We interrupt this blog to bring you...

Hi!

I will be out of the office July 17-20th returning Monday, July 21st,

in the morning.

If you need to place an order, have a question about your account, email or technical support, please call Obeo directly at 800-729-6236.

Our Obeo demo site is located at:

http://www.obeo.com/Public/Solutions/ProductIndex.aspx

There, you can see and experience all our great products:

Obeo HomeSite-an interactive wesbite with your listing and great statistical reporting.

Obeo StyleDesigner-redecorate a listing online-fun and buyers love it!

Obeo SpaceDesigner-interactive floor plan-move furniture without the backache.

ObeoConnect-bilingual lead capture tool-connect direct with your buyers.

I will be returning emails and phone calls on July 21st.

Thanks,

Steve

www.obeo.com

steven.stearns@obeo.com

262-325-8687

Obeo Customer Service: 800-729-6236

Charles Richey, Las Vegas Realtor, Needs Our Help

Charles Richey

My friends over at WannaNetwork are asking we get the word out:

Charles Ritchey, Las Vegas Realtor, needs our help.

He is currently hospitalized with Guillain-Barre Syndrome and

is getting treatment in the ICU at the University Medical Center (UMC)

in Las Vegas.

Like so man, many adults-and children-these days,

Charles and his wife Jacqui do not have medical insurance.

You can help by donating at the link below.

Donate to the Charles Richey Fund

Friend, husband and fellow REALTOR® was unexpectedly hospitalized read more

Steve

Obeoman

Obeo in WI: 262-325-86587

Obeo in your area: 800-729-62367

Voices from the Wisconsin Flood

Wendell and Michelle fight for their home along the flooding Rock River in Ft. Atkinson, WI.

...you can read more about it, and help out-right here.

Thanks,

Steve

Obeoman

Pump it out, clean it up, cry a lot....

...it's not over yet.

It's just moved a bit downstream.

Everyone is going to need help.

Last week I went out to check out where

the sandbags and sand were-this is the sign I saw:

I got out and did what I could.

The rest of the story is here-a long week in the flood!

Let's all pull together.

...It's not over yet.

Steve

Obeoman

Welcome to the flood...I mean blog...STAY SAFE!

(Sign from http://www.transit.govt.nz/)

Obeo and I extend our thoughts to all of those who

are injured or hurt, have lost a home, are suffering property damage,

or loss of work because of the flooding catastrophe in Wisconsin,

and other parts of the country.

Gov. Jim Doyle has declared a state of emergency in 30 Wisconsin counties,

and the list is growing.

He has also requested assistance from FEMA.

What began late last week as hard rain will not end soon.

More rain is coming today, Wednesday,

and many rivers have not yet crested.

It will be at least seven to ten days before waters begin to recede.

May all the volunteers and emergency workers stay safe!

Steve

Obeoman

KICKING MARKETING BUTT WITH REALTOR LANE BAILEY!!!

Meet Lane Bailey:

-blogger:

social media user, activerain member,

all-around good guy...

...and kick-A$$ marketing dude!

This mild-mannered Realtor from Duluth, GA,

is determined to shake up his market,

and tells us how he is doing it with:

blogs, social marketing and traditional techniques:

He is just getting started:

....And I'm not done, because it isn't sold, but it will go north of $2000 on marketing. Before the listing went live on the MLSs, I had spent $1000. Of course, the marketing also may drive sellers to me, so it isn't just about the property. That said, I'm not advertising to people on the basis of marketing me, it is about the property. Let me boil it down to car terms... Dodge doesn't make the Viper for the pleasure of people that get passed by one on the highway. They make them for the owners. However, there are a lot of buyers of other Dodge cars that see the Viper and go to the dealership. Many of them walk out with Caravans and Magnums and Chargers... insert Corvette and GM, or GT and Ford instead if you wish. The concept is the same. I build the marketing for the benefit of the house I am selling. Everything else is a bonus.I'm not doing anything that most agents can't do, but I am working at making it all tie together. I don't want to send someone 10 pages of info about a house. I want to send them one link. I can send them everything they need to know in one text message... and they can know more about that property than someone living next door.

So, do you have a life outside of blogging?

My wife and I like to watch a lot of TV, and I will spend a couple hours each evening writing blog posts, updating websites and working on other projects.

If I didn't multi-task, I wouldn't have time to sleep.

I guess the answer would be yes. I am the President of a 4wd club, and helped put on a fairly large blood drive. I like to work on my Jeepster... and it needs it. My wife and I love to travel. I take my kid to the ice skating rink twice a week. Of course, a lot of blog posts come out of those things.

What do you want to tell all the Realtors that are reading this about social media marketing?

Look elsewhere for the silver bullet. Just like you can't join the Bridge club or the Country club and expect that everyone is going to gather around to hand you business, you shouldn't expect the internet to act like that either. Instead, give. Give advice. Give experiences. Give feedback. Teach. Share. Join the conversation. Those are the same things you would do with any "real-life" group you would join. And the result is the same. There are some folks that join and get business or accolades immediately, but they are the exception.One of the great side benefits of that is that you get to learn and be shared with.

Short story:

...I was reading one of my regular blogs, Bloodhound Blog, which is targeted at agents and brokers. Greg Swann had a post about this cool product, SpaceDesigner, and another about StyleDesigner. I followed the link and thought it was cool, too. Soon after, I wrote a post on AR (link: http://activerain.com/blogsview/372175/Obeo-Looks-like-a) about the company that was offering these things, Obeo. Steve "Obeoman" (our host) commented on my post. He knew where his product was being mentioned, and dropped in to say thanks. Not pushy, just supportive. Later, when I joined Twitter, he started following me... no, it isn't creepy, that just means he was subscribed... and when I had an appropriate listing, I shot him a tweet and he answered my questions. When we finally got around to talking, I had been interacting with him for months. I have been on the other end of that with consumers. Even though they weren't talking to me, I was talking to them. They knew about my son learning to skate... and had seen the videos. They knew about the new baby. They knew about my opinions on real estate. They were comfortable with me because I was already interacting with them.

Can I get a Lane Bailey T-Shirt?

What size? As soon as I do a run of them. I've been thinking about it for GarageHomesUSA.com. I love my new logo, and have been thinking about shirts... I just hate to spend the money and have 500 shirts in boxes in the sunroom... I keep thinking about those chip clips.

Thanks, Lane-make the t-shirt an extra large!-just like your plan for success!

Lane keeps the ideas flowing here,

...and you can plug into what he has going on at the links below!

Thanks, Lane!

Steve

Obeoman

Obeo Wisconsin-262-325-8687

Obeo in your area:800-729-6236

Lanes' Links:

http://9010brixhamcourt.com/

http://www.lanebailey.com/

http://activerain.com/blogsview/527851/Cool-Tool-for-Buyers

http://www.garagehomesusa.com/

http://activerain.com/blogsview/529426/SpaceDesigner-Is-that-the

http://activerain.com/blogs/lanebailey

Winning is Good! - And here are the RE/MAX-OBEO INTERNET SCAVENGER HUNT WINNERS!

Here are the winners of the OBEO-RE/MAX INTERNET SCAVENGER HUNT!!!:

Each of these lucky people will get an Obeo Silver Marketing Package-

APRIL HAYDEN-RE/MAX 100, BROOKFIELD ,WI

Luis Carus-RE/MAX TOWNE SQUARE, MONROE, WI

ALLISON MAIDA-RE/MAX PREFERRED, MADISON-WEST, WI
...and Allison will get an Obeo StyleDesginer

for going the extra mile!

A special thanks to all those who participated!

and....

Keep an eye out for the NEXT Obeo internet scavenger hunt!

Steve

Obeoman

Obeo Wisconsin-262-325-8687

Obeo In Your Area-800-729-6236

Sell Well!

THEY ARE THE CHAMPIONS:RE/MAX SCAVENGER HUNT WINNERS ARE:

...being tallied and will be reported here Monday!

Everybody who hunted-YOU ARE THE BEST!

Stay tuned, because I am gonna try to open the

NEXT SCAVENGER HUNT

to a lot more people!

Thanks-See you soon!

Steve

Obeoman

Obeo WI - 262-325-8687

Obeo in your area - 800-729-6236

HEY REMAX-THE HUNT IS ON!

(art from clickshunt.com)

Welcome to the REMAX-WI INTERNET SCAVENGER HUNT!

(The Hunt starts Friday, May 9th.)

It's going to be easy as landing a listing

and

almost as much fun as closing!

(...you might learn something , too...)

The prizes?

To the first three hunters who are successful,

...a FREE OBEO SILVER TOUR!

The rules:

1.) READ EVERYTHING CAREFULLy!

2.) Three hunters will win three tours.

3.) Have fun!

4.) There are bonus prizes to find along the way-

Three Obeo StyleDesigners!

__________________________________________________

This is your first stop on the Scavenger Hunt!

Here is what you are looking for-it is all here at this blog.

-A photo of a dog in a sink-when you find it, post a reply to the blog-say something nice about the dog, include your name, phone number and name of your brokerage in the body of the comment.

-A place to call Obeoman from this blog. When you find it, call me and leave a message with your name, day and time and return number.

-then follow this link to the next clue!

See you on the hunt!

Obeoman

steven.stearns@obeo.com

Obeo WI 262-325-8687

http://www.obeo.com/

I'm the idiot. Pass the band-aids, please...

(band-aid from weblogs.redeyechicago.com)

ow ow ow.

ow.

My dialing finger hurts.

Still waiting on a new cell phone.

And my face hurts from smiling.

It's great to be an idiot.

After spending the last 30 days beating up on my cell phone

and myself, I let the market win.

This round, anyway. It was kind of a draw, actually.

But a lesson well learned.

A wiser person that me once said:

"I have two ears and one mouth for a reason."

And yes, there is a lot of market out there.

When people got back to me, this is what they said:

"I am still selling homes."

"I am still answering my voice mail."

"I am still replying to my email."

"I may only be getting back to you

to make sure you are still there,

and to hear how YOU are doing."

"I need to laugh..."

"...can you help?"

Finally. Today.

An email comes back from a great client:

"I don't need more pictures or tours...

...can you put these on Realtor.com? Thanks for helping an idiot through this."

I just wired back:

"You're not the idiot-

that's my job!"

...I'm glad we are all still working,

or trying to.

Steve

Obeoman

http://www.obeo.com/

Obeo WI:

262-325-8687

Obeo in your area:

800-729-6236

BEST, MOST PHOTOS SELL HOMES FASTER!

It's up to you.

You want to sell this house.

You know this single, good photo is going to languish on line

for seventy days and the home is going to sell

for considerably less that the asking price.

But if you put it with 15-19 other photos,

32 days is more like it.

That is what REALTOR magazine says.

So add the power:

-of virtual tours,

-redecorating the listing on line,

-an interactive floor plan,

-web distribution of the tour,

-and one million visitors a month.

Do the math.

Looks good, doesn't it?

Call us!

Steve

Obeo WI -262-325-8687

Obeo in Your Area - 800-729-6236

Got a minute? Great!

...that is all it is gonna take.

Because that is all it should.

You know newspapers are still important-right?

Eight out of ten buyers are on line.

They are important to 20% of your market.

Direct mail? Post cards?

When was the last time you opened it or read it

if you knew where it was coming from.

A refrigerator magnet MIGHT get read more.

And all that time spent

creating a mediocre virtual tour-

when you know buyers and sellers hate bad photos.

Do you have the time to do you own web syndication?

Do you know how to do it?

You are a Realtor,

and your time should be spent

winning listings, negotiating offers, showing homes,

networking, blogging and closing.

We can do the rest-

so you have the time to spare.

Steve

Obeoman

Obeo WI-262-325-8687

Obeo in Your Area - 800-729-6236.

FREE VIRTUAL TOURS FOR ALL REALTORS!

For a limited time,

Obeo is offering free virtual tours

to ALL REALTORS!

Here. There. EVERYWHERE and Anywhere to ANYONE

in the afterlife.

Because we know

FREE IS GOOD

and REALTORS LIKE FREE!

In fact,

WE WILL BUY YOUR LISTING

IF IT IS NEVER-EVER SOLD BY ANY ONE, FOREVER!

SO-

in the time it took you to read this,

the offer expired.

But hey-APRIL FOOLS DAY

only comes once a year.

So, now you get to leave a comment.

I promise not to moderate it!

(...April Fools 2x!)

Steve

(These links below are REAL, OK-no foolin')

ONE MILLION buyers a month are here!
Obeo Homesite - New and FREE!
Obeo SpaceDesigner-Interactive floorplan.
Obeo StyleDesigner-Redecorate your home on line!
ObeoConnect-Bilingual call capture, lead generator and listing tool.

Obeoman in WI-262-325-8687

Obeo National: 1-800-729-6236

Happy Blogday!

Happy BLOGDAY!

Real Estate is Crazy is one year old!

When this blog started,

365 days ago today,

it ignored some good advice:

-Don't blog about your dog;

-Don't put in too many links;

and

DO NOT use the word "I".

After that post and

-yes-

a few keywords and thousands of readers later -

the blog is holding its own.

So thanks for stopping by-

and stop back every now and then.

For a laugh.

To leave a comment or two.

Give some advice,

Or be shamelessly shilled.

But please-

Keep coming back.

Because Real Estate ain't any less crazy than it was a year ago-

and I am looking for a few more rules to break.

Thanks to everyone!

Steve

Obeoman

A dog redecorates the kitchen !!!!!!!!

Listing before Bloodhound:

Listing after Bloodhound:

Obeo has gotta throw a bone over to Greg Swann at the Bloodhound Blog-again!

He thinks our StyleDesigner is "killer".

We just like to think it's what Realtors need to make the market work for them:

It's virtual redecorating:

being able to change colors on walls and trim, flooring, cabinets and countertops.
All with just a click!

Take a look at Obeo,
And then, take another one-

at our StyleDesigner!

That's what other Realtors and consumers are doing.
And it's working-for Realtors, buyers and sellers!
over one million people a month at our site.

Here's what Greg had to say!

And, Greg- we'll work on the music for HomeSite, OK?

It's not that cheesy...

Steve

Obeo WI-262-325-8687
Obeo National-800-729-6236

Free your mind and...

...success will follow!

Next week, Glade will be interviewing Kim Ades,

President of Opening Doors and Frame of Mind Coaching.

Grab some ideas, kick the door open and make it happen!

Achieve a successful frame of mind.

Click here to sign up free for this event

next Thursday (Mar 27th) at 2pm MST.

Sell Well!

Steve

http://www.obeo.com/

http://activerain.com/blogs/obeoman

Really, really, really bad real estate photos!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Thanks to SellIt WithBob)

Bad real estate photos do not sell homes.

Consumers hate bad real estate photos.

Do not do this to yourself, a buyer or a seller.

You will not make money.

Please call me.

I can help!

Steve

Obeo WI-262-325-8687

Obeo National:800-729-6236

Sold in 4 days with Obeo!

Steve,

Just wanted you to hear about my recent experience with Obeo.
Your photographer, Eric Vidar, was great.

Very personable and best of all took fantastic photos. This home was staged very well by the homeowner and the virtual tour and still photos captured it at its best.

The day after the tour was posted, the home was shown 4 times. All 4 buyers responded after seeing the virtual tour. We had an accepted offer by the end of the day. Also received a second offer and would have had a third if the first had not been accepted.

Am I happy? You bet! Another example of good staging and good photography.

Great job Obeo!

By the way, I've looked at your competition and their so called virtual tours. What a laugh. You win - hands down. Please don't tell my fellow realtors about Obeo. I need all the sales I can get. Let them keep using the other brand. LOL

Thanks for your help, Steve!

Ken Brink CNHS
Certified New Home Specialist-Broker Associate
Direct: 608-314-8511

Toll Free:800-992-2307
RE/MAX Preferred- Janesville, WI 53545
Website: www.movetowi.com
Email: ken@kenbrinkhomes.com

Helping families into Janesville and Madison, WI homes for over 15 years.
Real estate licensee in the state of Wisconsin
___________________________________________

Nothing like hearing great news from a great client!

Thanks, Ken!

Steve-Obeo Wisconsin

262-325-8687

Obeo National
800-729-6236

Do you want a million buyers?

You missed them...if you didn't post your listing at Obeo.

Really, - over one million buyers.

(Actually, it was 1.3 million, but who's counting?)

Their Realtors know about our great tools:

Obeo HomeSite - a unique, Realtor-branded website for each listing.

StyleDesigner - redecorate the listing on line-before they move in.

SpaceDesigner - move their furniture in without the backache. And move it again.

ObeoConnect - they can connect to Realtors direct, in Spanish or English.

And, any Realtors using Obeo can answer all these questions:

How many people came to see my home?

What rooms were they in?

Did they send you an email to schedule a showing?

Here's your chance to get your listings in front of the market:

Obeo: 1-800-729-6236 for service in your area.

Obeo Wisconsin: 262-325-8687

You're the expert.

Call us.

Steve

Don't be a sad clown...

(Sad clown found in Google image search)

...so why be sad when you can be be glad?

Glad knowing:

-you are getting a REAL marketing program:

-one million buyers a month are going to Obeo!

-full service-order on the phone or on line

-the pictures get taken, uploaded and everything else is done by us!

-you get really good content,

-really great branding,-yours!

-really great web exports,

-really great tools that you KNOW buyers

(and sellers)

really love;

...like being able to:

redecorate online, move furniture, and

up to 30% off your time on market.

-plus statistcal reporting that tells you and your seller

your listing is getting seen.

Let's get happy!

Steve

My boss says real estate agents are all farmers...

Yes, it's true.

Do you believe it?

You should.

RE agents are farmers-

or they should be soon!

This agent is consumer-centered.

This agent knows the value of their relationships-

through the entire home ownership cycle;

A lifetime realtionship with their client.

This agent is the value added, and understands

the need for totally free, available information.

This agent doesn't wear overalls, or chew a plug

but does cover it all, is plugged in and socially networked!

Welcome to planting time!

Steve

This is a test...

(Test pattern found in Google image search)

...of the current real estate market.

It is only a test.

The market has done this before, and will do it again.

If this were a complete disaster,

we would all be in a lot worse shape.

True, there are those in tough times.

They should call their banker, communicate with them

and work with them.

Realtors experiencing distress

should take a hard look at their marketing program:

prepare to get your listings on line,

join social networks,

and begin blogging immediately.

This is only a test.

If it were a complete disaster,

you would not be reading this blog.

Hang in there, gang!

Steve

Win. List. Sell. Faster.

Win the listing.

Sell the home faster.

Obeo and HomeSite can take up to 30% off the time on market for your listing.
Obeo is the on line leader.
But we don't say so.
1,000,000 buyers come to Obeo every month to look at listings.
Our HomeSite and other products:
StyleDesigner
SpaceDesigner
ObeoConnect
keep the buyers coming back.
To you.

The Realtor.

The expert in the home ownership cycle.

Call nationally for Obeo services in your area:
1-800-729-6236
Call in Wisconsin:
262-325-8687
Steve Stearns
Obeo WI Consultant

I can also help you with your blogging, social networks

and online communities!

Click here for another view of your success.