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The technological advances of the past decade have increased the efficiency of communication and the speed of information gathering by leaps and bounds. The advantage gained from learning to use such technology really sets you apart from the pack. Real estate is an industry that has been completely overhauled by the computer age.

For example, consider the possibilities of a real estate blog. A blog, for those who aren’t familiar with the term, is the common name for a weblog; an online journal or a specialist’s commentary. Blogs are written weekly, daily, or as often as you see fit. They are tailored to your individual tastes and are a direct reflection of you in the real estate business. Many of the bigger real estate news sites, such as ActiveRain, operate a blog in conjunction with their website.

One of the main purposes of a real estate blog is to keep your name in the forefront of people’s minds. A blog also doubles as a live real estate newsletter that allows you to write about and readers to comment on current events in real time. It is a great way to keep people aware of your expert knowledge. Sites such as Zookoda offer free code to place on your blog page that will provide a subscription link to your blog; thus raising your profile ranking and website hits.

So what do you want to write about in your blog? Well, what do you think that prospective clients want to know about you and your real estate knowledge? Perhaps you’d like to share your love for the tips and tricks of someone like Barbara Corcoran. Believe that Barbara Corcoran’s advice has helped you find neighborhoods to invest in that are really on the up and up? Well, that can be an entry in your blog!

What can you tell your readers about the current state of the market? How can you tell them that the future is going to be bright when the housing market is so slow at the moment? Perhaps take subjects such as these and analyze them, really get down to the nitty-gritty. Explain how real estate is cyclical and it’s better to believe in the positive future than stare at the negativity of the present. Any pertinent topic, real estate philosophy or bit of relevant news is great to write about in a blog. Actually, the more often you add to your blog, the better it looks to your readers. You must come up with interesting and meaningful content to keep them informed, though.

Being sales oriented people, the temptation is there to offer real estate in your main blog. Marketing statistics show that people come to and read blogs to gain knowledge and be entertained; not to read sales pitches. Provide a link from your blog to your real estate home site or a separate blog that shows all the listings that you have brought to the market. Readers have the option to subscribe to this site through email notification of new content or maybe even an RSS feed that provides instant updates to their news aggregator.

In short, the opportunities for expansion that a real estate blog provides are numerous. The low cost of hosting a blog, as low as $12/month for unlimited blogs, are the only fees involved. This small investment of money and time will open doors of opportunity that make your real estate profile really soar!

Tim Harris is a co-founder and head coach of Harris Real Estate University. Since 1997, Harris Real Estate University has trained thousands of Realtor-Students on a daily basis.
Read more in Tim’s blog