PrettyPosts.com... Voilà!

I’ve learned that the more popular you become online, the more people notice what industry you’re in and make suggestions and offer free things to you. I guess it’s like being in the swag room, getting offered random items you’ve never seen before. So after posting a plethora of listings in the Facebook Marketplace, I saw a comment from a girl suggesting I visit: PrettyPosts.com. Curious, I visited. I have to say that it is by far, one of the most graphically appealing classified ad creators that I’ve come across.

First off, this little LA based company rocks out with bright layouts for your personal ads from selling your car to posting an event or even a job listing. I was mostly interested in how it can make my listings more appealing to the eye. ( If you’re more interested in what they do: Click Here )

Using the site is more than simple. All the buttons are big and graphically clean. There is a very low confusion quotient here. They also allow you to sign up for free, putting limitations to the use of the site as well as only 50mb of storage. You’re also only given 3 listings/posts at any one given time before you have to delete to add. All in all, a basic option but it still allows you to use parts of everything they offer. Oh, and they also track how many people view your listing. Not bad. Now for price… dun dun dunnnn. Amazingly enough, the cost to have access to every layout, unlimited listings and 500mb of storage is only $5/month or $60/year. I’m sure I can find that much in change under my car seat.

Basically, this PrettyPosts.com is taking an old idea and making it visually spectacular. Feel free to check out what the average postlets lick Here or VFlyer Click Here ad looks like as opposed to a PrettyPosts ad: Try This One or This One . I’m sure you’re getting my point by now.

Though I do come across so many sites a day that offer new and exciting things for my industry, I took a liking to these guys. I like to see small companies doing big things. All I know is that if this little site automatically posted to all the sites Vflyer and Postlets do, I would be using them exclusively. There’s a hit guys… now roll with it!

Facebook Marketplace... Brilliant

I got an email from Nick the other day asking me what this OodlePro is and to find out what’s going on with the Facebook Marketplace. Now I consider myself “with it” when it comes to modern technology but some of the coolest things that “everyone seems to know about” can completely blind side me (on a very very rare occasion).

So of course, my first step is to Google it. Some of you may Bing or Yahoo to search things. Personally, I Google.

My first stop was to check out OodlePro (http://www.oodle.com/pro/vertical/?c=housing/rent). I watched their little YouTube Video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mjjzf13qYk&feature=player_embedded) and read up on exactly what it had to offer. Okay, so maybe I just scanned their main marketing page but I digress. My main point was this: What does this feature have to offer that justifies paying for it? I assume that is everyone’s #1 question, right?  Now our office can have over 30 listings at any one given time so I was strictly looking at their Platinum package. Some people that are just starting out may only have 4 or 5 listings. In that case, Silver package would be your deal.  What I discovered is that even with the minimal package, you are paying $49 every month or $468 every year. (Platinum would cost $3,348 every year, ouch!) Having worked in Real Estate Investing, I know that one’s monthly marketing costs can be upwards of $4,000 with direct mail campaigns, sign campaigns, etc., but when it comes to Property Leasing and Rental, your marketing costs are dramatically lower. For me to sit easy with this OoodlePro, I had to research the infamous Facebook Marketplace in all its splendor. So… I Googled it.

Discovering Facebook Marketplace was like discovering MySpace Classifieds, only Facebook is like the hottest new club in LA and MySpace was some Roadhouse Bar in Kentucky (excuse me if that actually exists).  I have to be honest, I didn’t even have a bookmark for the Marketplace, my bad. For those that just got lost, bookmarking puts a little link on the left hand side of your Facebook homepage so you can access a part of Facebook with one click. It’s a good idea to do that if you haven’t already. Go ahead.

The Marketplace looks like most other Classified ad websites. It has Jobs, Vehicles, Services, Tickets and… RENTALS. Perfect. Something I found unique about it was the four ads with images going across the top with the heading “Listing in Your Social Circle”. This works if your friends are local so you can see other listings Realtors have in your area. Otherwise you’re going to be looking at a mansion in Huston and 100 year old Victorian in Virginia. A good feature is how easy it is to post your own listings. You can open one of your fellow listings and give it a once over if you’re curious as to what others post, otherwise, wing it like I did. Oh, and for the record, all of this is completely FREE! After posting my listing, I waited about 5 minutes and low and behold, it’s the top listing in Tampa.

My new Facebook Marketplace URL:

Guess the new ones are 1^st on the list, which is excellent. (BTW, if your town isn’t too hip to the Marketplace, all of your listings will end up being on top. Nice.) What also rocks is your ability to re-post every 24 hours. Way to trump craiglist.org!  Once you post you have the ability to share it (have the listing posted on your wall), others can comment and you can manage it by clicking on the listing details.  I have to say one of my favorite parts is the “All Listings from (your name)” tab. It has its own URL so you can use it as a link on your twitter or other personal blog or website so others can see every listing you have. Bonus points for Facebook. All-in-all, this lil’ Marketplace gets an A!

In the end, after looking at OodlePro, Facebook and knowing about other sites like VFlyer and Postlets, I have come to the conclusion that with modern technology and this lovely thing we call the Internet, there are good reasons to pay for services but it’s my opinion that it’s well worth my 15 minutes of research to learn how new technology works so I don’t have to pay for it. To each his own, but I guarantee, if you are one of those who would rather pay for it than learn the skill yourself, and I know you all are out there, you will be paying people like me to do things I can do in my sleep. Ah, but isn’t that the way the world works? Bye for now  :)

YouTube.com and Leasing

Using the Internet isn’t necessarily what you would call a “new” theory yet there are so many who aren’t using it to its fullest advantage. What am I talking about? Specifically, I’m referring to a widely known website called: YouTube.com. Why is this website important? Well, not only is it the third highest trafficked website but it is the #1 featured place on the net to post and view video. So what does this mean to the Real Estate Industry? Everything!

With YouTube.com we have the ability to show customized virtual tours like THIS to any renter in the city, let alone someone who is moving from out of state. It is an Amazing tool not only for our potential renters but for online marketing as well. So… want to see my first video? ‘Course you do. Click HERE to see my rental.

Because of my video background, I’ve been having the best time visiting properties and creating virtual tours for properties throughout Tampa Bay. I have found it to be quite an invaluable tool for us as well as extremely convenient for our potential clients.