Snaps from Todd Carpenter

How homebuyers use the Internet in their home search

Todd Carpenter — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:27:18 +0000

I get this request all the time:

@tcar can you link me to the # of buyers who started their search online in 2006? Thanks!

— Chris Smith (@Chris_Smth) February 1, 2012

NAR creates a yearly Profile of Homebuyers & Sellers with this information. If you’ve ever heard an industry pundit saying something to the effect of “90% of all homebuyers use the Internet in their home search” it’s thanks to this question asked in the report:

So Chris, in 2006, the number was 80%. Now it’s closer to 90%. However, I think this is a more interesting stat:

2011 is the first year where those surveyed did not choose the real estate agent as the source for where they found the home they purchased. The Internet is now the top spot.

Amazing info-graphic about Apple Vs. Samsung

toddphone — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 16:13:35 +0000

Via: Online MBA Guide

Ummm… Sorry about that

Todd Carpenter — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 20:53:21 +0000

Well that was embarrassing…

Joshua Dorkin – @jrdorkin
@tcar Your Twitter account is going insane posting old blog posts . . .

Chad Huck  – @ChadHuck
.@tcar is blowing up the timeline!

Drew Meyers – @drewmeyers
@tcar what is going on with your feed?

Bob Wilson – @bob_wilson
@tcar polluting my stream with ancient posts

innahamedia – @innahamedia
@tcar holy cow you are prolific today:-) Jacked?

Maya figured it out…

Maya Sabot Paveza – @mayaREguru
Guessing @tcar is moving his wordpress blog… Lol someones gonna be locked outta twitter #igotthetshirt

Yep. I was moving a bunch of old posts from a site I created way back in 2007. Unfortunately, I had a plugin activated called Twitter Tools that autotweets all my new posts. My Twitter stream blew up. for a couple minutes, then Twitter locked me out. I’m very sorry about that folks. My bad.

Meanwhile, my friend Mary Pope Handy reminded me how great a lot of those old posts were. There’s more than 50 interviews with some of the best real estate bloggers around. Check them out. Most of their advice and perspectives still apply today.

The number one question we get before the conference…

Todd Carpenter — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 16:27:13 +0000

Every year we get the question via Twitter. Is it #NARdiego? #NARlando? #NARleans? What’s the official hashtag on Twitter for the annual conference? 2011 is no different:

Ric Dizon – @RicDizon
@nik_nik What hashtag is being used for NAR? #NAR #Narpediem #NARAnnual #NARAnaheim #NAR2011

I’ve also heard #aNARheim, but that’s a good list.

Nicole Nicolay – @nik_nik
@RicDizon I believe the hashtag is #NARannual…but we could check with @tcar and see what he prefers.

@nik_nik is correct! Follow the conference on Twitter by searching for #narannual. Or better yet, stay tuned to narconferencelive.com for more.

Show them where you sit before you tell them where you stand

Todd Carpenter — Mon, 16 May 2011 20:56:48 +0000

Everyone has an agenda. An ax to grind. A position. A bias. Everyone. Those who pretend they don’t, often have the strongest biases. Those who lie to themselves that they’re unbiased, often have the most devious biases. I’ve noticed a lot of hidden agendas surfacing lately. All agendas eventually do. People try to hide their biases, but they’re not fooling anyone… for long.

During my trip to DC this month, I was lucky enough to meet with the FTC and discuss proper disclosure practices in social media with several Fortune 1000 companies. Simply enough, if there’s a quid pro quo between two parties, it’s perfectly fine, as long as it is disclosed.

These rules don’t apply to a single entity’s quid pro quo with it’s own agenda. Not legally anyway. And maybe not even morally. But I’ve always believed in showing people where you sit before you tell them where you stand. If you have a bias, disclose it.

If you’re a real estate agent, and find an online discussion abut the housing market, disclose it. It makes your argument stronger, not weaker. It makes you genuine. It’s the first step to regaining our credibility as an industry. People that don’t agree with you will still respect you for being frank.

In conversations about real estate, I feel it’s important to disclose my bias. I work for NAR. That doesn’t mean I speak for NAR, or agree with everything NAR does. It means I have a bias, and I’m disclosing it. Now let’s talk about the issues.

This is awesome. HT to @mattdollinger

toddphone — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 20:35:18 +0000

Writing REALTOR® Magazine’s cover story

toddphone — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 22:27:17 +0000

One of the best parts about my job at NAR is getting to work in the “Publications” department. For most of my career, I have worked with other sales professionals. It’s been great to work with people that have completely different skill sets. The folks at REALTOR@ Magazine approched me to write the cover story for March after reading my post on unfriending people on their birthday. Of course I accepted and it’s been an awesome experiance. The team really made my story come to life.

I also got the opportunity to work with Ginger Wilcox and Jeff Turner on the project. They both put together a pair of excellent side columns for the article. If you’re a member, the magazine should be at your door soon. If not, here are links to the story online.

Less is Definitely More

Filter Twitter By Creating Lists

Manage Facebook with Selective Transparency

Two quick morning thoughts on Google’s retreat from real estate

toddphone — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 13:40:13 +0000

Is wasn’t that long ago the re.pundits were discussing the implications of Google’s entry into real estate. Now, it’s time to talk about their retreat. I’m sorry to see them go. I thought Google’s entry into RE was a good thing because competition is good. Since that time, Move has completely overhauled REALTOR.com into something that Google doesn’t feel they should compete with. Coincidence? Maybe, maybe not.

Google notes, “low usage, the proliferation of excellent property-search tools on real estate websites” as two reasons for the retreat. I think the low usage part is telling in that it suggests that SEO is not the total solution for winning the real estate game. After all, they control those results. Most people aren’t thinking to go to Google to look for listings. I think SEO is important, but some perspective is good as well.

That’s all I have, time to get ready for work.

Why you shouldn’t care if coach isn’t a top producer.

toddphone — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 15:29:44 +0000

A tale of two quarterbacks:

Mike was a solid high school quarterback, but considered undersized
once he moved on to college. A hit from another player almost killed
him and his career as a quarterback quickly came to a close. Mike
became a coach. He started as an assistant coach in the college ranks
and eventually made it to the NFL where he worked as a quarterback’s
coach, an offensive coordinator and finally, a head coach.

John was a superstar quarterback in high school and college. He was
the first player drafted in the Quarterback Class of 1983 and ended
his career as the winningest quarterback in NFL history and MVP of the
back to back World Champion Denver Broncos.

Throughout most of John Elway’s best years in the NFL, Mike Shanahan
was his coach.

Personally, I don’t care if the people who coach me are top producers.
I want them to be top coaches.

Merry Digital Christmas!

toddphone — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 19:57:44 +0000