JL's Columbia SC Real Estate Blog: January 2008

Lately, my website has begun to fall in ranking on Google. I'm not sure what the problem is, and I can't seem to stop it. I was on page one for several of my keywords, and overnight I dropped back several pages for some reason. This happened once before, and within a week, everything went back to normal and I did nothing different. Now, it's been two weeks and I can't seem to pinpoint the issue. As if that's not bad enough, the site is starting to fall even further in the ranks.

If anyone has an ideas or suggestions, please let me know. I need to know how to reverse this process and get my website back on track.

 My wife is always reading self-help books and thinks that I should read them too. I have read many books, but never have I read a self-help book. I tell her that if you are helping yourself, you don't need the book. That's not self help, it's help.

 In my opinion, most people who rad self help books already know how they feel and what the problem is. They also already know what they want the solution to be. So, they tend to simply read several books on the subject until they find the one that says what they want it to. This isn't help either, it's the need for confirmation.

 You already know what you want in life, you already know how you feel, and no one else can or should tell you otherwise. Stop looking for approval from others. It's our right as free people to express our opinion whether or not anyone else shares it.

 Next, I teach you the easiest way to get rich quick. Write a book called " How to get Rich Quick ". You'll make millions!

jlboney.com

  Direct mailing is one form of advertisement that I have yet to try. Therefore I would like to know from any of my fellow Realtors who have tried it, have you gotten good results? How often do you do so? Would you recommend it?

 I have had luck with flyers at apartment complexes and I would really like to start consistently direct mailing some of the higher end apartments here in Columbia. I'm not sure of the best way to get addresses for apartment complexes. Have any of you guys found good way to do this?

 Any advice or tips would be most appreciated. So, lets hear what you have to say.

 If you are unfamiliar with the Brookhaven community, it is located on Long Green Parkway just off of Clemson Rd in Northeast Columbia. The homes range from about $99,900 to just over $200,000. They are vinyl sided and you have the option for a brick front. With a wide variety of options and elevations, Brookhaven has something for everyone. And when I say that I like this community so much that I would live here myself, I mean it, because I actually do.

This is one community in Northeast Columbia, SC where you can still get a lot of house for your money. It's close to shopping, with The Village at Sandhills less than ten minutes away and with the Killian's Crossing development currently underway and bringing in more business, I'm sure that shopping will be even closer soon.

Brookhaven is also within minutes of several of Northeast Columbia's most popular restaurants. The community is also just minutes from I-77 which makes commuting a breeze.

So, the next time you find yourself riding around to look at homes, take the Killian Rd exit off of I-77 and turn to the right. Then take a left on Long Green Parkway and turn left at the sign for Brookhaven. The first street you will see is Cogburn Rd and the model home is right there on the corner.  And soon, there will be two models for you to walk through, as construction is already underway on the second.

Whether you're looking to build or buy a field model and move right in, Brookhaven is one community you should consider taking a look at.

When you hear the word hero, what comes to mind?...........Athletes...........Musicians..........Movie stars........famous people. Well, athletes are overpaid and overrated. Baseball is constantly marred by steroid abuse, football is just waited for the star player to land in jail, and basketball is doing pretty much the same. Nearly all of them whine and cry as if their life is so difficult. Musicians and movie stars are just waiting for the end of the year so they can tally the list of overdoses. Chances are, you wouldn't really like any of your favorite actors and actresses if you actually met them. You just like they way they are in the movies, and the are not really like that, they're acting. When I think of heros, it's the people you would least expect. It's the single mom or dad working two jobs trying to make ends meet and take care of their children. It's the everyday people who make this country run. They may not have a huge billboard with their name in lights, but they probably built it and put it there. So, the next time you think of heros, think about the underlying people that make this world go round. They don't have to be famous or have cheering crowds. Our solders certainly don't get all the acclaim that they deserve, but instead of complaining about it, they defend our country. Remember what a hero really is before you use the term too loosely.

 It's a simple question and really nothing more. I was contacted by a sales guy for homes.com and he obviously wanted me to use their services. I have also been contacted by every other Internet marketing website known to man, but I thought I would pose this question to you guys.

 So, if your are a Realtor and you use homes.com, I would really appreciate any feedback that you can provide. Positive or negative. Also if you don't use homes.com, but you have another site comparable to it that has really worked for you, then by all means share with the crowd your experience.

I hear a lot of Realtors that complain that they have no prospects. Well, everyone that you pass is a prospect if you're willing to give it a try. No secret business has ever been successful, that's why you advertise.

What did you think was going to happen when you got into real estate.....Suddenly everyone was going to seek you out and beg you to represent them......I just doesn't work that way!!!

The Columbia, SC real estate market is a strong market. There is also quite a bit of competition in the market. That's what happens guys, when there are businesses doing well at anything in any area......Competition follows. So, if you are not willing to do what it takes to compete and advertise, I can promise you that someone else will.And then your competition will be listing and selling houses, making new contacts, and attracting new clients and referrals.

So, here's a good thing to try, talk to everyone that you meet anywhere and ask them if they or anyone else they know are interested in selling or buying a home. There is an endless stream of prospects if you do it. You will probably never set the world on fire and become a top producer if this is your only marketing tool, but I have gotten clients be doing just this.

Once you get a client.....Keep the client....Stay in touch?You don't like for people to forget about you, so what makes you think that your clients are any different. So, pick up the phone once and a while and call past clients to see how their doing. Send them cards on the holidays with a little hand written note and don't be afraid to ask for referrals. What's the worst that could happen...Someone says no, big deal.....get over it and move on, you lost nothing by asking.

You get out of it what you put into it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 I have seen so many people in my life fail for no other reason than the fact that they listened to everyone else. If I listened to the majority of the people that I know, I would be a lot different than I am today. I'd be a lot less successful. I love it when people tell me that I can't do something. Or that what I am trying is way too difficult. Just because their too afraid to give it a shot, doesn't mean that I am. I love to prove non believers wrong.

 I had a ton of people tell me that I would never really amount to anything. I'm no Donald Trump, but my wife and I pay our own bills and we don't ask for or expect any help from anyone else. It's called determination, look into it. I'm tired of hearing people say that things aren't possible for them. They can't buy a house, they can't go to college, they can't be a success. No one ever said that this life was going to be easy, or that there wouldn't be times in all our lives when we won't to give up. The difference is that not all of us do.

 Stop listening to everyone else and start believing in yourself. If you think that someone else is going to do the work for you, then you've got the wrong impression I assure you. It's not always going to be easy and it's not always going to be fun. It's all a part of earning what you get, and you get out what you put in. So, stop listening to everyone else, start listening to yourself and stop feeling sorry for yourself. The game will go on, even if you decide to sit on the sidelines and watch. As for me, I came to play and I hope that you did too.

jlboney.com

 Just thought that I would pose this question for any experts out there that may know the answer. I have learned that apparently link markets and link farms are sometimes penalized by Google and I wondered if anyone could tell me why.

 How do you know if your site has been penalized? Unfortunately when I first began my website, I did join a couple of link markets and I began trading links with other Realtors. I thought that this was a good idea in order to boost my link popularity. I managed to get my website on the first page of Google for four keyword searches and I was moving up on a few other keywords. However I have now dropped about 6 or 7 pages from my previous rank in most of my keyword searches and I not sure what happened or how to change it.

 The best that I can come up with, is that I was penalized for the link markets. If anyone has a good suggestion on how to fix this problem and get my website back on track, it would be most appreciated. Maybe, that is not what is wrong. So, any suggestions on what else could be the problem would also be very appreciated.