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Have you heard of Twitter? Twitter is the most exciting new Web 2.0 type of communications that we have out there today.

The way that Twitter works and what it is for is that you have a blank slate of an account. You do searches through Twitter for people or subjects and when you find people that are interesting then you can go and “follow” these people. As you follow others they will follow you back so that every time that you sent a “tweet” (a comment, a small text message) then the people following you will see the message and on the other side you will get to see all the people in your list of people that you follow.

So how can you use this as a Realtor?

You can lean from other people in the Real Estate industry
You can become the go to Realtor in your marketplace
You can build relationships with other Realtors

It is difficult with Twitter to really hone in on your market but is of course possible. Do a search on Twitter for your city and just start adding these people from your town or city.

So what are you going to write in your comments?

First of all do not try to market to people. The best thing to do is to make sure that you are always helping others. The real problem for us marketers online is that it is really irritating to others that we try to sell to. People think of Twitter nad Web 2.0 sites as a place where there is no marketing and so any heavy handed marketing would be seen as offensive to others.

What you really want to do is add value to people and they will naturally ask questions about real estate to you.

Try Twitter by joining Twitter and creating a username right now and after you have added yourself to Twitter then start to follow me at http://www.twitter.com/billnad

See you on Twitter.

One of the key things that you should think about as a Realtor is how to get your website remembered. I have often dealt with methods to get more traffic but I think that often that traffic is lost forever because the content just is not interesting enough for someone to come back when , either they need it again, or they think it is information that is useful during their home buying or home selling process.

Well I do not think that it is as hard as many people think to get links to your Realtor website or Realtor blog. What you have to write is information that is timely or useful to others not necessarily selling their home now but bookmarkable info that they will look at when they are about to sell.

Remember back in the early 80’s when people would send out newsletters that would include recipes? The recipe was not there to make the person want to sell their house through that Realtor it was just to get the content read and hopefully kept around a bit, a way to give the newsletter shelf life.

Why not have a free association kind of session where you look at what people are looking for when they are thinking about selling their house. What would people bookmark on the way to the months before a listing appointment would take place. What kind of neighborhood info would a buyer look for the week before a call to Realtor.

Writing an article doesn’t just mean putting down thoughts into words then typing and writing it. You have to capture the interest of your readers and get them to keep on reading. To send your message across you have to get the attention of the reader and have a firm grasp of their interest and pique their curiosity.

The main ingredient in baking up an article is a large dose of creativity. While creativity may come natural to many people, some just gets into a block or something to that effect that can drive someone crazy. Many writers have literally torn their hair out when they get writers block and just can’t seem to get their creative juices flowing.

Putting words into images in the readers mind is an art. A clear and crisp depiction requires a certain flair that only creativity can provide. Similes and metaphors help a lot, but the way an article gets entwined word for word, sentence by sentence then paragraph by paragraph into a whole article develops the essence of the article.

So just what do you have to do when nothing comes to mind? There is no surefire ways to get the perfect ideas but there are easy ways to get your creative juices flowing. No one can guarantee you of having the perfect mindset but many methods may aid you in achieving that state of mind. Here are five easy ways for that.

1) Keep a diary or a journal with you always. Ideas can be triggered by anything you may hear, see, or smell. Your senses are your radar in finding great ideas. Write all of them into a journal and keep it with you for future reference. You may also write down anything that you have read or heard, someone’s ideas could be used to develop your own ideas and this is not stealing. Remember that ideas and creativity can come from anywhere; it’s the development of the idea that makes it unique.

2) Relax and take time to sort things out. A jumbled mind cannot create any space for new ideas. Everyone must have a clear mind if one wishes to have their creativity in full speed. Get rid of all obstacles that can be a hindrance to your creativity. If you are bothered by something, you cannot force your mind to stay focused.

Try to relax every time that you can and think about your experiences and interactions with others. Your experiences are what shape your mindset and your opinions which could be reflected on your writings. Try to discover yourself, find out what triggers your emotions. Discover what inspires you and what ticks you off. You can use these emotions to help you in expressing yourself and your ideas, with this you can grow creatively.

3) Create a working place that can inspire your creativeness. Your working place can be quite a hindrance if it doesn’t make you feel happy or relaxed. Creativity comes from being in a good state of mind and a messed up workplace that causes distraction won’t be conducive in firing up your creative flow.

Surround your working place with objects that makes you happy and relaxed. You may put up pictures, or scents, objects that inspire, or anything that can get your creativeness cranking. A clean and well organized workplace also rids of distractions and unwanted hindrances. With a good working place, you can work in peace and never notice the time pass by.

4) Set the mood. Setting the mood requires you to just go with the moment or to induce your self to feeling what makes your mind works best. Finding out what makes you tick could help you find ways to get your creative juices flowing. Set the pace and tempo for your mood and everything else will follow.

There are many ways to set the mood. Some writers have been known to use alcohol, a little sip of wine to stir up the imagination. Some would like some mood music while others let the lighting of the environment create the mood.

5) Go on a getaway and just do something unlike crazy. Letting yourself go and have fun produces adrenaline that can make your imagination go wild. Take an adventure or a solemn hike. Whatever it is that is unusual from your daily routine can take the rut out of your schedule. In no time at all, your creativeness will make use of that experience and get your imagination to go on overdrive.

One of the things that many people ask me is, where can I get content for my newsletters and emails? Well here is smaple mortgage article that you can use and send to your customers. I have found this information from HUD and then edited it to make it better for buyers or sellers to read.

This mortage information is good to send for three reasons; it gives you credibility in the eyes of your customers as a public service and not just as a Realtor, this information is interesting info that can be passed on directly to other people by your customers, and finally it is a way to show that your customers need to use someone that they trust for their real estate transaction..this point directly to you.

What are dangerous mortgage practices?

There are a lot of good mortgage lenders across the country, both banks and small lending businesses. But, There are many dangerous lenders that will try to hurt you financially buy getting you a mortgage for terms and conditions that are very high and that can ruin you financially. Here are some things to watch out for and avoid when choosing a mortgage lender. Bad mortgage lenders will try to do the following:

1. Sell properties for much more than they are worth using false appraisals.
2. Encourage mortgage borrowers to lie about their income, expenses, or cash available for down payments in order to get a loan.
3. Knowingly lend more mortgage money than a borrower can afford to repay.
4. Charge high interest rates to borrowers based on their race or national origin and not on their credit history.
5. Charge fees for unnecessary or nonexistent products and services.
6. Pressure mortgage borrowers to accept higher-risk loans such as balloon loans, interest only payments, and steep pre-payment penalties.
7. Target vulnerable borrowers to cash-out refinances offers when they know borrowers are in need of cash due to medical, unemployment or debt problems.
8. “Strip” homeowners’ equity from their homes by convincing them to mortgage again and again when there is no benefit to the borrower.
9. Use high pressure sales tactics to sell home improvements and then finance them at high interest rates.

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