No, I'm not talking about having school kids posting frequently on your blog. However - maybe after you read this post you will decide to put this idea to work in your area. Sure - I know there are those "purist" in our community who will shriek in horror at me suggesting that you fork over your prized online communication tool and place it in the hands of some high school kid. (And then again - for some it might not be such a bad idea.) :>)Are You Smarter than a Caveman? Before you pick up your stones, listen to this success story. To me this is the real definition of a blog that embraces a community and provides a platform for others to communicate the value of what it means to appreciate where you live. Yes - "it's so easy even a 12th grader can do it"! Or is that "are you smarter th... 04/29/2008

As most of you know by now, I have a consumer blog called Crystal Coast Blog and I maintain it just so I can take a trip to your side of the world and interact with home buyers, sellers and families who take vacations on the Southern Outer banks of North Carolina. My blog allows me to better understand how you engage consumers. My wife recently posted a boutique review for a funky little home accessories shop called Flip Flops in Emerald Isle. This whimsical Crystal Coast beach shop offers some really interesting hand-painted home furnishings and accessories. One of the local artist who has some of her pieces on display is from Wilmington, NC and she offers some very interesting commissioned art work.Color Their World with a Reminder of YOU! Real estate professionals are always ready fo... 04/28/2008

Before any direction is given what design mistakes you should avoid when you customize your Active Rain blog, I must pause and say how proud I am of Brad for his innovative genius. In today's competitive business climate, you need to have a bit of a risk-taker mentality and still calculate the risk/reward factor of every decision. I challenged Brad to sometime soon tell the creative genesis of this enhancement. You're going to really enjoy that story. By the way, he's been stewing on this baby for a long time! More to come later.The Customization rEvolutionWith the revolution evolution of this major upgrade, it is recommended you implement a few smart design principals so your AR blog projects a professional image that is consistent with your total "online brand". So what do you do with... 04/13/2008

No joke. I was reading an article on the Drudge Report today about numerous pro bloggers who have died recently. The article discussed the many hazzards bloggers face in today's highly competitive blogosphere. Some of the mental and physical issues pro bloggers face included:Poor dietWeight gain/weight loseStressed out due pressure to produce time-sensitive postMental fatigue and burnoutSedentary lifestyle Extended work hours with little or no breaksLack of sleep from extended work hoursInability to sleep due to stress-induced pressure to performDo You Sometimes Feel The Pressure to Perform! I do. As a Dakno copy writer and blogger, I have experienced moments of stress to perform, had restless nights, felt the shadow of pending deadlines to be met and pressure to have another post loade... 04/06/2008

So can you really use your mouse to buy a house? I wouldn't recommend it but you can drive by homes and decide if the neighborhood is to your liking. Thanks to Google's new Street View API, your real estate consumers can remain in the comfort of their home or office and use their desktop or laptop to cruise the streets of 40 cities mapped out by Google with their 360 degree camera. Now your real estate consumers can gain a totally unique perspective on the lay of the land in your area.Junk Cars on Cinder Blocks? Besides, isn't driving around town so old fashion. Now you can use the power of your computer mouse to checkout potential neighborhoods for junk cars on cinder blocks or how close a property is to your grocery store and other conveniences. With this tool even out of town buyers... 04/03/2008

Ever since the April issue of REALTOR® Magazine came out, our phones here at Dakno Marketing have been ringing off the hook and our website has been churning out inquiry after inquiry. In its article entitled “5 Cool Things Real Estate Pros Are Doing on Web Sites”, this industry-leading publication highlighted three custom web sites we designed and developed. The writer of this article, Michael Russer (a.k.a. Mr. Internet®), identifies three websites including a website designed and developed for Sapphire, NC real estate brokerage WhiteWater Realty, CENTURY 21 First Realty of Tallahassee, Florida and Raleigh, NC based brokerage Linda Craft & Team as prime examples of websites that offer technology-leading innovation for site visitors.One of the first questions real estate professionals ... 03/28/2008

It's a known fact those who invest time in their blogs, whether it is on Localism/Active Rain or their stand alone blog, can derive business from their blogging activities. Members here post about it often. I say hooray! My question to you is this, do you comment for business too? If you aren't posting comments on other blogs where your prospects are, you might be missing an opportunity to generate yourself more business.The Ying & The Yang of Blogging!I have learned that if you are going to be an effective writer/blogger, you have to be a serious reader too. I call it "the Ying & the Yang of blogging". To often real estate professionals will prioritize time to post while forgetting to invest an equal amount of time reading other blogs and submitting "comments". For me, it's missed oppo... 03/20/2008

Thus far, my personal Crystal Coast blogging project has been both satisfying and a revelation on many levels. One of the reasons I began this project was to be able to better relate to all those in the real estate industry who make it their mission to support a blog here at Active Rain/Localism plus write for an outside blog too. While most of the blogging responsibility has been shouldered by yours truly, it has been a breathe of fresh air to have my wife contribute to the Crystal Coast blog. Pam has been a tremendous help and I appreciate her efforts. If you take a look at her topics, you can readily see she offers an emotional side of blogging I am unable to capture. So much for pulling from my feminine side. :>) That's one of those revelations I spoke about earlier. A female bloggi... 03/17/2008

Unless you have never listed your Crystal Coast home for sale, you're probably not familiar with the rush of excitement that overwhelms you when the phone rings and your Crystal Coast real estate agency is calling. Every seller longs to hear the listing agent say "buyers are on their way to preview your home". Quick honey, help me with these 45 minute quick showing cleanup to dos.Quick Crystal Coast Home Pre-showing To Dos So as your prospects are in route to your Emerald Isle, Atlantic Beach, Pine Knoll Shores or Salter Path home or condo, pay close attention to these areas of your Crystal Coast home to ensure it sparkles and POPS!Lights -Camera-Action:Turn on all the lights!Let the sun shine in! Open those window treatments. (Hopefully - the windows are spotless!)Tune your radio or CD... 03/08/2008

Wow.  Living here along the crystal coast is so awesome.  I came from Winston Salem, NC  where the pace is so fast.  Living here at the beach is so much slower and I love that!!  Owning property and business at the coast can also have it challenges.  For instance, what kind of insurance do you need at the beach?  Do I need flood insurance?  Are we covered for hurricanes or is that just a risk living at the beach?  Well the answer to that is simpler than it sounds.  NC has what is called a "wind pool", which covers wind and hail.  Most policies in NC EXCLUDE wind and hail.  We have to write this coverage through the NC Wind Pool.  Effective in Oct. 2007, NC had a 35% increase in the Commercial Wind/Hail rates.  If you have a commercial policy with wind/hail through the state wind pool, y... 02/25/2008

  Crystal Coast Vacation Properties Need to be Wired   In today’s hectic go-go 24/7 society, even those on vacation on the Crystal Coast of North Carolina (or anywhere else for that matter) need to be “wired” to access their email and the Internet. Here are the facts; the conclusion of a study commissioned for the Intel Corporation, 40 % of the respondents indicated that they (or members of their family) took a laptop computer on their last vacation. The survey also indicated that 53% of those polled indicated that they would take a laptop on their next vacation. As a Crystal Coast property owner, are your beach rental properties wired for these prospects? If not, you could be missing revenue and rental opportunities for your Crystal Coast rental properties. Get Wired! With this overwh... 02/24/2008

Many of you conduct business in your hometown. Others, bring a different perspective having relocated to your area. Either way, why not share your perspective in your blog to capitalize on your viewpoint. Having a lot of history in your area or possessing a little both have their advantages. The idea is to share your memories (emotional connections) to your area via your blog. This can be accomplished in many meaningful ways. Providing an interesting perspective of history and the resulting change an area has experienced often helps people view you as the local authority. So how can you pull this off from a practical perspective and even add some personality to your blog? Great question!Be Human - Connecting Emotionally to Site VisitorsWhile each of you know where you should draw the li... 02/21/2008

Giving It All Away (Well Almost)By now everyone knows Brad and I are forever giving away creative marketing ideas and SEO tips here at Active Rain to help you create more interesting and more productive offline marketing strategies, websites and blogs. We offer similar advice on our Real Estate Marketing Blog Site too. As example of this philosophy, I recently emailed someone I know who is "in the business" on the Crystal Coast of North Carolina providing them a prospect from TripAdvisor who was looking to rent a beach property. Both parties were appreciative for me connecting them to each other. "The Follow up Email" After sending my "this person from TripAdvisor is seeking help with a beach rental" email, the thought came to my mind to checkout the blog landscape on the coast of NC. A... 02/18/2008

In an effort to take a more aggressive position in the bloggsphere, Dakno Marketing has acquired the company Blogger Lounge and its associated blog site Bloggerlounger.net. This is a marriage made in heaven for Dakno. Bloggerlounge.net is the consummate repository for blogging development, marketing concepts, SEO tips and the rapidly growing social media marketing segment. Serious Marketing and SEO Tips Live Here! Here bloggers and visitors alike will find any number of posts on branding, online marketing concepts and promises to provide free high-value blogging information. Brad recently stated "this site offers a wealth of information on social media marketing, SEO endorsement benefits and a superior platform for real estate marketing idea incubation." I agree with Brad, this acquisit... 11/08/2007

Today I was sitting in my favorite weekend coffee shop when I witnessed and later listened - it's a small shop - to a young man as greeted his prospect. After the financial planner introduced himself, and was seated he asked his first and only question for what seemed like an eternity..."Would you like a cup of coffee"? Mind You - I Respect Others Right to Privacy Mind you I'm not prone to listen in on others conversations but when it was right next to me it was very difficult to ignore what was being said. So I tried to focus on my coffee and read my newspaper. I admit I allowed myself to eavesdrop on this 30 minute conversation. It went like this:  "The 10 Minute Commercial" The prospect stated "no thank you" when asked about a cup of coffee. The "salesman" proceeded to give what seem... 10/20/2007

It is not unusal to see some our beach bird friends looking for a free lunch on the shores.Today I had duty at our sales desk in the afternoon.it was a pretty good day.  I got an offer that was accepted on one of my listings.  It was for lots more than the owner expected so he was overwhelmed.  He had not believed me when I suggested how much the property was worth. I also had a walk in customer who was very serious about one of our condo listings.He and his wife and done considerable searching on the Internet, and just needed me to show them the property that had decided to visit.The showing went very well.  The husband and I even had time to talk about fishing on the White Oak River.  We ended with them talking to some neighbors who love living in the condos.It was an easy showing bec... 09/29/2007

Many folks want ocean front.  It is often a surprise at how close that ocean can be when currents change.Last winter when I visited the Point at Emerald Isle, where this picture was taken you could easily drive a four wheel drive east down the beach.This year 800 ft of that beach is closed and looks to be covered with water.I was in the town office today getting my beach driving permit.  They had three pictures of the Point on the wall.I was amazed at how much it has changed since the Coast Guard Channel was opened up.A lot of sand is moving from one area and being deposited in another area.I have figured out that movement is what beach sand is all about.There was a sand fence in this area last winter.  It's gone now.There are some predictions that the sand will stabilize in front of th... 09/21/2007

When I look off our back deck, I see water, wetlands, and then trees.  I know that this property across the water from us is for sale.  Likely one day my view will change.I do not try to imagine the change.  I try enjoy every moment of our private paradise with Heron and every water creature you can imagine.I actually doubt the construction will harm the marine life since CAMA is pretty tough when it comes to protecting wetlands. When I look out across the real estate landscape, I know change is coming.  I cannot see how it will shake out yet, but there is no doubt in my mind that things are going to change.I have not lived through as much change as my mother who grew up on a mill pond before the days of electricity.However, I have seen a lot of business change.  When I first started in... 06/30/2007

  I love Emerald Isle.  This island is what made me eventually live here full time. We purchase a beach cottage in Ocean Oaks many moons ago and spent many weekends unwinding in the sand and recharging for a busy work week. The kids were small at the time and we felt Emerald Isle provided activity sites as well as very clean beaches and friendly neighbors.Fast forward 12 yrs and we move to the mainland full time so I could " sell the place I love! " We still have the cottage and still enjoying long days on the beach with our toes in the sand!Today I went to check on the cottage since we had a few nites of freezing temps. All is well, of course, and I decided to bring the camera to share some local pictures with you. If you have any questions about Emerald Isle or any of the other island... 02/07/2007