Print Advertising, Does it work ?

Day in and day out I am bombarded with on line solutions. I read about them in posts from members here and everywhere about new sites they have found. They arrive in my email inbox.

Yes some are very good. Some are very poor. I sign up on them right and left for exposure is good. Yet as I look around at my peers I do not see the same enthusiasm. Oh sure, it is common place for most agent’s to use  Craig’s_List  as it has now become Main Stream but not much beyond that.

I like to talk shop. What greater way of discovering new market techniques is there than talking shop with your friends, associates and your competition.

I can not tell you how often though I hear these same words. ” Your not going to talk about that Blogging Stuff are you? ” Normally said with a cocked head and a facial expression that can only be read as one of disdain.

Some how I guess we bloggers have slipped off the edge of reality. How unfortunate for us. Once thought to be future icons, we now have both feet planted on the slippery slope to doom.

I can see it in their faces. That look interpreted as a plea for me to come back to printed media before it is to late.

When confronted with that statement I cordially smile and say ” No, I wouldn’t bore you with that. ” With an internal smile to myself and a curiosity as to what kind of return must they be getting on their traditional print media advertising.

One would think the way they defend it that it must be huge. Yet when quarried the answer is now and has always been the same, Just a couple of calls or nothing at all. Even so I see these same individuals seeking out new avenues of traditional media to hawk their wares.

I have even heard recently of an Agent who has signed up for a one year TV contract at an extraordinary expense. After 2 1/2 months the results have been ” Lots of calls saying they seen the ads from friends and well wishers”. Yet not one call asking to see the property or an appointment of any kind.

Destined to be disappointed with the poor results after several months of giving it the old college try. They hang their head shaking it from side to side and lift it only from time to time as they here of another traditional media hopeful.

But not that dreaded Blogging thing! Your not one of those are you???

Let_your_next_Portland_home_find_you  stop by or sign up direct at www.househuntportland.com  you will be amazed.

Expectations of Service in 2009

One of the wonders of life is living through challenging times. In my own life the times of plenty and success have gone by like a blurr. Each and every year of prosperity virtually indistinguishable from one another.

Yet I can remember the years of hardships and adversity as if they were yesterday. Even in family gatherings more often than not those trying times will make for more reminiscence than the trips abroad.

The current troubling times of our country will make you stronger and closer to those who you know and love. The trials and tribulations that you go through yesterday, today, and tomorrow will be fodder for future reminisces at your family gatherings.

As I look back over my own trials of the past, even in those darkest days there was always something that stood out as an achievement. A sort of badge or courage in the dimmest of light.

Like back in 1986 when the unemployment rate in my small town became so severe that people were unable to pay there bills. I owned a metal fabrication shop at the time and a client who could not pay had to much pride to skip out. He paid his bill with a winters worth of firewood, a mini motor bike for my 10 year old son, and small aluminum fishing boat with a 7hp outboard motor that my wife and I enjoyed for many summers at the lake.

In the bleakest of times there are always opportunities. In years to come will you look back and say we bought our home in 2009? Let this be your year of opportunity. Create a memory today.

Yesterday I had just one of many memorable momentsas I passed the keys to a Young Fellow to his new home. Of course this home was built in 1908 but it was new to him and all his. I could see the pride of new ownership and promise in his eyes. I wish for all of you that same feeling.

To check out other Homes_Sold_by_Herb_Hamilton_in_Portland_Oregon  please take a look at this really cool map. Zoom in or change the view . House_hunt_Portland where your next home will find you! 

Have a wonderful and prosperous memory filled 2009.

Real Estate Broker and Technology

In the past I worked in a small town selling real estate although I now work in the city, Portland Oregon. Small towns can benefit greatly from the use of technology. Not all of the technology that is used in the city is needed or appreciated in small towns. More often than not some technologies are even looked down upon in some towns as absurd or frivolous and left with a ” City Slicker Nonsense”comment as its epitaph.

Such technologies as Twitter have suffered such ridicule in small towns. Yet in reality Twitter might just be the technology that would be very advantageous to country folk. As an example: Your Wife or loved one is a Realtor(R) and shows small country properties. They are often gone for hours at a time. By following them on Twitter you could provide the both of you with some peace of mind.

I also think that social platforms like Activerain , Facebook , and Myspace  just to mention a few could be used much more to your advantage than you may have ever considered. Posting local attractions, photo’s, community events etc. on these platforms will play to the internet crowd who might be looking for just the type of community that you work and live in for there next home.

In this country their are thousands upon thousands of great communities that do not see the light of day to the outside world. Mostly because they do not have the budget or the savvy to attract people especially on the net. You could become that portal. ActiveRain’s Localism   provides an ideal platform for this.

You could also dominate your market ( if you are not currently doing that already ) by demonstrating to the community your expertise in technology. Often times I found that Buyer’s and Seller’s in my former small town did not themselves use technology but were pre-convinced that the technology advanced sales person stood head and shoulders above those who chose to only follow the old methods especially when times are tough.

So if you live in a small town or a big city and have resisted technology or even been part of the nay-sayer’s perhaps you should take another look. You might just surprise yourself with the beginings of a great 2009 through the world of technology.

Let Technology take you to fabulous_Portland_Oregon  and find out why more people are moving here than ever before. Either to Downtown Portland or one of our many small town suburban areas and towns.

Let technology help you to stay on top of the Portland Real Estate market and Let_your_next_Home_find_you!  Presented by Real Estate Broker Herb Hamilton

Buying a Home in Portland Oregon

What is the single greatest challenge to the Portland Oregon economy? Is it Jobs ? Is it Money for lenders as the national news would report? Or is it apathy and falsehoods?

Yesterday I was sitting down for a little rest and relaxation at a favorite hang out and heard someone in the background with a rather boisterous voice exclaiming to any and all who would listen to just how poor she thought the economy is.

On and on she went describing one debacle after another about others tales of doom and gloom. Not stopping long enough to give names or credibility to the short stories she weaved. Building into a crescendo as more and more interest grew from the surrounding group she blurted ” and if your thinking about getting a home loan you can forget about that ! “ ” There are no home loans available that is unless you have a credit score in the high 700’s and you have at least 25% down.”

It was right there I had enough and rose up and said ” That is just not true”suddenly the room became quiet and the attention swung to see me standing there confronting this purveyor of negativity. ” What she exclaimed? “

“None of the things you say are true”, I said. There  are abundant home loan products available. ” As a real estate Broker working in this state now for over 20 years I am finding no problem at all finding home loans for virtually anyone who wants one.”

Just at that time a fellow who had been sitting close to me also stood up and said. ” I agree completely!” He went on to say ” I am a car salesman and have to combat this every day.” He told us of a common story that happens in his business day in and day out. That of Buyers out looking and finding incredible deals yet reluctant to buy. When quarried their response is that they heard that there were no loans available. ” It is just not true he said ” ” I have multiple financing options available and the rates have never been better”

All in all this is a great time to buy! If your looking for that next car or Your Next Home now is the time. Or you can always wait for prices to start to climb. Then you can sit back and say ” Gee I should have bought when the market was down “

Let_your_next_Portland_home_find_you  stop by or sign up direct at www.househuntportland.com  you will be amazed.