Wow, is blogging tough sometimes!

Lydia Taylor November 17th, 2007

For the last few weeks I’ve been so busy selling homes and promoting listings, it seems I have very little free time. Then there’s all the chores around the house, walking the dogs- it goes on and on. Oh, and did I mention I’m going to school in the evenings to get my Masters in Business degree? It has gotten to the point that when I get down time, I just want to veg out in front of the TV!!

One of the casualties of all this has been my blogging. I love to blog- it gives me a way to communicate to my clients and colleagues, it promotes the website, and it’s a free megaphone to the world on any topic I want to talk about. It’s cathartic.

I still read a ton of blogs, and try to comment on the interesting articles (after all, all bloggers love comments, it lets us know someone is reading the articles!) So, I was thinking I should point out all the blogs that I like to read. You would be surprised at all the great real estate blogs out there.

Eric Bramletts Blog - In addition to being a Realtor, he is a do-it-yourself-er who has been posting about his efforts remodeling his house.
Ryan Ward is one of my friends in Atlanta who has a great blogs here, and here, and here. Is he prolific or what? The guy is a one-man blogging army, and he’s on the RAMPAGE! I can’t believe how dedicated he is.
Now we get to Joe and Colleen Lane. This high-powered duo practically own the Washington State market in their area, with their Kennewick Washington Blog, and their Tri-Cities Blog. Both of them are great writers, and they also have top-rated blog on REW. I’d love to be able to write great content like these two.
Now, for super-high powered real estate bloggers, you can’t beat the Phoenix Real Estate Guy. His real name is Jay Thompson. I’ve linked to him before, and for good reason: he is one of the best out there.
Then there is Dave Smith: He’s also out in Arizona, working on the Real Estate Blog Lab. He’s not actually in the ‘biz, so to speak, but his wife is. He certainly is a great blogger.
The other ‘big dog’ in Arizona is the Bloodhound Blog. There must be something in the water out there in that state, because the online presence is amazing.
Sellsius is a for-profit blog that rewards readers with great content. A persistent thorn in the side of Zillow.com, they definitely don’t hold any punches!
This list just would not be complete without mentioning Stacey Macioszek’s Bluffton Real Estate Blog. If I ever get wealthy enough to retire and live on classic beachfront property, I’m calling Stacey. She is a super Realtor, a dedicated blogger, and that area is one of the hidden gems of South Carolina. She’ll be on Sellsius’ Top Women Bloggers list next year -or should be- in my mind.

I hope my readers take the time to visit some of these websites, because they offer some really good stuff. The really savvy real estate professionals are getting online, and showing their stuff. It sure beats the old days of word-of-mouth advertising and sales flyers. This way home buyers and sellers can get to know a Realtor online, in a casual way.

You know, now that I’ve seen all this competition, and read up on a little Real Estate Weblogging 101, I think I’m ready to get back to it. I hope you enjoyed my reading list. There is no question that there are many more quality blogs that I’m missing- so if you have a really good blog that you want me to take a look at, send me a line. I’d love to see what you’ve got!

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Comments(14)

14 Responses to “Wow, is blogging tough sometimes!”

# Jay Thompsonon 18 Nov 2007 at 2:54 am

Thanks so much for the kind words Lydia!
# jf.sellsiuson 18 Nov 2007 at 10:29 pm

Yes, it can be tough going in the bloghood, Lydia
A thorn in Zillow’s side– thanks for the compliment. We just speak up for homeowners. Gosh, it’s amazing how people try to make money from your home even when it’s not up for sale. Unzillowable!
Those Arizonians are such good bloggers because it’s too hot to go outside Jay is THE best — he’s always pushing the envelope … and now the business card.
Dave is the whiz kid of blogging.
The big dog at the hound pound is Kris Berg. A real pedigree.
Teresa is a true wit. She’d make the Top 12 of any blogger list. She oughta be the mayor of St. Paul.
# Ryan Wardon 18 Nov 2007 at 11:10 pm

Same here Lydia. You are dead on about moving forward online and away from the old ways of marketing. I have found it to be a lot of work to make the transition, but, well worth it
# Eric Bramletton 18 Nov 2007 at 11:32 pm

Thanks for the props, Lydia! I’ll have the “final” pics of the remodel up w/in a week or so.
# Chris Johnsonon 20 Nov 2007 at 6:39 pm

I’m the one with the crazy wifebeater story. No, I don’t do things the same way. That was the EARLY days of transparency. A great story, particularly for those that remember the dude.

In 2001, a great realtor told me that “there’s a difference in the quality of people you get when they have email addresses and check them.” Now that that’s a reality, I think it’s more true. Being able to churn out/manage and move informaiton is really important.
# Teresa Boardmanon 21 Nov 2007 at 8:05 am

I am not new on the scene. I started my blog in November of 2005.
# Lydia Tayloron 21 Nov 2007 at 9:04 am

Theresa, sorry… I looked only at your archives which showed barely a year, and I had only found you recently. I updated the article. Thanks for the comment.
# Barry Coxon 27 Nov 2007 at 9:06 pm

Lydia,

Your blog looks different than I remember it. Did you get a new theme or something? Is this a REW blog? Anyways, looks great.
# Lydia Tayloron 27 Nov 2007 at 10:51 pm

Barry, thanks for the comment about the theme. Actually it is a new WP theme I found online. I just didn’t like the theme that REW provided, so I ended up changing.

I wish this new theme matched the main site a little closer, but then again, the blog is a separate enterprise so I guess it doesn’t have to match exactly.
# Dave Smithon 28 Nov 2007 at 9:23 pm

Lydia,

I like the theme and format. It looks good. I know what you mean about not having time to write. We have been buried with business in November. I’ve taken a lot of photos of listings and blog topics, but actually sitting down to write. . .

May your keyboard never run out of ink!
# Richardon 12 Dec 2007 at 4:09 pm

Great post Lydia! I too noticed the change in your blog, which I think looks great. Was the REW blog user friendly?
# Lydia Tayloron 14 Dec 2007 at 6:00 pm

Richard - The REW blog layout was amazing in terms of ‘SEO’. The drawback was that in terms of user-friendliness and ’sex appeal’ it was a dud. I wasn’t happy with the look at all, even though the theme was tightly integrated with the main site.
I decided to not worry about the SEO factor and just have a nice blog. It’s the woman in me I guess
# Bob Lipplyon 18 Dec 2007 at 12:47 am

I have a new look to my blog and I am trying to do a better job with it. With everything else I have to do, I agree - blogging is tuff.
# Eric Olsonon 18 Sep 2008 at 3:05 pm

Here in Austin, TX it seems like everyone blogs. I’m so busy with real estate sales and investment right now I find it almost impossible to carry on a regular blog. My clients come first! Blogs seem to always be put on the back burner but I would love to be able to have the time some of these agents have and still carry on a successful real estate business. I think many must employ a full time blog assistant in order to post the number of blogs they do.