Sadly, much of what we see in real estate are poor Excel spreadsheet graphs that are hard to understand and uninspiring. Most often they don’t give proper context or help a buyer or seller make a decision.

I think the opportunity is to consider “infographics.”

Infographics, if done well, are a powerful way to simplify an often complex set of data or complex situation. To get an idea of the power of infographics, there are a number of sites dedicated to showcasing infographics such as ChartPorn.org and WallStats.com. It’s fascinating to see the clever & well thought out graphics created to help better explain an often difficult subject.

For example, here’s an infographic illustrating how people get hurt at Burning Man (source).

Click to enlarge

Using this format, it’s easy to understand the context of different types of injuries and it’s done in a way that’s enjoyable to read.

Infographic Concepts

Here are three simple, demonstration real estate infographic concepts designed to immediately deliver a lot of information and value.
(Note: Data used is for illustration purposes only. Please do your own research to make accurate representations.)

Cost per Square Foot Value

When someone is in the market for a second home, vacation home or retirement home it’s fair to assume they’re comparing several different markets. This infographic clearly shows the value of this market compared to its competitors by actually giving a real-world scale of what you get in terms of price per square foot. This graphic goes way beyond the empty statement that Steamboat is a “great value.” This graphic actually shows what that value is and does so immediately. In fact, it’s so powerful, it’s unlikely for someone serious about these communities to ever forget this image. Why buy in Aspen when you can get so much more here?

Infographics, if done well, are a powerful way to represent an often complex set of data or complex situation.

Give Meaning to the Market Report

Click to enlarge

Market reports typically give a narrow sales snapshot or a comparison of sales year-over-year. The problem with that approach, aside from the terrible Excel graphs, is that it doesn’t show what’s driving the numbers.

This approach, illustrating the current and past market inventory, is powerful because the concept of supply and demand is one a client can understand. The chart also gives a bit of a forecast into the future. A client can see that with so many homes in the market it’s going to take longer for their home to sell. This infographic goes further by defining the Buyer/Seller market zones.

Homes sold & prices only tell so much but seeing the current inventory on the market and the associated trends gives more insight into what’s going on. This is especially useful when dealing with an unrealistic seller. If a seller can see their home will be in a crowded market they’ll have more incentive to price accordingly. I have yet to see anyone use an approach like this.

Illustrate Open Space

Click to enlarge

One of the key advantages this community has over its competitors (Vail, Aspen, Telluride, Crested Butte) is the amount of open space our properties have. This infographic clearly shows Steamboat leading the way in open space per property by a wide margin. If a buyer places a high value on open space it’s immediately clear how compelling Steamboat is.

Real estate for most people is a complex animal. The more you can simplify their understanding of the markets, data implications and align the information with what they value , the more successful you and your company will be.

Bonus: There’s a bunch of cool real estate related infographics here.

If you’ve ever been nervous before a big meeting or presentation this book explains why. If you’ve ever blown an opportunity or had a meltdown with a colleague this books sheds light on why that might have happened. What sets the book apart from others is the familiar context the author uses. The book follows two people, a husband and wife, during a typical work day. He’s a consultant, she’s a marketing exec at a new job. The book presents familiar work scenarios for each chapter  which taxes a certain part of the brain (like a meeting with a big client or a conflict with a co-worker). The chapters illustrate typical brain responses then explains what’s going on inside the brain. Each chapter ends with the scenario replayed using the new understanding.

It’s surprising to learn that most of us work in a way that doesn’t fit how our brain works. For example, most of us check email first thing in the morning. That’s the opposite of what we should do. There’s plenty more enlightening and counterintuitive lessons in the book.

This is a video of a talk the author gave at Google which summarizes much of what’s in the book.

(Click here if you can’t see the video.)

Get the book at Amazon.com

The focus of the class will be on HDR techniques for real estate photography. I’ll be showing why HDR is great for real estate, how to take them and how to get photos that look like this:

80% of buyers say that photos are the most important aspect of real estate information they receive. This class is designed to help you market properties better and ultimately make more sales!

The class will be on Tuesday 6/29 from 7pm to about 8:30 at the Atriums on Eagleridge drive.

Class Requirements:

Class size: For this first one, the class is limited to the first 8 brokers to sign up.

Cost: This one is free. Depending on interest, I may do more in the future at a nominal fee.

Photo Gear: Camera w/manual controls & Tripod

* You need to have a camera that has basic manual controls, especially the ability to adjust the exposure value. A DSLR is best but some Point & Shoots might work, you just can’t get a very wide shot with a P&S.

* Please be familiar with how to adjust your camera.

* Tripod – This is a must for HDR type photography. You can pick up a cheap one ($20.00) at Wal-Mart that’s fine for getting started.

I’ll do some demonstrations on how to process the photos we take using HDR software

Once the class is set I’ll email more details.

So today I’m opening up SteamboatPics.com, a more formal but flexible place for my photography.

One thing I’m committed to is offering different ways for those interested to use the photography. Of course  lab quality prints are available but I’m going beyond that and offering greeting cards of every portfolio photo starting at only $2.79 each, journals and free Steamboat desktops for your computer.

Greeting Cards

Stock up on a few of these “File 13 Proof” cards and you’re sure to make a great impression next time you need to send a thank-you note or stay in touch. Any of the portfolio photos are available as a card with 3 styles to choose from; folded, flat or postcard style.

Functional Art

I’m a note taking freak & I love a good journal. I’ve taken select Steamboat photos and created one of a kind Steamboat journals available for purchase. These high quality journals make great gifts. Choose from lined, blank or task paper to fill the journal.

Free Calendar Desktop Wallpaper Download

Each month I’ll be featuring a free wallpaper for your computer. I’ve added a calendar to the photo to make it more functional and the photos reflect the spirit of the season. Feel free to share with friends, clients, etc.

Get the May 2010 calendar now.

Photography Secrets

I’m not sure how many true photography secrets I have but I’ll be sharing what I know in the blog. Plus each photo post will have a map that shows precisely where I took the photo so you can give it a try too.

So if you have a moment, head over & check it out. I’d love to hear what you think!

(Disclaimer: While I use these tools I have no financial relationship with any of these companies.)

1. Basecamp (starts at $24/mo with free 30-day trial)

We’ve been using Basecamp for years and are a big fan. Essentially Basecamp is an online project management tool that’s super powerful & easy to use. Basecamp allows you to set up, manage & collaborate with others in a secure & easy to use online account. Why is this good for real estate? Well, Basecamp could be the perfect environment to work with clients on a sale or purchase. You can add multiple parties such as the lender, interior designer, contractor, etc and keep everyone in the loop. It allows for document sharing & storage, milestones, communications and what might be best of all, templated To-Do lists.

To-Do lists can be setup in advance & rolled out on a project-by-project basis. For example, set up a to-do list for the 50 things needed to do before closing, or the 10 things needed to do before an open house. Your client stays in the loop, can track progress and I guarantee will appreciate the added level of service & communication.

Basecamp Screens(click to zoom)

Basecamp Dashboard

Basecamp To-Do

www.basecamphq.com

2. Gist (Free)

Gist is a new service that’s a hybrid contact manager & customer relationship manager but does so much more. With almost zero setup time, Gist is a powerful tool that will help you stay on top of your communications & relationships with those who matter most. Gist works by scanning your email & creating a database of contacts within your account. Then, for each contact, Gist will scour the web to find any available information about your contacts. Twitter, Linked-in, Facebook, company news, websites, etc, Gist finds it all. But then it does one better; Gist can rank your contacts & companies based on importance while giving you visual cues on who you need to contact.

Haven’t talked to that hot prospect in 2 weeks?
Gist will display a red icon in your list of names next to that contact signaling you should get in touch.

Having a big meeting with a client?
Gist will create a really nice dossier for you. Print this before the meeting and you’ll have a nice profile piece complete with your recent communications, meetings and any news or google results Gist finds.

Why Real Estate?

So much of success in real estate is predicated upon maintaining excellent communications & growing relationships. But a growing list of contacts can quickly become difficult to manage. Gist is invaluable in staying in touch with and on top of information of those who matter most.

Gist Screens (click to zoom)

Gist Profile

Gist Contacts

www.Gist.com

3. Evernote (Free & paid premium versions)

Evernote is a catch-all for all kinds of information you collect. You can use it for research projects, client information, article storage, document & file storage. While you can create separate notebooks for specific projects EverNote goes way beyond that. You see all your data syncs up with your online account so anything you save is searchable & available from any computer. And, if you have a compatible phone, like an iPhone, the Evernote app gives you access to your information anywhere. The search function is truly amazing and it will even do OCR on images you add to Evernote. For example, you see a product in a store or a yard sign that you need to remember. Snap a pic with your camera phone, send it to Evernote and you’ll be able to find it later just by typing in a few words from the photo.

Why Real Estate?

The amount of data we need to keep up with, remember or store keeps increasing. Evernote is a solid solution to not only keeping all that info organized but available where ever you are. Helping a client find a home? Create a notebook in Evernote to capture all the possible solutions you find during the project. You can even share all the contents of that notebook with the client.

Evernote Screens (click to zoom)

Everenote Desktop Application

EverNote Online Screen

EverNote iPhone App

www.EverNote.com

4. Jott (Free & paid plans)

Jott is an invaluable tool for capturing, communicating & scheduling. Essentially Jott is a voice-to-text service that allows you to do so many things just by speaking into your phone. How often have you been driving down the road and you suddenly remember something urgent? Jott it. You use your phone to call a toll-free number & record your voice note. A few minutes later, you’ll get an email with the voice note transcribed into text. Cool!

But there’s so much more. Do the same thing (or use the iPhone app) and you can send a text message to anyone on your contact list or a group of people. With Google calendar integration you can Jott an appointment. Just call the service (or use the iPhone app), speak the day, time and name of the appointment and you’ve got a new entry on your calendar. You can Jott to social networks like Twitter & Facebook and you can schedule your Jott to appear (text message or email) at a later date & time (like a reminder).

Why Real Estate?

When you’ve got a million things going on you need help communicating & juggling all the info flowing around. Jott allows for hands free communication, scheduling & reminders and is a tool we use extensively. Give it a try.

Jott Screen (click to zoom):

Jott Screen

www.Jott.com

5. Rezora (Paid Service)

Email is such a huge part of real estate marketing & communications. The number 2 question I get asked is “What’s the best way to create an email newsletter?” Until Rezora systems like Constant Contact were the only options. And while they are fine for generic, one-size-fits-all newsletters, they don’t fit the personal nature of real estate. It makes no sense to send an email promoting a $2mm property to someone whose budget is $500k. That’s where Rezora comes in. You can easily create customized newsletters from your MLS with drag-&-drop ease. You can segment your database so the right properties go to the right prospects. Add to that you can easily add local & national news of interest & you have one killer tool that directly addresses the needs of real estate professionals. One of the coolest features is the option for your brokerage to send newsletters on your behalf. Your database is not accessible by the brokerage but they create the content & send the newsletter for all their brokers but the from the recipient’s point of view, it looks like the newsletter came from you.

Rezora Screen (click to zoom):

Rezora Screen

www.Rezora.com

I recently did an interview with Paul Reinarz, co-founder of Rezora. Give it a listen:

Press the green button to play:

Podcast: Play in new window
| Download (Duration: 25:31 — 11.7MB)

I had a blast putting on the Future of Real Estate Marketing conference here in Steamboat. More importantly I was really lucky to meet and interact with a lot of fun, forward thinking people during the day.
I also had a great experience working with Gary & his crew in getting this video together for the conference.

Give this video a spin. Gary calls it like he sees it and gives some no-nonsense advice to those in real estate.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Special thanks to these guys who gave great presentations on the future of real estate marketing:

• Les Reaves of Smart SEM
• Paul Reinarz of Rezora
• Kerry Shea of Wildhorse Meadows

We’ve gotten some GREAT feedback and hope to do something like this again.

We all had a great time!

I’m hosting a free 1/2 day conference on March 12. We have some great speakers coming to Steamboat to present and the announcement goes out to the public Monday morning.

To say thanks for reading my blog I’m opening up the first 15 seats to you now (there’s only 60 seats).

All the details are here: www.steamboatedge.com

Thanks for reading and I hope you can make it.

About the Conference
What a rough few years for real estate. The way we see it, you can either continue to do things the way you’ve always done them, hoping for the best or you can embrace the new-normal and move forward. This conference is about moving forward; the future of real estate marketing.

2008: “Oh S%#t, is this really happening?”

2009: “Can we just hang on?”

2010: “Time to move forward!”

Because there are so many properties and so few buyers, marketing has become the centerpiece of any successful real estate business. At the same time, the face of marketing has changed. The “bullhorn” & “how many people can we reach” approach to marketing costs more & is less effective. It’s time to consider new opportunities to connect buyers & sellers and do it earlier & more effectively.

Buyers have more choice, more education and less time than ever before. While you may have fewer financial resources the good news is there are more opportunities than ever before. Somewhere there’s a place where these two things cross & success happens. This conference is about moving your business forward with new approaches & opportunities.

Conference Details:

March 12, 2010
8:30am – 12:30pm
Catamount Golf Club

Head over to the conference site for more details & RSVP

One of the most interesting aspects of Twitter is live search. Through the use of live search we can, for the first time, “listen in” on public conversations. It’s that ability to listen to what’s being discussed on just about any topic that makes Twitter such a powerful medium.  We can search for just about any keyword and get instant results of what’s being said right now.

So I set up a page that gives you real-time, auto-refreshing search results of Twitter real estate terms. The default results are from the phrase “real estate” and with a click of a link  you can narrow the results to Colorado & Steamboat real estate. Plus I added a search box to view the results for any term you like.

Click to check it out.

What do you think? Is Twitter being used in an effective way to engage people? If you were in the market would this be a helpful medium?

Speed is Power

“In this economy?” It’s a phrase I’m hearing over & over again. People and organizations are using this phrase as a blanket statement to say “no,” “stop,” “we can’t.” This phrase has become the catchall to stop the very thing that just might get them out of “this economy.”

I don’t buy it. It’s as if they’re suggesting this economy has a finish line and once we cross that line we’ll be in “that better economy” then we’ll move forward. Meanwhile their competitors are moving ahead. Their competitors are leaning into the problem, creating new value, new connections, making mistakes but learning from them.

We have entered an era where speed is power. Those who can move fast, innovate and answer the needs of the market faster, win. Those stuck in antiquated methods, compromise at every turn, and use the phrase “in this economy?” loose.

Two guys, Steve and Jon, invented the iPod. It took over 265 people to create the Zune.
Which do you want?

Tweet a TV tech question to @Twelpforce and get an answer in seconds from the helpful BestBuy employees.
Where might you buy your next TV?

Need it today? Amazon is offering same day delivery in select cities and Saturday delivery is standard on Prime accounts.
Where will you shop online?

HelloHealth allows you to interact with your doctor Facebook style and get medical answers quickly.
Better than “We’ll see you in a week.”

Speed is power. More so than ever in “this economy.”

Real estate isn’t immune. Buyers want help and information when they want it, where they want it. Companies, possibly your competitors, are rushing in to fill the huge hole left open by lumbering real estate giants stuck in yesterday’s thinking. You can too. You have all the tools, opportunity and leverage to make great things happen in “this economy.”

The internet, new communication channels, social media, print-on-demand, low-cost back office solutions and unlimited outsource opportunities have leveled the playing field for everyone. There’s very little uphill on the internet and 90%+ of your business is there, searching, learning and looking for a real connection to help them through the process.

So the next time you hear the resistance chant of “in this economy?” say “Yes, in this economy. We don’t have a choice.”
(Thanks to Brian Mann for the inspiration.)

But the “do-it-yourself” culture of the web encourages brokers to develop their own marketing assets. The trouble is that much of the DIY tools use a cookie-cutter template approach which often results in marketing materials that often don’t resonate with the target audience.

In this 5min video, longtime NPR journalist Ira Glass talks about looking for the gap between your good taste and what you actually produce.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Being self-critical is key to getting better.