Cool Austin Texas Real Estate Blog

Is Congress Working to Create Yet Another Potential Hurdle to Real Estate Recovery?

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 20:17:14 -0600

To preface this post, I should probably state that it's not strictly political in nature. For those of you who read my blog regularly, you know that I don't often write about politics, and I don't strictly define myself as a Democrat OR a Republican. However, I do think and hope there's a bit of self-preservation in all of us. Call it instinct. This issue I will write about here has the potential to further damage our industry, so I felt compelled to air it for discussion/action. My ideas are my own, and I don't claim any level of economic expertise other than my business degree and my own experience running a small business since 1996. Now that we have that out of the way, read on...

Not long ago, President Obama gave his State of the Union address. At one point, he was talking about regulating the banking industry and the rest of the financial sector. There was an irony that I saw there, when it occurred to me that in their zeal to do something about the financial mess which they likely helped to create, Congress is now looking at the possibility of passing measures that could further damage the housing and mortgage industries.

Over-regulation probably won't solve our problems, at least not as I see it.

So, what am I referring to here, anyway?

Well, I had lunch with a good friend of mine not too long ago, and he brought to my attention that a number of Senate Democrats recently sent a letter to the Federal Reserve Chairman, Ben Bernanke (on Christmas Eve, no less), urging him to adopt new regulations which would ban yield spread premiums for mortgage brokers. The letter was headed up by Sen. Merkley, and it was co-signed by about 18 other Democrats. To read it yourself, visit https://www.namb.org/images/namb/GovernmentAffairs/Senate%20Letter%20to%20Fed-YSP%2012242009.pdf. The National Association of Mortgage Brokers has been working overtime to keep their members informed on this.

If you aren't familiar with yield spread premiums, or YSP's, here's one definition from Wikipedia, "the money or rebate paid to a mortgage broker for giving a borrower a higher interest rate on a loan in exchange for lower up front costs." This means that YSPs can often help to defray costs for buyers. I won't claim to understand all of the requirements therein, and it won't really matter for the purposes of this post.

I did take some time to read through the actual regulations that they are considering instituting, and some of the language there was disturbing to me:

To address the concerns related to loan originator compensation, 
the Board proposes to prohibit payments to loan originators that are 
based on the loan's terms and conditions. This prohibition would not 
apply to payments that consumers make directly to loan originators. 

The Board solicits comment on an alternative that would allow loan 
originators to receive payments that are based on the principal loan 
amount, which is a common practice today. 

If a consumer directly pays the loan originator, the proposal would prohibit the loan originator 
from also receiving compensation from any other party in connection 
with that transaction.

Since the Board is soliciting comment on this, I would be happy to oblige.

Why does this proposal bother me as a real estate broker?

Well, it seems to me that this hinders the free enterprise system as it exists now. By removing YSPs completely, you will effectively remove yet another viable option for consumers who are short on cash. Over the past few years, we've all watched helplessly as mortgage options for Joe Average have dwindled. Truthfully, the loan approval process was too loose before. I get that, believe me. There were people who got approved for loans who were truly risky propositions. However, I've seen the pendulum swing too far in the other direction now. I have told many friends and potential clients that roughly 1/2 of the marketplace was vaporized with the tightening of the credit markets and tougher loan guidelines. For every 10 home buyers that I could assist before, I now have 5 or 6. I hear the same thing from my colleagues across the country.

The subprime mortgage crisis was certainly part of the problem, and it did seem like all you really needed was the ability to fog a mirror and you could buy a home. That being said, the removal of subprime, most zero-down programs, stated-income loan products for self-employed individuals has made being a Realtor or a mortgage broker a very tough job indeed.

None of us could ever have foreseen how different our world could become in a couple of short years. Fear has replaced reason when it comes to the world of banking. Melodramatic? Not really. I am trying to feed a family of six with my income. Thankfully, I've survived some difficult years, and, along with most people I speak with these days, I am hoping to see a sincere turnaround. This proposal won't help.

Another concern that I saw in the language is that this lays the groundwork for the government to step into the real estate arena as well, perhaps prohibiting OUR commission from being tied to the sales price of a property. Again, I see this as inhibiting the free market.

On the surface, I see how this could be perceived as helping consumers, but the more likely scenario is that mortgage brokers will now have two paths to choose from:

Charge a lot more directly to consumers to originate loans, since they can't get paid by banks, or
Go out of business

Clearly, neither of these outcomes would be beneficial for any of us.

In fairness, there are some other parts of the proposal that make sense to me, mainly with regard to consumer disclosures, but this portion would be foolish. You can see the whole thing here if you're interested: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/E9-18119.htm

It's my understanding that the Federal Reserve already has the authority to monitor and regulate mortgage brokers, so any legislative action would be overkill and probably just plain unnecessary.

From my own research, I was happy to see that this issue wasn't split strictly along party lines, unlike so many other things we hear about from Washington. Although none of the Republicans on the Senate Banking Committee signed the letter, I was pleasantly surprised to find that a handful of Democrats also abstained. Kudos to Johnson of South Dakota, Benett of Colorado, and Tester of Montana for not just toeing the party line here. I applaud the members of the committee who didn't sign this pressure letter. You can see a list of all the members here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate_Committee_on_Banking,_Housing,_and_Urban_Affairs

I'm hoping that the highly paid lobbyists for the financial institutions that actually caused the problem don't manage to shift the blame to the little guys. While there were certainly predatory lenders that played a part in creating the mortgage crisis, most of these people are just business owners who are trying to provide an honest service and get paid for their work.

If this bothers you as much as it does me, I would encourage you to contact the members of the committee and let them know, especially if any of them are in your home state.

I welcome your input. :)

UPDATED: Jeff Belonger wrote a post today that gives more detail on this matter, including the fact that it will affect mortgage brokers AND mortgage bankers. He also re-iterates the notion that consumers will end up with fewer choices, since brokers and bankers might not be able to charge enough to make loans worth their while:

Congress, YSP (Yield Spread Premium), and the Real Estate Recovery - Some things should be left alone !!!

If you enjoyed this post, why not connect with me elsewhere?

If you're looking for a home in the Austin area, you can visit my primary Austin real estate website at www.austintexashomes.com. Thanks!

Are YOU a part of the revolution? If not, be prepared to be left behind by those who are.

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:51:42 -0600

I realized recently that we are now in the midst of a revolution and a dramatic paradigm shift in the way that marketing is conducted. This may seem like a strong term for those who don't "get it" yet, but believe me when I say that it is nothing short of phenomenal.

In early 1998, about a year after I got my real estate license, my business partner and I decided to launch our own real estate website (www.austintexashomes.com). Despite the fact that we got a lot of funny looks and reactions from other agents in our office, we felt that this was something that we could actually afford to do that might also bring real results. We were among a very small handful of agents back then who had websites.

Since there was no IDX system, we crafted one out of the listings from the MLS to the best of our abilities. It was earth-shattering stuff. I am kidding, of course, but over the years, we have managed to garner the majority of our new clients and tens of millions of dollars in real estate sales from our websites.

Does any of that pattern sound familiar to you?

If not, you may need to give the following some thought:

Today, ten years later, I have immersed myself pretty heavily in the world of online social media sites, including ActiveRain, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and others in order to gain a foothold before everyone and their dog does. Why? It's simple really. I see the boom in online social networking as something that has the potential to utterly and irreversibly change the landscape of real estate marketing in the years to come.

Five years from now (and more), those who choose not to "grab the brass ring" and embrace blogging and social media marketing are likely to be left behind. Presently, I don't know the percentage of agents who are blogging actively, but my guess is that it is under 5% based on my own research. Either way, Pareto's Principle (better known to us all as "the 80/20 rule") wouldn't even apply in this case, since the numbers are clearly even further skewed at present.

I finished reading Seth Godin's book "Tribes" this week (highly recommend grabbing a copy - I am going to give mine away to someone who will act on it). One thing I grasped while reading this book is that a big hurdle for most people who want to achieve something is fear of failure. I think the stigma attached to not succeding at something keeps many folks on the sidelines. To be frank, I felt that way myself when I started blogging. I saw huge point totals and some great posts, and I was a bit intimidated. However, I slowly began to gain some momentum and readership (and confidence in my abilities), and now I have my own "tribe", to use Seth's term.

Almost daily, I get multiple emails and/or phone calls from other AR members with specific site questions, or from other agents in Austin who are thinking of starting their own blog. In fact, I have someone in another state who may soon become my first official paying student in blogging and online marketing. I didn't advertise my services - this just sort of came to me. However, it does make me think about the opportunity which presents itself now, and the likelihood of helping other people, too.

The proliferation of sites and technology in recent years is astounding, and it's likely to continue for awhile. As such, it has also created a niche for those who are in the know. Why not use the knowledge gained to help others?

If you happen across this post as a new member of ActiveRain, or if you find it via a search on Google or another search engine, and you are not currently involved in social media marketing, or if you're not quite sure what that term means, NOW is the time to learn.

As a quick illustration (on an even larger scale), I heard an escrow officer tell us a story at a closing years ago about helping Michael Dell when he purchased his very first home. He was so young that his mother was with him when he went to sign papers. While the closer was explaining things, Dell started talking excitedly about the new company that he was starting. "Would you like to invest in it?", he asked. "No, I don't think so. I don't have a lot of money right now. Thanks anyway." was her reply.

Let that story sink in for just a minute.

Aside from the fact that I would probably be too embarrassed to tell that story publicly if it had happened to me, there is a strong lesson. Really big rewards require some measure of risk! Whether you are risking time or money, it is risk nonetheless.

Before he died three years ago, my dad shared a couple of stories with me about my grandfather's reluctance to invest in land on Lake Austin back in the 1950's for $1,000/acre, and about the fact that he passed up a chance to invest in Holiday Inn BEFORE it went public. Needless to say, those were both some amazing opportunities. The land that he could have purchased for $10,000 would likely be worth in excess of $3 million today.

I don't say this to disparage my grandfather's memory in any way, since he was an amazing provider and left a sizeable estate when he passed away in 1973. Instead, I just want to point out that there are opportunities around you, too, if you are observant and willing to take a chance. The good news is that almost all of the new stuff worth doing online is FREE!

After all, you don't want to be the one to tell your kids that you didn't think blogging would work, do you?

By the way, I was inspired to write this post after commenting on this post from Chris Elizabeth Griffith's entertaining post earlier tonight - read it, too!: Not Social Networking 2.0

Thanks for reading!

Photos are both courtesy of www.stockvault.com.

My RSS feed is http://activerain.com/jasoncrouch/rss

If you enjoyed this post, why not connect with me elsewhere?

If you're looking for a home in the Austin area, you can visit my primary Austin real estate website at www.austintexashomes.com. Thanks!

Are You Going to Raincamp Dallas? I hope to see you there on February 16th!

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 00:23:27 -0600

Not long ago, I was very pleasantly surprised to hear that Raincamp is coming to Dallas, which is a mere three hour drive for me. Since it's also my hometown (born and raised there), I have a free place to stay. It's called "Mom's House". It comes with all the luxuries of a five-star hotel with none of the cost. :)

I'm really looking forward to this event as an opportunity to learn and hang out with my friends, some of whom I have yet to meet in person.

I had a chance to meet Brad Andersohn about 15 months ago in Houston, but I haven't ever met Bob Stewart or Jon Washburn "live" yet, so that will be fun. I know that my friend John Cannata will be there, and I think Steve Shatsky will, too. I met those guys in December when I was up in Dallas. Lori Cain from Tulsa is also going to be there from what I understand, as will Loreena Yeo.

Who else is coming? I would love to know who else I'll get a chance to see/meet.

If you aren't signed up yet, you can do that right here.

Cityplace Conference and Event Center
2711 North Haskell Avenue, Suite 100, Dallas, Texas 75204
Phone: 214-515-5100 - Fax: 214-515-5199

www.chgcityplace.com

My understanding is that there are three ticket levels. One is donation-based, and the other two are outlined below. It appears that the Platinum Passes will be sold out very soon.

"RAINCAMP™" Platinum Pass ($159) Includes:

Reserved Platinum seating in the front of the room with table, wi-fi, and power
Hosted VIP lunch at RainCamp™ with ActiveRain CEO Jonathan Washburn and RainCamp™ speakers,
Ben Kinney, Brad Andersohn, and Bob Stewart.
RainCamp™ T-shirt exclusive for Platinum supporters
Premium RainCamp™ tote with surprise give-aways
Platinum RainCamp™ Supporter Badge at RainCamp
Invitation to VIP after party, including appetizers
Latest cutting edge social media instruction e-book by Ben Kinney and Jay Papasan
Platinum RainCamp™ Supporter Badge on ActiveRain Blog or Profile page
Access to VIP registration line

"RAINCAMP™" Premium Seating ($99) Includes:

Reserved Premium seating near the front of the room with table, wi-fi, and power
Access to VIP registration line

For full details or to register, click here. I hope to see you soon!

If you enjoyed this post, why not connect with me elsewhere?

If you're looking for a home in the Austin area, you can visit my primary Austin real estate website at www.austintexashomes.com. Thanks!

Beat Candace!

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 23:31:57 -0600

Help my friend Mike Mueller to pass celebrity Candace Cameron and help a lot of people with a very simple concept. Make sure you watch the video - it's powerful.

Via Mike Mueller (Tech and Social Media Consultant):

No hiding the fact that one of my favorite charities right now is Skip1.org. You may have seen one of my tweets about them, or a Facebook post.

The fact is that I love the concept. Skip something small and insignificant in your life, donate what you would have spent on that item, and make a very significant difference in the lives of others.

100% of the donations go directly to make a difference. No overhead fees, no salaries, $1 in makes a $1 difference there. Speaking of “there”, while Skip1 works worldwide, right now the efforts are focused on helping Haiti.

I also like social media aspect of the site. I can go on the site and proudly proclaim to the world that I “Skipped a Latte”! Recently I offered to help them with their Facebook Page (http://www.facebook.com/Skip1org). I may not have much to give these days but I can certainly help by donating my elbow grease.

I also have a Goal and I have a Plan…

The GOAL:

I want to pass Candace.

You might remember her as “D.J. Tanner” on Full House. That was a while ago. She’s all grown up now and a personal friend of the Skip1 Founder. She’s currently in the #2 position on the leader board and as you can see she’s “low hanging fruit”!

The PLAN:

Candace has the looks. She has the fame. She has the connections. Heck, she even has a job (Yes, I’m still working on finding a job) – but here’s something Candace doesn’t have… She doesn’t have the awesome potential of Social Media behind her. That’s my plan.

With your help I believe we can displace her. ( I can’t do it without you)

STEP 1: Go register yourself. http://www.skip1.org/user/register It takes moments to do and as a bonus you can enter all your websites and get a little link love back to you.

STEP 2: Go Skip Something. Anything. Or just make up something. Here’s a list of ideas if you like http://www.skip1.org/skipit It really doesn’t matter what you skipped.

STEP 3: While logged in to the site (see step 1) now make a donation. I don’t care how little or how insignificant you think it may be, it isn’t. When Shelene told me she was buying mattresses for $3 and giving children a place to sleep off the ground for the first time – you get the idea. Donate Link is here: https://www.skip1.org/donate.

But here’s the part where my “plan” takes effect. In the donation box I want you to enter “Paying Mike Mueller”.

STEP 4: Now that you’ve donated you feel pretty good don’t you? Go ahead and do it again. How about spreading that feeling around? Share this article with all your friends. You can ReTweet it, copy and paste this post and reblog it on your site (it’s ok), or share it with everyone on Facebook. The idea is to use your Social Media Super Powers and let’s surprise someone. Ok, let’s surprise a lot of someones!

Skip1.org PSA from Skip1 on Vimeo.

This post brought to you courtesy of Mike Mueller.
Feel free to ReBlog or ReTweet as you like as long as you credit the source (him).
Did you know? He's for hire! He builds Blogs, Graphic Images and Widgets and Facebook Pages and besides… He knows lots of really cool stuff.

Hire Mike (925) 456-4567

Did you know?

If you enjoyed this post, why not connect with me elsewhere?

If you're looking for a home in the Austin area, you can visit my primary Austin real estate website at www.austintexashomes.com. Thanks!

Great Week for My New Venture: 210 Consulting

Sat, 30 Jan 2010 21:58:36 -0600

I recently started a consulting business with my friend Jeremy Blanton to serve as a resource for those who want to learn more about using social media tools, and how to use them to bring in more tangible business. So far, we've had a couple of webinars and we are planning for two more soon. Attendance was solid at the initial sessions, and the feedback we received was overwhelmingly positive, with a handful of attendees signing up for further individual coaching.

Thankfully for our students, my own learning curve with our new software hasn't been very steep, which has made things very smooth and easy. :) We're also in the process of setting up a brand-new website and blog for the company, both pieces of which have been provided free of charge to us from friends of ours. What a huge blessing! I hope that our new platform will provide a great place to collect and share information.

Our first webinar, "How to Chug Google Juice AND Get 15 Years of Fame", will be repeated on February 8th at 1pm Eastern: http://budurl.com/210consulting. You can see a full description of this class here.

Our next webinar is entitled, "Cashing in on Your Social Media Investment", and we'll be teaching that one on Monday, February 15th at 1pm Eastern time (running time is about two hours total). Essentially, we will cover how to build your social media strategy to increase your business. As we all know, many people try social media networks but get sucked into the social end and forget the original reason that they joined.

We will be covering the following topics in a fun, laidback atmosphere:

How to effectively listen to consumers
How to add valuable content to engage with those around you
Tips and specific tools that we've used
Some basic "etiquette" for Twitter, Facebook, and blogging
Techniques for promoting a cause or event

Here's a link to register for this session if you're interested: http://budurl.com/cash210.

Our individual and group coaching services are provided at an hourly charge, with no contracts or minimum commitment. Feel free to call or email me for more details about this. One or both of us have served as paid coaches for:

Social media
Marketing
Blogging
Writing
Real estate
SEO (search engine optimization)

Here are some testimonials and comments from current clients and some past students. I have some way longer ones that I am happy to share via email if you like.

REALLY enjoyed my coaching session today and am looking forward to working with you both! Already made suggested changes on AR! - Lori Cain

I picked up some valuable lessons from your class. I have tried a few other Blog platforms including Blogger, Live Journal, Typepad and Wordpress. Wordpress seems to be ideal for what my needs are. Still learning it. Thank you for the class. I look forward to future sessions. - Dawn O.

Here are a couple of full posts that others have written about us:

Want To Blog Better & More Effectively? Check Out These Guys:

Why I hired Jason Crouch as my social media coach.

Thanks for reading!

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zizzy/89696604/

If you enjoyed this post, why not connect with me elsewhere?

If you're looking for a home in the Austin area, you can visit my primary Austin real estate website at www.austintexashomes.com. Thanks!

"Twitterville" by Shel Israel - Book Review

Sat, 23 Jan 2010 14:57:30 -0600

Quick disclaimer: This is a sincere book review and it contains my honest opinions, and I haven't been compensated in any fashion for this. That being said, I consider Shel Israel to be a friend now, so I will dispense with any formality (i.e. I won't be referring to him as "Mr. Israel" here).

Having had a chance to speak with Shel Israel when he appeared twice on our radio show this past year, and having met him in person when he was in Austin, I was looking forward to acquiring my own copy of his latest book, "Twitterville".

In a nutshell, Shel did not disappoint with this effort, managing to cover Twitter from almost every conceivable business angle. Non-profit? Check. Medicine? Check. Politics? Indeed. Local businesses? Absolutely. What about big business? Yes. It's all here.

Shel has a broad understanding of public relations and corporate marketing strategies, and frankly, it shows here. If you're looking to create a social media marketing plan, this book is certain to give you some new ideas. In fact, I would be surprised if "Twitterville" didn't stimulate some new methods and techniques that you can implement with your own business.

You will learn about what some businesses are doing right when it comes to social media engagement (think Zappos and Comcast), and which ones missed the mark altogether. You will also read about customers who are forming groups of their own around specific brands.

At just under 300 pages, this is a relatively quick read, and Shel keeps things moving along by providing plenty of "real world" stories to illustrate his points. He did a great job of locating the stories themselves, then an even better job of distilling them into a holistic work that supports his thesis. Speaking of which, the main thrust here is that Twitter is a revolutionary business tool which serves to bring people together and makes things happen that might not otherwise have happened. In essence, the world is made smaller and more intimate. The full title is "Twitterville: How Businesses Can Thrive in the New Global Neighborhoods", which is appropriate.

Shel also covers the history of Twitter from its inception and its public debut at SXSW in 2007. I got a better feel for the guys who run the show by reading his take on them and their distinct personalities and backgrounds. He also details a handful of social media rockstars who are just plain doing things the right way, including Chris Brogan, Veronica Belmont, and Jeremiah Owyang.

"Twitterville" will remain on my bookshelf as a reference book, and I can't recommend it enough if you want to gain a better understanding of how Twitter serves to interconnect millions of lives, projects, and conversations.

To pick up your own copy, visit http://budurl.com/twitterville.

If you enjoyed this post, why not connect with me elsewhere?

If you're looking for a home in the Austin area, you can visit my primary Austin real estate website at www.austintexashomes.com. Thanks!

Listen to Our Conversation with Sean Cranbury, Host of Books on the Radio

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 00:17:00 -0600

Yesterday, on our online radio show, Social Media Edge, I was very pleased to get a chance to meet Sean Cranbury, who is the host of Books on the Radio. Sean is a 20+ year veteran of the book business, and I was excited to speak with him about Publishing 3.0, which is a fascinating trend.

In a nutshell, Publishing 3.0 is the brainchild of Richard Nash, and he will soon be launching a new project called Cursor which has the potential to make traditional publishing obsolete, in my humble opinion. Rather than give away all of the details here, I would recommend listening to the conversation I had with Sean during the show. Suffice it to say that it will allow authors to shape their content and build an audience for their works while they're still in progress. The flexibility to alter content via "print on demand" is a phenomenal side benefit.

Self-publishing continues to explode, and we discussed what effect this could have on both the quantity and quality of books that are out there.

Sean is an innovative guy, and he is involved in a good number of writing and book-related projects, as you can see by visiting his blog: http://booksontheradio.ca. Overall, I really enjoyed getting a chance to speak with him, and I look forward to learning more about this nascent technology/industry.

In addition to our talk, Ken Cook and I were joined by our cast of regulars: Mike Mueller, Jeremy Blanton, and T.S. Elliott (if you don't know her yet, you should get to know her). Big kudos to our show booking agent, Cathy Browne, for finding another solid guest for us!

Click below to listen to the show in its entirety (Sean's segment begins around the midway point):

http://blogtalk.vo.llnwd.net/o23/shows/show_836888.mp3

If you enjoyed this post, why not connect with me elsewhere?

If you're looking for a home in the Austin area, you can visit my primary Austin real estate website at www.austintexashomes.com. Thanks!

Round Rock Frozen Yogurt Shop - "Yogurt r' Rock" - Inexpensive Family Fun!

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 23:40:10 -0600

There's a relatively new yogurt shop near my home that we've visited a few times, and I wanted to give them some additional exposure in the hopes of bringing some more customers their way. Yogurt r' Rock is located in the La Frontera Shopping Center, facing the westbound frontage road for Toll 45 (formerly Ben and Jerry's). I keep forgetting to ask if it's pronounced "Yogurt R-Rock" or "Yogurt ARE Rock". Either way, it's worth visiting and it's become a fun, somewhat healthy dessert treat for our family.

The business model is so simple that it makes me wish I'd thought of it first:

Allow customers to self-serve yogurt and toppings
Weigh customer's choice on a scale
Charge 39 cents/ounce

That's it!

They offer about 10 choices for yogurt, almost all of which are low-fat or fat-free. Chocolate and vanilla are always part of the menu, and they switch out the others. They also offer 2-3 sugar free flavors if needed/wanted. They have a very nice selection of toppings, including some fruit, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Butterfinger, peanut butter chips, sprinkles, and more.

My kids LOVE this place, and so do I, frankly.

The staff is always friendly (usually just one or two people to run it, due to the simplicity of their plan), and the yogurt is delicious. It's also meticulously clean there, at least during each of my visits. This includes the restrooms, thankfully.

We went a couple of days ago, and my son chose the white chocolate macadamia yogurt. My older daughter had a flavor that I think was cake batter perhaps? Our three-year old went with standard-issue vanilla, along with sprinkles and mini M&M's, of course.

For me and the three kiddos our total was a whopping $11.37, and I had a sizable serving myself. :)

You can visit their primary website at http://yogurtrrock.com for more info. Their physical address is 2711 La Frontera Blvd., Suite 230.

If you enjoyed this post, why not connect with me elsewhere?

If you're looking for a home in the Austin area, you can visit my primary Austin real estate website at www.austintexashomes.com. Thanks!

Pflugerville Texas Used Book Store - Beth's Book Box - Cozy, Friendly and Inexpensive

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 18:54:04 -0600

I was on my way home today via a different route, and there was a sign that caught my eye - "Book Box". As a voracious reader, I rarely pass up the chance to visit a used book store, and this was no exception.

I am happy to report that Pflugerville now has a quaint, comfortable used book store. Frankly, this is the kind of place where I am likely to become a regular customer. With prices on the discount shelf at $1 or $2, and most other prices in the $5 and under range, this is my kind of place. They also purchase and give store credit for used books. My wife and I are known to spend entire Saturday mornings perusing garage sales for books, so this store is a dream come true.

While I was there, I spoke for awhile with Beth Lee, the owner/manager. She is an engaging, down-to-earth lady and I love the fact that she is following her passion with this business.

There are a few extras that will surely grow the business over time, including free coffee, free wifi access, a kids' section with some toys, and some VERY comfortable chairs set up for reading. The store features art from locals and kiddos, too, and Beth told me that they repaint the ceiling tiles (currently featuring kids' artwork) every few weeks. They offer a storytime that is geared to kids 2-6 on Thursdays and Saturdays at noon, and they are open to having church, scouting, and other community events or meetings.

In a nutshell, Beth has done a very nice job of providing a casual atmosphere that could become a terrific venue or hangout for smaller groups. While I was there, Beth accepted some items for donations to our troops, which reinforced the fact that she is making an effort to be an integral part of the community with her venture, and I applaud this.

Beth's Book Box first opened about six months ago, and my sole complaint is that I didn't manage to find it sooner. Books are my vice, and I left with a couple of good reads today.

Beth's is located near the corner of Windermere and Pecan Street, on the north side of Pecan. There used to be a Greek restaurant in the space, which makes for some interesting architecture with the store layout. The physical address is 15803 Windermere, and they can be reached at 512-989-7324. Their primary website is http://bethsbookbox.com.

They are closed on Mondays, open Tues-Sat 10am-6pm, Sundays 12-5pm.

If you are a book addict, I highly recommend checking this place out.

If you enjoyed this post, why not connect with me elsewhere?

If you're looking for a home in the Austin area, you can visit my primary Austin real estate website at www.austintexashomes.com. Thanks!

How I Managed to Recruit Agents from ActiveRain, Twitter, AND Facebook!

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 13:42:54 -0600

Last week, I realized that I have managed to attract agents to our company from each of my personal top three social networking sites (AR, Twitter, and Facebook). I have found that agents who are already embracing social media have some of the best potential around.

SO, HOW DID I FIND THEM?

I guess the quickest answer is to say that most of them found me. Two of my current agents, Christi Baylor and Marisa Ladd, came from my blog right here on ActiveRain. They were already AR members before we met, which made our "in person" connection that much faster/better. I think both of them have the potential to be stellar agents in 2009 and beyond. They are certainly ahead of the curve in my opinion, based on my own experience running a brokerage for 4+ years.

Since I am a very active member here (pun completely intended), this first section of the post may not come as much of a surprise, but I bet the next part may. If not, then I'm sorry to have disappointed you. Okay, you got me. I'm not really sorry.

TWITTER

Considering the sheer number of people I have encountered who:

Haven't started using Twitter
Use Twitter for spam purposes, OR
Don't see the value of Twitter,

I am guessing that you may be shocked to hear that I have recruited TWO very solid agents there in the past few weeks, both of whom have new home sales experience. Since their licenses are not yet transferred, I am not at liberty to publish their names here yet, but I will share the quick story of each here briefly.

I was chatting with one local Austin guy on Twitter a couple of weeks ago, then a mutual friend of ours (also an AR member) noticed and mentioned that the guy was looking for a broker. A few days later, we had a great lunch and he plans to start working with us in the next couple of weeks after he gets back from vacation. Pretty cool stuff, huh? Well, it actually gets even better...

I received an email a few days ago from an agent who wanted to meet with me. I am generally always available to meet with agents who are looking for a good place to work, so I set up an appointment with her. It turns out that her boyfriend is Mike Chapman, co-founder of the Austin Social Media Club, and he strongly suggested that she meet with me, since he had read my blog and he follows me on Twitter. He said something along these lines, "Jason has this stuff wired. You HAVE to talk to him!". Cool! After a solid and long interview the other day, she has already sent her license sponsorship change form to the Texas Real Estate Commission, and she intends to start with us in April.

But wait! There's even more!

FACEBOOK

Facebook is where I first began to realize that "friend" can often have a different meaning online. My best statement on this topic is to state that I have over 2600 friends on Facebook, each of whom is extremely close to me and will probably name their first child after me. :-) Truthfully, I probably actually know about 20-25% of my friends there, but all of them have the potential to send me business at some point (this has proven to be the case a handful of times).

Let's get back to the recruiting story...

Recently, I had connected to a bunch of people from my high school. After all, I needed to give them a chance to reject my friendship again 20 years later, right? Well, I was catching up on reading about some of them, and it turns out that the little sister of a girl in my class is in the process of getting her real estate license here in Austin! We are planning to meet soon to discuss her options over coffee or lunch.

_________________________________________________________

I guess I just wanted to point out that ANY of these sites and/or tools can be beneficial, and you never really know where the next lead or good contact will come from. Soon, I will write a post about how many newspapers and magazines have found me over the past year because of my blogging. Since I am starting to teach classes on this stuff, that is yet another opportunity.

My personal keyword for 2009 is "UNAFRAID". I am meeting people, teaching classes, and in general doing things that I never would have imagined possible two years ago. I look forward to what this year will bring.

Thanks for reading!

Follow me on Twitter here: http://twitter.com/jasoncrouch.

If you enjoyed this post, why not connect with me elsewhere?

If you're looking for a home in the Austin area, you can visit my primary Austin real estate website at www.austintexashomes.com. Thanks!

Buy a T-Shirt and Provide Haiti Assistance!

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 00:00:20 -0600

One of my good friends, Gilbert Sauceda, runs a local company called the Color Factory. They specialize in logo design and t-shirt printing, along with signage and branding.

Gilbert's company is working in conjunction with HELP (Help End Local Poverty) to provide t-shirts at their material cost (i.e. no profit) to benefit Haiti in the wake of the recent earthquake. All proceeds will be going to help.

I've been looking for ways to help ever since this tragedy occurred last week. I'm hoping to leverage my following to get exposure for this project. They are offering 1,000 shirts for sale as part of this initiative.

I was impressed that they are doing something tangible to help. The shirts appear to be very nice, and you can see them here:

http://www.helpendlocalpoverty.bigcartel.com/

At a cost of $25, please consider purchasing a shirt so that additional funds can be directed to Haiti. HELP is a solid, legitimate organization. Please help spread the word!

If you enjoyed this post, why not connect with me elsewhere?

If you're looking for a home in the Austin area, you can visit my primary Austin real estate website at www.austintexashomes.com. Thanks!

Ask Me Anything! (Trying out Formspring)

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 22:08:33 -0600

The other day on our online radio show, Mike Mueller shared a site that I think it a lot of fun, so I wanted to share it with my readers here.

Have you tried Formspring.me yet?

In a nutshell, this site allows you to set up a page very quickly (and a corresponding widget, too, if you like) which allows people who see the page to ask you ANY question.

This may or may not have business value for me, but I like it nonetheless. Another feature which I appreciate is the fact that questions do not appear publicly unless I choose to answer them. Before I realized that, I figured it would take a very brave man or woman to open themselves up for this type of public inquiry.

So far, all of the questions have been pretty tame, mainly relating to blogging, social media, and the heartbreaking loss by the Dallas Cowboys this past week. I welcome variety and some new topics. You can view the link below to see the questions I've answered so far.

Feel free to visit my page and ask me a question. You don't even have to sign in - you can ask anonymously. I'll do my best to answer every single question that I receive, unless it's overtly offensive. :)

Here's my link if you're interested in asking me a question: http://formspring.me/jasoncrouch

If you enjoyed this post, why not connect with me elsewhere?

If you're looking for a home in the Austin area, you can visit my primary Austin real estate website at www.austintexashomes.com. Thanks!

Real Estate RoundTable Joins JCKC Network on BlogTalkRadio every FRIDAY @ 12:30 Central

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 23:33:29 -0600

Join us tomorrow as we continue our discussion! We are very proud to have added "Real Estate Roundtable" to the JCKC Network on BlogTalkRadio. Along with our flagship program, Social Media Edge, we have two other programs, The M Files (with host Mike Mueller) and TQ Radio (hosted by Twitterqueens founders Diane Guercio, Maya Paveza, and Lesley Lambert).

Kent and Ryan are on the right track with this show!

Via Kent Simpson REALTOR® and some other alphabet soup (Avalar Advantage Realty):

Watch out world! The Real Estate RoundTable internet radio show is joining the JCKC Network on BlogTalkRadio!

Last Friday, Ryan Shaugnessy and I started our new show, Real Estate RoundTable, on BlogTalkRadio. Flush with endorphins after finally getting the show started, we were taken to another level of excitement by being asked to join the JCKC Network on BTR after our first effort!

Our first show discussed the question: "Social Media - Are Consumer Wants & Needs Getting Met?" with guests Frances Flynn Thorsen, Mike O'Neill & Lori Ruff, Jeremy Blanton & Jason Crouch. There was so much that didn't get a chance to get discussed on air - we decided to continue the topic for this week's show.

The Mission of Real Estate RoundTable is to provide "Straight Talk - No Hype" as we tackle various topics important to buyers, sellers, investors and industry professionals alike. As part of the JCKC Network, we will strive to equal the quality of the other shows who have paved the way.

Mark your calendars, rearrange your lunch plans - Friday, Jan 22 at 12:30 Central Time we go live again...as part of a growing radio network online!

Part 2: "Social Media - Are Consumer Wants & Needs Getting Met?"

Call-In Number: (347) 215-7478 Chat room will be open for your questions & comments!

Specializing in Buyer Representation in the Tucson, Arizona real estate market.

"Never forget - Real Estate Is About People"

If you enjoyed this post, why not connect with me elsewhere?

If you're looking for a home in the Austin area, you can visit my primary Austin real estate website at www.austintexashomes.com. Thanks!

UPDATE ON THE HAITI ORPHANS CRISIS:

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 11:44:01 -0600

Please take a couple of minutes to read this post from Mirela Monte, and take action to help these children. In our abundance, surely we can help those who are truly in need, and save some lives in the process.

Via Mirela Monte, Your Myrtle Beach Real Estate Connection:

UPDATE ON THE HAITI ORPHANS CRISIS:

I. The following Emergency Bulletin is from Kristen Hammond, the creator of http://www.HumanitarianParole.com

Humanitarian paroles have been authorized by DHS, but some children in the adoption process have still received no food, water or medical supplies. Now is the time to contact your legislators to ask for aid to be directed to children in orphanages, that a safe staging area be created for Haitian children being adopted ...while they wait for processing and that the government send more people to Haiti to help process these children.

It's time to contact our members of Congress/White House/State Department/DHS AGAIN to bring these children home to the US.

Sample letter Addressing the Health and Safety of Children in Haiti:

On January 18, 2010, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano granted humanitarian parole to many of the Haitian children being adopted by United States citizens. While I applaud this measure, many of these children are still in Haitian orphanages which to date have not received any humanitarian aid such as food, water or a safe area to sleep. These children will not survive if they do not receive help. I ask you to contact the State Department and the USCIS on my behalf and request that:

1. Aid be directed to orphanages that have made repeated requests for assistance and are in dire need, 2. A safe staging area be identified where children in the adoption process may wait for processing for humanitarian paroles and immigrant visas so that their medical needs may be met, 3. That those children already processed with a humanitarian parole or an immigrant visa be given immediate assistance in leaving Haiti, and 4. That the State Department and USCIS detail additional personnel to the Embassy in Port au Prince to facilitate faster processing.

We are already beginning to lose children in Haiti due to the delays. Please act swiftly so we do not lose more.

Here is a link where you can find your State Representatives' Contact Information

By the way, if you only have a few minutes, you can just copy & paste this letter and e-mail it to your two senators and your congressman. Their e-mail addresses are included in the contact information provided by the link. I just did mine and it took less than five minutes.

II. The following is another idea from another member of the group, Mark Howerton: Call your County Social Service office, Governors office, and Congressmen offices and tell them you'd be willing to 'take in' and/or 'Foster' a Haitian child who is in the US on HP. There's no doubt that one of the main questions lawmakers are asking is "where will the children go who are not already place...d in an adoptive home?" Your call may help them answer that question and expedite getting these children to safety.

III. For those who are interested in adopting Orphans from Haiti right now these two organizations seem to the best way to go:

a. Bethany Christian Services - To Start A Haiti Adoption Process

b. The Archdiocese of Miami

Tammy Cavaness Shelton Right now as far as she knows that the Catholic church of Miami and Bethany Christian services are the only ways to possibly get a emergency placement for these children. If anyone else knows how...I would love more options but will continue to try these.

Jessica Zerwas Brockardt And the Archdiocese of Miami says "People willing to provide resources or are interested in adoption or foster care for this disaster can email Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami at info@ccadm.org." Here is a link to the Archdiocese of Miami.

Here are a couple of blogs explaining this extreme emergency:

CHILDREN ARE DYING IN HAITI - PLEASE HELP BRING THEM HOME!

URGENT PLEA FOR HELP AT THIS HOUR - HAITI BABIES NEED WATER NOW!!!

I have received several e-mails and comments from many of you wanting to help. The support of the Active Rain Community has been incredible. I am proud to be part of this amazing community, my Active Rain Family! What can I say? I love you guys! You give me Hope! Thank you!

Mirela

If you enjoyed this post, why not connect with me elsewhere?

If you're looking for a home in the Austin area, you can visit my primary Austin real estate website at www.austintexashomes.com. Thanks!

I Interviewed One of My Very Favorite Guests Today on Social Media Edge - Shane Gibson

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 22:40:37 -0600

I wanted to spread the word a little bit about today's Social Media Edge episode, since our guest brought some of the very best social media information that I have heard in 14 months of hosting the show.

If you only hear one interview from us, I would suggest this one if you have some time.

Shane Gibson is the co-author of "Sociable", a brand-new book for salespeople who want to convert social media time into real-world dollars. His philosophies and the actionable strategies he shared made me buy a copy of his book today.

You can see more about the book at http://sociablebook.com and you can order it via Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/Sociable-Social-Turning-Marketing-Upside/dp/1439264007/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263961918&sr=8-1

Click here to listen to our chat with Shane today:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/jckc/2010/01/19/social-media-edge

If you enjoyed this post, why not connect with me elsewhere?

If you're looking for a home in the Austin area, you can visit my primary Austin real estate website at www.austintexashomes.com. Thanks!

Cool Austin Texas Real Estate Blog

Is Congress Working to Create Yet Another Potential Hurdle to Real Estate Recovery?

Are YOU a part of the revolution? If not, be prepared to be left behind by those who are.

Does any of that pattern sound familiar to you?

Let that story sink in for just a minute.

After all, you don't want to be the one to tell your kids that you didn't think blogging would work, do you?

Are You Going to Raincamp Dallas? I hope to see you there on February 16th!

I'm really looking forward to this event as an opportunity to learn and hang out with my friends, some of whom I have yet to meet in person.

If you aren't signed up yet, you can do that right here.

My understanding is that there are three ticket levels. One is donation-based, and the other two are outlined below. It appears that the Platinum Passes will be sold out very soon.

For full details or to register, click here. I hope to see you soon!

Beat Candace!

Help my friend Mike Mueller to pass celebrity Candace Cameron and help a lot of people with a very simple concept. Make sure you watch the video - it's powerful.

The GOAL:

The PLAN:

Great Week for My New Venture: 210 Consulting

Here are some testimonials and comments from current clients and some past students. I have some way longer ones that I am happy to share via email if you like.

Here are a couple of full posts that others have written about us:

"Twitterville" by Shel Israel - Book Review

Listen to Our Conversation with Sean Cranbury, Host of Books on the Radio

Round Rock Frozen Yogurt Shop - "Yogurt r' Rock" - Inexpensive Family Fun!

Pflugerville Texas Used Book Store - Beth's Book Box - Cozy, Friendly and Inexpensive

How I Managed to Recruit Agents from ActiveRain, Twitter, AND Facebook!

SO, HOW DID I FIND THEM?

TWITTER

FACEBOOK

Buy a T-Shirt and Provide Haiti Assistance!

Ask Me Anything! (Trying out Formspring)

Have you tried Formspring.me yet?

Here's my link if you're interested in asking me a question: http://formspring.me/jasoncrouch

Real Estate RoundTable Joins JCKC Network on BlogTalkRadio every FRIDAY @ 12:30 Central

UPDATE ON THE HAITI ORPHANS CRISIS:

UPDATE ON THE HAITI ORPHANS CRISIS:

I. The following Emergency Bulletin is from Kristen Hammond, the creator of http://www.HumanitarianParole.com

It's time to contact our members of Congress/White House/State Department/DHS AGAIN to bring these children home to the US.

Sample letter Addressing the Health and Safety of Children in Haiti:

We are already beginning to lose children in Haiti due to the delays. Please act swiftly so we do not lose more.

Here is a link where you can find your State Representatives' Contact Information

By the way, if you only have a few minutes, you can just copy & paste this letter and e-mail it to your two senators and your congressman. Their e-mail addresses are included in the contact information provided by the link. I just did mine and it took less than five minutes.

III. For those who are interested in adopting Orphans from Haiti right now these two organizations seem to the best way to go:

a. Bethany Christian Services - To Start A Haiti Adoption Process

b. The Archdiocese of Miami

Tammy Cavaness Shelton Right now as far as she knows that the Catholic church of Miami and Bethany Christian services are the only ways to possibly get a emergency placement for these children. If anyone else knows how...I would love more options but will continue to try these.

Jessica Zerwas Brockardt And the Archdiocese of Miami says &quot;People willing to provide resources or are interested in adoption or foster care for this disaster can email Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami at info@ccadm.org.&quot; Here is a link to the Archdiocese of Miami.

Here are a couple of blogs explaining this extreme emergency:

CHILDREN ARE DYING IN HAITI - PLEASE HELP BRING THEM HOME!

URGENT PLEA FOR HELP AT THIS HOUR - HAITI BABIES NEED WATER NOW!!!

I have received several e-mails and comments from many of you wanting to help. The support of the Active Rain Community has been incredible. I am proud to be part of this amazing community, my Active Rain Family! What can I say? I love you guys! You give me Hope! Thank you!

Mirela

I Interviewed One of My Very Favorite Guests Today on Social Media Edge - Shane Gibson

If you only hear one interview from us, I would suggest this one if you have some time.

Click here to listen to our chat with Shane today:

Jessica Zerwas Brockardt And the Archdiocese of Miami says "People willing to provide resources or are interested in adoption or foster care for this disaster can email Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami at info@ccadm.org." Here is a link to the Archdiocese of Miami.