First, I'd like to welcome my new readers. My last video stirred things up a bit, and introduced my site to many (MANY) new readers. My subscribers doubled, so thank you to all my new fans.

Most of my readers are familiar with blogs, but I still have a few people ask me almost daily, "What's a blog?" If you don't know what a blog is, I found this video that should make it very simple to understand. Pay close attention to the "Comment" portion. That's where you, my loyal readers, share your thoughts, and become part of the ekday blog.

Tags: video, general

I'll admit, our site doesn't discuss the environment enough at all.

You can't turn on the television or radio without hearing how people are going "green," and the folks at Blog Action Day have a site devoted to awareness. October 15th is Blog Action Day, and Ekday will be focusing on environmental issues as they relate to Orlando. If you have anything you'd like discussed, let me know in the comments.

I encourage all of my fellow bloggers to participate in this event.

Tags: environment

We hinted in my previous post that I will be working on making ekday.com, iPhone friendly. I'm going to list a few of the features I'll be adding, and I'm going to ask you to leave ideas in the comments section. Here are a few ways I envision EKDAY working on Apple's iPhone:

• Adding a script that will determine if you are using an iPhone. If you are, and you view our blog, it will switch you to the iPhone version which will be identical to the original, but it will be formatted to fit perfectly on the screen
  
• Listings: We will try to make all listings formatted for the iPhone. We always use a google map link in our listings, and we'll try to have the link open in the iPhone's Google Maps app, allowing you to enter your current location, and have directions to the listing you'd like to see.
  
• Redesign: we're thinking it might be smart to have a total redesign of the site for the iPhone. We want it to be light on the graphics fr times you're using EDGE, and provide a simple way of navigating the site.
  
• Scheduling / Calendar app: We're working on a way to schedule open houses, and have a link that will add the event to your iPhone calendar, with a location that can be used on the Google Map app.
  
• Map Search: I have no idea if we can get this to work, but we have the tools, and we're hoping to make a map search option. The hope is to allow you to view a map, and it will include pins for all of our listings. You will then be able to click on a pin for more information, and directions to that listing.
  
• Videos: We have a few commercials, and they look incredible on the iPhone. I haven't tried viewing them on the iPhone through Safari yet, but we're working on a way for them to work. This is just for fun, so it's on the bottom of the stack for now.

That's it for now. Please leave comments on what you'd like to see in an Orlando Real Estate app. We want to provide you with something you can use, and in following in the EKDAY tradition, we want it to be simple and fun to use. We'll keep you posted on our progress.

Tags: iphone, orlando

If you've been wondering where I've been, your wait is over. For those of you new to this blog, I'm a bit of a cell phone junkie, so it should come as no surprise that I decided to pick up one of those iThingies. I've been patiently waiting for June 29th to arrive, and had to deal with endless debates about why I NEED this phone, and why I'm willing to sleep outside to get one. Once the nay-sayers see or touch my new iphone, it usually ends the debate.

This is an Orlando real estate blog, so there's no room for an iphone review, but I will say it's amazing. I'm in the process of working on an iPhone version of this blog, and it will detect whether you are using an iphone or not to access the blog, and send you to the appropriate version.

If you're interested, I was first in line at the Waterford Lakes AT&T store in east Orlando, and my total wait in line was 32 hours. I was interviewed by 4 people, was able to work my way through 275 old real estate emails, and spoke with tons of people interested in the Orlando real estate market (it became a pretty hot topic).

I'm back to work now, and will be updating the blog regularly. Sorry for the brief absence.

Here's the link to one of my interviews: Lines Forming at AT&T in Orlando

Tags: orlando, iphone

It's often said, "A Picture's worth a thousand words." When photographing a home to list on the MLS, this couldn't be more true. We've been involved in photography for years, and recently made the choice to offer our professional photography services to all our listing clients. We launched our photography site about a week ago, and yesterday we made the decision to add a feature called, "Bad MLS Pic of the Day."

Basically, it's a blog that shows bad pictures agents are using on the MLS to market their clients' homes, and let's you rate their "badness". This topic has been gaining popularity over the past few weeks, and it only made sense that we dedicate a full page of our new site to showcase it.

We launched the feature early yesterday morning with NO fanfare. The only thing we did to announce the launch was submit the site to Digg. We had no idea this was going to take off like it did. The site received 97 hits yesterday, and already has over 50 for today.

Feel free to join in the fun by visiting Bad MLS Pic of the Day!

Tags: photos, mls

If you've been reading my blog for the past few months, you'll remember my post about RSS Feeds. To refresh your memory, RSS feeds let you read blog posts without actually visiting the website. All you need is a feed reader (I use Google Reader), and you're all set. Well, I've taken that same technology and applied it to my listing pages. Now you'll be able to subscribe to a certain part of town, and see all our new listings as we add them. You'll no longer need to visit the site to see if things have changed.

It's very simple to do. Just visit our Listings page, and choose the town you'd like to live in. n the right side of the screen, you'll see a little orange symbol that looks like the picture in this post that says, "Subscribe." For an even easier way to receive our new listings, you can add your email into the subscription box, and the new listings will be delivered to your email - no feed reader required.

So what's stopping you? Visit the listings page and get ready to find the home of your dreams!

Tags: blog Tools, rss, feeds

I'll admit, this one slipped right under my radar, but my favorite little search company, Google, has updated one of my favorite features. How many times have you done a search for Orlando real estate, come across the PERFECT house, and then the next day, you can't find it anywhere? Maybe you were looking up home staging ideas, but can't remember that tip they told you about the kitchen. Last Thursday, Google released Web History. This new feature makes it easy to view and search across the pages you've visited. If you remember seeing something online, you'll be able to find it faster and from any computer with Web History. Web History lets you look back in time, revisit the sites you've browsed, and search over the full text of pages you've seen.

For a better definition of how it works, or to sign up for the free service, visit http://www.google.com/history.

This is just one more tool you have to help you research the perfect home - and actually find it again a few days later.

I've noticed that many of my friends that I've emailed my blog link to, have not subscribed like I asked. Now, I know there had to be a reason - it couldn't have been anything wrong with my blog. So I did some checking, and it turns out...my friends have no clue what an RSS feed is, or how to use it. Considering how short on time I am this morning, I've decided to post a few links here to help you understand the marvelous creature we call feeds. I'm providing links to the absolute experts on this topic, so read it.....and no more excuses. Click the orange button at the top of my page.

For a very thorough explanation of RSS, visit wikipedia's description. This should give you enough of the basics to at least understand the concept.

Once you understand RSS, it's time to find a feed reader. I use Google Reader for reading feeds, and love it because there are a variety of ways it can be used. If Google Reader isn't for you, try one of these popular readers: Thunderbird, RSSBandit, or Netvibes.

Still not convinced you need a reader, or to bother with feeds? Take a look at what Charles Richey from RSS Pieces has to say about the Future of Websites.

Once you start becoming addicted to blogs, you may decide it's time to start your own. There are many options for this, and one free one is Google's Blogger.

I hope this clears up the confusion. I hope my Orlando friends can join me in real estate bliss now, from the comfort of their feed reader. If you still have questions, you can post them in the comments, and I'll help you out.

I've mentioned before my general feeling that the real estate business is slow to adapt to changes in technology. If there's any doubt, analyze the beast we call the MLS (Multiple Listing Service." MLS works in Internet Explorer only - No firefox, and definitely no Safari. It's slow, hard to navigate, and very unstable.

How will the MLS hold up against the new kids on the block? I've discussed Zillow before, but now the 800lb gorilla known as Google is stomping down the path!

Google posted a small hint in their blog about what they are doing with real estate searches, and have been quietly rolling out improvements at record pace. Agents can enter their listings in Google Base free of charge, and now brokers can feed ALL of their listings directly into Google. The search results show not only the listings, but give you a nice map mashup to make your search even easier.



With all of the improvements being made to Zillow and Google Base, not to mention the many other sites starting to capitalize on real estate listings, how will the MLS hold up? As a real estate agent, one of the biggest tools we have is the ability to list your house on the MLS - something only a Realtor can do, but will all this change in the very near future? The real estate industry needs to adapt!

Post your thoughts in the comments section.

I read an article today in the Orlando Realtor magazine discussing new technology, and how to use it in Real Estate marketing. Now, I consider myself an early adopter. That being said, I find that most of the Realtors I work with (even the really successful ones) are very far behind on the technology front when it comes to marketing and management of their companies. The first (of 6) recommendation from the article was to use videos instead (actually, I think they said "along with") virtual tours. I have worked in real estate for 8 years - general real estate for 9 months. I have made videos for every listing I have taken, and never used a 360 tour. Working for a builder in a model home for four years helped me learn how people look at homes. I noticed how they immediately scan the entire room when they walk through the front door, and almost always head toward the kitchen. The look at the cabinets and pantry, then hang out in the living/family room for a few minutes. Then they typically head to the master bedroom. This flow doesn't happen every time, but I would say it happens more than 90% of the time.

I took this knowledge, and tried to apply it to my video tours. Before I started making the videos, I searched other Realtors in the area to see if anyone was taking advantage of this new-ish process, but couldn't find anyone. I usually walk from room-to-room with my camera, and video exactly what most people look at when they tour a house. Some sellers ask that I use a tripod and just scan each room, but I prefer walking with the cam - even though it tends to be a bit on the shaky side. I usually take about 90 minutes to tape the house, then edit it on my mac with Final Cut Pro - which takes about 3 hours. I then upload the video to my site, and to a few of the top video sites.

I'm writing this at about 2am, so forgive me if it rambles a bit. My point is, I'm glad to see Realtors catching on to this new trend, although I didn't mind being the only one doing it...sort of gave me an edge in my listing presentation. Here's my newest listing. I have a better version of it on my site, and on www.14303hampshirebaycircle.com, but I'm including my YouTube version for a lighter upload. Enjoy!



If you have questions, feel free to call me at 407-729-9695.

Many of you may already be using today's featured site, Zillow. I have to admit, I'm hooked on it. Problem is, I can't use it for my daily job. Zillow is "an online real estate service dedicated to helping you get an edge in real estate by providing you with valuable tools and information." Most of the people I know that use this site are simply trying to "estimate" their home's value. Now, I wish I could do away with creating CMAs (comperative market analysis) and just use the info Zillow provides, but the estimates tend to be inaccurate.

Here's an example: I have a house listed in Winter Garden, FL. After working with an appraiser to determine value, I concluded that the property should be listed for $699k. Today, I decided to take a look at Zillow's opinion of price, and they didn't even have the house. The neighboring homes range from $307k - $591k (except the house directly behind, which is showing $1.2m).

Again, I like Zillow as a fun tool to use when you're looking to kill time, but I wouldn't take their "estimates" too seriously.....yet. I do believe over time, they might get this right. For those of you looking to sell your home on your own, please consider other options when it comes to determining your price.

Yesterday, I told you about the new update to iTunes, and promised I'd give you a few links to RE podcasts. Here are a few that might interest you, and get you started if you're new to the world of podcasting. These links are for Apple's iTunes store, so you need iTunes installed for these to work (see yesterday's post to download itunes).

• Ekday - Central Florida Real Estate (my favorite - what can I say. Updates coming this month)
  
• Real Estate Sales Force
  
• How to Rent Vacation properties by Owner
  
• Real Estate Insiders
  
• The Real Estate guys Radio
  

These should get you going, but there are tons more. Just search itunes for real estate and choose "Podcasts" from the top of the screen. ENJOY!

I missed this by a few days, but Apple has released an update for Quicktime AND iTunes. Why do I mention this? Well, I feel there is a move in real estate toward podcasting new listings, or real estate news in general. I know most of you have iPods, and if you haven't already added podcasts to it, I recommend you search itunes for them today! They are free, and offer a better way to get your news.

There are really only two features in iTunes that I've seen updated.

The first is full-screen coverflow. Nice feature, but I was fine with it the old way. I really wish they'd make it like they showed it on the iphone - click an album and it spins to reveal the contents of the album. Maybe we'll see that this summer.

The other new feature I noticed was a new "apply sort field." I haven't really seen the benefits of this. If any of you can think of one, leave it in the comments.

I'll be posting a few links to some of my favorite real estate podcasts this week. If you haven't already updated your itunes, follow the download link below to the apple store.


Download