for May up to 16, from 14 in April

Emerging optimism that a bottom may have been reached in USA housing markets was confirmed by the Home Builders / Wells Fargo Housing Index and good news from the banks also helped ignite the North American stock markets today.

From vantage points in the UK and in Canada, American real estate has looked quite inexpensive for close to a year now, and it seems that US home buyers and real estate investors are about to begin celebrating the biggest buyers market in the past 75 years. This accumulation stage may be followed by a longer than usual bull run, as all of the air has been taken out of prices, and solid values abound.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Summary of Rules $8,000 USA Federal Housing Tax Credit Info

Here are the basic eligibility requirements for the 8k tax credit for US first-time home buyers:

$8,000 Home Buyer Tax Credit Rules Summary

  • Tax credit is for first-time home buyers only.
  • This credit does not have to be repaid in any form.
  • The credit is equal to 10 percent of the home’s purchase price up to a maximum of $8,000.
  • The federal tax credit is for homes purchased on or between January 1, 2009 and November 30, 2009.
  • Married couples with incomes up to $150,000 qualify for the full tax credit; Single taxpayers with incomes up to $75,000 also qualify. 


Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Green Real Estate and Mortgage News; Federal Housing Tax Credit link

Here you will find environmental real estate news, government housing programs, HUD homes and a link to the Federal Tax Credit for new homebuyers.

Feel welcome to suggest any additional links for homeowners refinancing assistance and otherhelpful residential real estate links.













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