360Digest

It’s the end of the month and I’m almost to the end of my Zillow experiment, where I bought a dozen or so zipcodes in the Seattle area, where my EZ ad would run thousands of times during the month. I have received 1 personal acknowledgment from a neighbor who was Zillowing his own house and saw my ad. And, so far, 208 click-through’s to my website www.SeattleDreamHomes.com.

Since I bought more than 1,000 page views for a few upper-end zips to pay about $200 for the month, it looks like I’m averaging about $1.00 a click, equal to what some key phrases on Google are charging. However, the difference is that with Zillow, people are still seeing my name and smiling face whether or not they actually click on my web link. It’s impressions or page views I’m paying for with Zillow, not just click throughs to my site.

Customers finding ones site through organic search is still the ideal, but, as pointed out by Dustin over at Rain City Guide, some search engines have been “confused” lately. Or are some sites being purposely penalized? Word on the real estate forums is that whole categories of websites are being removed from search engines, either for perceived industry-wide transgressions (such as exchanging too many links with other professionals) or as a ruse to sell more advertising. After all, if you don’t show up in organic search, you’re much more likely to purchase ads, right?

In another experiment (for both of us) Bradford Bohonus at VR Seattle placed a little Seattle Dream Homes tile on his site, and we’re monitoring clicks, just to see what happens. VR Seattle is Bradford’s virtual tour site specializing in 360 degree virtual reality photography. This imaging technology is utilized for creating interactive virtual tours and environments and is a perfect vehicle for marketing real estate.

Bernice Ross had a little post last week about agents who were too cheap to pay for video tours of homes. Granted, VRSeattle is not cheap. But when marketing upper-end properties, expenditures of several thousand dollars for advertising and promotion is not unusual.

These are some of my favorite VR Tours. They are so cool:

Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic Forest (less than 100 miles from my house…..)
Skyline of Seattle
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Golden Gate Bridge

Also, as an experiment, I’m trying a different logo on his website.

I have my classic Seattle Dream Homes logo:

And then I tried a different look, which I debuted on VR Seattle:

If it works out well, I’ll move in that direction for the whole site. The old logo was all flowery, like Martha Stewart selling real estate, so I may be ready for a change.

In other interesting end-of-April (Fools) news, Redfin also redesigned their logo and website and opened a new office in Boston.

They made news on April Fools Day by launching the “real estate consumer’s bill of rights”. They stated “The premise of the bill is that consumers should have all the information the agent does about a house they’re trying to buy or sell, and about how the whole process works.”

Uhmmm…. my buyers and sellers already DO have all this information. But I digress….

Anyway, they sent out press releases to dozens of news organizations and got Inman News to trumpet it to their “hundreds of thousands of real estate subscribers”, requesting that Realtors, sales agents, brokers and buyers and sellers sign a petition that they would then send to the National Association of Realtors and all the MLS’s around the country.

So far, as of today, after 100’s of press releases, blog posts and newspaper articles and thousands of dollars of free publicity, they have a grand total of 70 signatures. Most signers appear to be Redfin employees or respected folks like “Daffy Duck”, “I.P. Daly” and “Heywood Jablowme”.

I’m so glad this April Fools month is finally over!

Note: I wrote several posts about Seattle real estate agent and artist Sarina McDonald, “Agent fired for extra-curricular activities” and “Real estate and sexual politics“. The excitement is dying down a bit, her career is back on track, and she had time to pen this response. Thanks Sarina!

Apparently the post about me has sparked some great discussions, to which I would like to respond.

First, I wanted your readers to know that many of them were absolutely right: being fired from Windermere Kingston for being a burlesque performer has been a blessing in disguise! When I embarked on a career in real estate, I had the mistaken notion that joining a large company would set me on the right path - I thought their training programs and household name status would provide me with the tools I needed to be successful. I found instead that all this meant was that someone had done a good job devising a franchise that could be operated by anyone, anywhere - like any other large corporate chain, in any other field.

I still think Windermere is a decent company overall, but the real-life, personal guidance of my superiors at Ewing and Clark is proving to be far more valuable. At Windermere, I had to pay for the privilege of attending “Education” classes with 40 other agents, and met with a group of other new agents for in-office training only once a week. The learning curve was agonizingly slow for a go-getter like me! At Ewing and Clark, I am receiving hands-on training and one-on-one mentoring from a 30 year veteran of the business, nearly every day. As the oldest brokerage in Washington State with a solid reputation for full service, Ewing and Clark trains their agents the way they do everything else: with intense professional devotion. Those are my kind of people!

But I digress - we were supposed to be talking about the issues raised by my getting fired. Many folks have made comments about concern for my personal safety, or their outrage over what they consider to be a breach of my freedom of speech (and therefore, theirs as well, if brokers get to dictate what agents do in their off-time). Still others have simply pondered the complexity of it all. I’d like to set some things straight, so the discussion can continue with all the facts. and maybe a few opinions of my own.

Before I was fired, I had taken thorough measures to keep my legal and stage names separate for reasons of protecting my own privacy. I hadn’t experienced any problems, but just in case some nut-job decided to look me up at home I thought it would be prudent to make that less easy for people to do. So, my website, www.ravennablack.com, was registered privately to my business name. I used my business license and PO Box for all things related to my performance art, so whenever I was paid with a check I had it made out to “Ravenna Black” (the name of my business, obviously), and I would deposit it by writing “For Deposit Only” on the back. There was very little connection between my legal name and my stage name, and NO connection on the internet. In fact, most of the producers I had worked for in Seattle didn’t even know my legal name until The Stranger article came out!

So there was never any “public” link between the stage performer Ravenna Black and Windermere, and none of my clients knew that I also worked as an entertainer in a cabaret show because it was irrelevant. I had two completely separate identities that almost never intersected (unless I allowed them to, by working on a real estate matter with a show-business contact). When people ask if it was reasonable to expect to keep my privacy under the circumstances, the answer is “yes” - I look totally different in stage make-up, so much so that I have had show-business people I’ve known for years pass me on the street wearing a suit, and not recognize me! And I certainly did not ever cross-promote before, nor did I intend to.

I want to be very clear that this was not because I thought there was anything wrong with my performance art - anyone who has seen me perform burlesque (like the very conservative CEO of my new company!) can attest that it’s quite tame by today’s standards. Rather, it was because I wanted to keep a clear, professional image in both worlds… I can think of nothing worse than destroying the amusing fantasy I’ve presented onstage, by going out and putting the salesperson moves on an audience member! (Except for maybe plugging my burlesque persona to real estate clients, expecting it to make them believe that I know what I’m doing - “Really, Mrs. Home Buyer, all this glitter makes me a better negotiator!”) It seemed a no-brainer to keep both worlds at arm’s length - just like a real estate transaction.

Although the cat, as they say, is out of the bag; it should come as no surprise that I’ve been showing properties to club owners and other dancers lately. I know a lot of people, and like most real estate agents, I mostly work with people I know. Because I was unsuccessful at keeping my two worlds apart, I decided to take the opposite approach: when I met with Brendan Kiley from The Stranger, he persuaded me to go public with my real name in his story.

The support I’ve received from so many since I was fired has been heart-warming, so I know that was the right decision. But at the time, I was terrified that it would be the end of my career - a career that I had sunk every ounce of energy and money into, just to get started. If my broker had simply asked me to find another place to hang my license, and given me some time to do so, I probably never would have spoken to the press. It was the knee-jerk response - mailing my license back the same day, like I was some kind of criminal! - which produced an equally strong reaction; I was scared.

In the end, I had to agree with them: Windermere Kingston is not the office for me! But they could have asked me to move on in a much more level-headed, professional manner, which I’m sure would have been much less traumatic for everyone. I am also much happier in my new office. At Ewing and Clark, I am valued for who I am: a dedicated, hard-working, ethical agent with many friends and contacts. and the ability to make even more.

The most ironic issues raised in the discussions about my performance art are those of “morals and values” - which makes me laugh, because I must be the most honest and honorable person you’ve ever met! I live my entire LIFE by a strict code of ethics that would put the NAR to shame (they’re on my real estate website, www.theREdiva.com, if you’re interested). The faux juxtaposition of my so-called “risqué” performance art and “high morals” is truly ridiculous! News flash: it is possible for a woman to be sexy and smart, erotic and ethical, a showgirl and a strong negotiator. These things are not mutually exclusive - and I would argue that any good agent needs to be a bit of a “Showboat,” anyway!

As for values, I have been married for 15 years to the father of my two children. I started my first business at 21, a highly respected daycare center on Bainbridge Island where I was the owner and director for 14 years. My second business, launched when I was 27, was a juvenile products catalog I ran on the side for 7 years. And now, I sell real estate. And, oh yeah - I just happen to perform traditional strip-tease as well, managing to craft a persona for myself over the past two years that has attracted performance opportunities from New York to Las Vegas. I’m a person who possesses the qualities of dedication and a strong work ethic - some pretty good values, I’d say!

Real estate is certainly not for everybody - anyone can get a license, but to really succeed a real estate agent has to be tireless, smart, and outgoing. And it helps to be able to keep a lot of balls in the air! Well I’m betting that all of the qualities that went into making me a successful entrepreneur and entertainer, will translate into a successful real estate career just fine.

Now. who wants to sell a house?!

— Sarina McDonald

I’ve been experimenting with Zillow’s EZ Ads with interesting results.

Some are expected, others are a bit puzzling. And, as expected, the more expensive neighborhoods generate the most interest.

For instance, I bought 1000 impresssions in 2 zips in the expensive neighborhood of Queen Anne. For 98109 I’ve received about 500 impressions to date, and 0 page views. But for 98119, the neighboring zipcode, I’ve received the same number of impressions but 6 click-throughs.

I also experimented with using an individual photo

v.s. a logo

for the same zip codes of 98103 and 98112. In both zips, the photos clicks outdid the logo clicks 3 to 1.

Another interesting trend… I noticed in Rainier Valley (low-value area), I’ve already gone through 1000 impressions and that resulted in only 4 click-throughs. But Beacon Hill, another lower-value area, has received only 84 total impressions w/1 click-through. Not sure what’s going on there….. I suspect the quick use of my impressions must be because I’m the only advertiser for 98108, that’s why I blew through those so fast.

Here are individual stats for each zip purchased. It lists first the neighborhood, the date purchased, the estimated end date, the total number of impressions and then the click-throughs (listed as “Running”):

Greenlake & Fremont 04/04/2007 05/04/2007 938 3 Running
Seattle Urban Expert 04/04/2007 05/04/2007 1,391 9 Running
Crown Hill & Ballard 04/04/2007 05/04/2007 496 0 Running
QueenAnne Specialist 04/04/2007 05/04/2007 491 6 Running
QueenAnne Specialist 04/04/2007 05/04/2007 495 0 Running
Laurelhurst & Bryant 04/04/2007 05/04/2007 494 10 Running
Ravenna & Wedgewood 04/04/2007 05/04/2007 491 8 Running
North Seattle Expert 04/04/2007 05/04/2007 495 5 Running
North Seattle Expert 04/04/2007 05/04/2007 485 2 Running
Seward Park Area 04/04/2007 05/04/2007 499 11 Running
Greenlake & Fremont 04/04/2007 05/04/2007 981 14 Running
Beacon Hill Expert 04/04/2007 05/04/2007 84 1 Running
Ballard Expert 04/04/2007 05/04/2007 487 7 Running
Mt. Baker Expert 04/04/2007 05/04/2007 486 9 Running
Central Seattle 04/04/2007 05/04/2007 977 21 Running
Capitol Hill Expert 04/03/2007 05/03/2007 984 12 Running
Seattle Urban Expert 04/03/2007 05/03/2007 973 17 Running
Rainier Valley Area 04/04/2007 04/11/2007 1,000 4 Running

I think I won some sort of prize, either for being one of the first to advertise or for purchasing so many zips.

Never underestimate the power of schwag!

As I move through the process, I expect to analyze the data and try to measure the total rate of return for the ads. I’m guessing tangible results may be difficult to measure in the short term, as we’re talking about raising profile here, not just immediate lead conversion, so it may be difficult to gauge. But we’re building a brand for Seattle Dream Homes and this could be an EZ way to help do that.

Matt Carter had a little post a while back he called “Confucius on mortgage fraud“, prompted by a gift of personalized fortune cookies he received from Interthinx, which offers an automated fraud detection system to mortgage lenders. I don’t know why I kept thinking about this, but Matt was somewhat offended by the “pidgin” English sayings on the fortune cookies.

Generally, I’d have to say I’m pretty sensitive to offending folks sensibilities in regards to race, religion, disabilities and the like, but I’m on the fence about this example. It’s not always so clear anymore, what is offensive or not. With the fortune cookie, it’s a Western construct, but the Chinese were the ones who adopted it here in the West and added the fortunes….

Anyway, the reason I noted this was that one of the best promotions I ever did was having custom fortune cookies made for a listing I had a few years ago that featured Asian-inspired architectural design. The fortunes read “You will buy this house today” and “Take time to ponder your future home purchase from Marlow”, “You will have good luck in your new home” and things like that. They were a hoot.

The local company I bought them from was from Short Order Fortunes, but there are plenty of other firms that will make and ship them around the country.

More Fortune Cookie sites:

Weird Fortune Cookie Collection

Fortune Cookie Generator

Tasteless Fortunes

Jesus of Peeps by Janet Galore of   t e l e m e t r y

With Easter fast approaching, Matt Zemek faced some questions that pitted his religious faith against the strong forces that exist outside of church, parish and sanctuary.

In his op-ed piece A Christian’s identity crisis he ponders the modern dilemma of rising real estate prices from a rarely-viewed angle of Christian morality.

Living a self-chosen life of service, Zemek has been living a frugal lifestyle dedicated to helping others. While he was busy working in soup kitchens and homeless shelters, he was apparently oblivious to the plights of the average working family and was amazed that two working adults could be hard-pressed to afford a home in the Seattle area. Of course, this is a microcosm of the U.S. and the same story can be and is being played out around the nation.

His op-ed was inspired by another guest writers story “Seattle too pricey for normal people“, a short folksy whine about how much more expensive Seattle is than Boise. In that piece, writer Christy Thomas laments that she’s too busy being able to earn a living to volunteer her time to help others.

That admission caused Matt Zemick to have an epiphany of sorts, a “A-HA” moment that brought him to his knees. Suddenly able to put 2+2 together, he realized that this was perhaps why there are so few fellow citizens ready, willing or able to make the same sacrifices he’s willing to make.

Could it be that, because of the high price of real estate and just making ends meet that people were unable and unwilling to help others?

In Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, his theory contends that as humans meet ‘basic needs’, they seek to satisfy successively ‘higher needs’ that occupy a set hierarchy. The basic concept is that the higher needs in this hierarchy only come into focus once all the needs that are lower down in the pyramid are mainly or entirely satisfied. Once an individual has moved past a level, those needs will no longer be prioritized. However, if a lower set of needs is continually unmet for an extended period of time, the individual will temporarily re-prioritize those needs - dropping down to that level until those lower needs are reasonably satisfied again. Innate growth forces constantly create upward movement in the hierarchy unless basic needs remain unmet indefinitely.

In this case, the basic need of housing and shelter, if not met, can stunt human potential and cause them to revert to a cruder and baser instinctual level. Therefore, unable to properly care for themselves, the homeless person (or maybe just a renter?) is rendered unable to help others, until they have reached a certain level of comfort.

Is this really where the crisis of unaffordable housing is taking us?

At the bottom of Maslow’s triangle are the very important and basic physiological and safety needs. Only after these are met are people able to move up the triangle to self-actualization and finally self-transcendence. At the top of the triangle, self-transcendence is also sometimes referred to as spiritual needs.

Maslow believes that we should study and cultivate peak experiences as a way of providing a route to achieve personal growth, integration, and fulfillment. Peak experiences are unifying, and ego-transcending, bringing a sense of purpose to the individual and a sense of integration.

If men and woman are too busy trying to make ends meet and provide food and shelter for their offspring, then perhaps indeed, this inability to meet basic needs is causing a sort of moral and spiritual bankruptcy, not just in Seattle, but everywhere.

Or are we putting the cart before the horse? It could be argued that “basic housing” IS affordable. It’s the soul-sucking middle and upper-middle class suburban subdivisions and McMansions and those who strive to live there that is causing the moral bankruptcy and decay….

Marla Jennings Christian Realty — Sister Taffy’s Friends of Baby Jesus

“Oh, God hasn’t forsaken you. He’s just lost in this 27 room Georgian mansion and can’t find you!”

Jesus Toast

His Move — Christian Real Estate

My Sweet Lord

An Easter Miracle

Zillow has added several new features, several of which may just help project the site from novelty to actually “useful”.

The most interesting, and the only one that might actually make them money, is EZAds, a quick way to place an ad online tied to a particular zipcode. I figured that this was the direction they were going in, selling zipcode-tied ads to real estate agents and brokerages, but thought it would be PPC. I was surprised to learn that the price is actually per impression or page-view. When I asked why that was, and not the typical pay-per-click, David Gibbons, Director of Customer Service Categories, told me that Z had done some focus-group studies about what agents would find valuable and they were told to “make my phone ring” and PPC’s typically do not include phone numbers.

On a personal note, I’m not sure I want strangers calling me from an ad on the internet. We warn kids about stuff like that, why would it be any different for me? But I digress….. By clicking here and entering a few lines of type, ones ad instantly appears online in ones chosen zip code. I did try it (strictly for research, you see….. :)) as soon as it came on line at 9pm this evening, and it should be easy to track if any leads come from it. When one buys an EZAd, you can immediately see if your ad has appeared, how many times, and how many people then clicked on to your webpage. If it’s accurate, I’ve already received a dozen website hits in less than an hour, and it’s after 9pm.

I chose 10 zips to start and at a penny per impression or page view, it’s affordable. I think I might have been the first advertiser, at least in these zipcode areas.

The other feature that’s interesting is the Agent Profile Page. There, an agent can write a little bio and add links to their websites. So for those into link-love, a link from Zillow to their site couldn’t hurt.

The other two new features are less interesting to me. One is Home Q&A and someone askes a question and like a blog, someone can respond online. Even if they know nothing about the house…. not sure how valuable this is going to be and it seems ripe for abuse. The other feature is titled “Is This House For Sale?” and this section allows anyone, neighbors, sellers or agents answer that question.

Basically, they’re adding these features to make their site more interactive and sticky for buyers, sellers and agents alike. Trying to make it the “go-to” site brings eyeballs, page views and $$$’s.

Zillow had a few missteps at the beginning, starting with a few ill-advised interviews from their CEO, but they’ve been back-pedaling ever since and so far have used their power for good, not evil.

For a far less fawning report, see Greg Swann’s review….

The Emerald City Comicon is in town this weekend, the largest comic book and pop culture convention in the Northwest.

Comic publishers, panels, artists and speakers from around the country will be in attendance, plus local favorites and friends Jim Woodring, Jim Blanchard and Ellen Forney (the author of I Love Led Zeppelin and lady wrestler with the Pin-Down Girls.)

One publisher with a huge fan base is Fantagraphics Books. Fantagraphics has been active in comic publishing since 1976 and found itself at the forefront of the burgeoning movement to establish comics as a serious art medium.

Fantagraphics has been in the news recently because science-fiction writer Harlan Ellison is suing them and its co-owners, Gary Groth and Kim Thompson, for defamation and “violation of right of publicity.”

Says the Seattle Times in “Fantagraphics’ friends come to its financial aid“:

The alleged defamation regards statements in Fantagraphics’ forthcoming self-history, “We Told You So: Comics As Art.” The book says that Ellison tried to get out of paying his share of legal bills when he and Groth were co-defendants in a 1980 libel suit by comic writer Michael Fleisher. (Ellison and Groth won.) Ellison denies it while the Fantagraphics folks say they’re just commenting on a part of their history. Due out this summer, the book’s already been serialized on the publisher’s Web site.

The “violation of right of publicity” charge is for what Ellison says is the unauthorized use of his trademarked name on the cover of Fantagraphics’ “Comics Journal Library Vol. 6: The Writers,” released last summer. The volume reprints the inflammatory Groth/Ellison interview that prompted Fleisher to take them to court in the first place.

Ellison wants unspecified damages and an injunction to stop both books from being distributed. Ellison, 72, has won a vast number of awards and is best known among non-geeks for writing the most popular episode of the original “Star Trek” (”City on the Edge of Forever”). He was recently named Grand Master by the Science Fiction Writers of America.

I first met Harlan Ellison when asked to chauffeur him around town for a Foolscap convention and accompany him to local collector Steve Bard’s very unusual home and Palace of Arts and Oddities in Seattle.

Mr. Ellison wrote “A Boy and His Dog” that was made into a film starring Don Johnson in 1975 and the novel “I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream”. He’s won ten Hugo Awards, four Nebula Awards, and five Bram Stoker Awards (presented by the Horror Writers Association) including the Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996. He was one of my favorite science fiction writers until I actually met the man, but I digress…..

Mr. Ellison is known to live in an unusual home in Los Angeles himself, so was anxious to view Mr. Bard’s domicile.

Steve’s house features some of the following items, the list being somewhat incomplete and less than exhaustive:

Circus Sideshow Smallest Mummy
Frog Babies (pickled punks)
Siamese Twin calves, weasels, goats, etc
Two-faced pig, cow and kitten
Painting on the head of a pin
Victorian Art & Artifacts
Wreaths woven from human hair
Hundreds of Art Nouveau and Deco statues
Lovely paintings/prints covering walls & ceilings
Ornate carved antique furniture
Natural History specimens, exotic taxidermy, skulls/bones
Medical Specimens / Equipment
Human skeletons, skulls
Assorted Fetuses
Antique medical instruments & machines
Quack-medical electrical devices
Funeral Paraphernalia & Memorabilia
Antique coffins and carriers (adult/child)
Casket plate collection
Embalmer/mortician tools & tables
Library of Curious and Esoteric Tomes (25,000+ books)
Thousands of autographed Science Fiction 1st Eds
Hundreds of Fantasy and Lowbrow art books
Hundreds of antique Erotica, Curiosa & Sexology
Hundreds of Victorian Art books
Toaster Museum (150+ antique toasters)
Garden Architecture, Statuary and Art
13 foot tall Minotaur bust
25 foot tall Rapunzel castle tower
15 foot diameter formal fishpond w/ tiered fountain
Sinister Cemetery / Satanic Altar
New Treehouse
Funky Future Room (ie Jetsons / Barbarella decor)
Hundreds of cool kinetic art and lighting gadgets
Egg-shaped furniture (Stereo chair, sensory-deprivation tank)
Other Curiosities, Antiquities and Gadgetry too numerous to mention

Meet Mr. Bard and take a little tour of his unusual home…..

Steve and I always talk about “listing” the house for sale and having an Open House, coinciding with April Fools Day. Can you imagine the look on potential buyers and agents faces when I welcome them to this spectacular Open House?!?

If you liked that, you can view more photos of Steve Bard’s House here.

Or take a Virtual tour of Steve’s house, courtesy of VR Seattle.

And see photos of Steve’s house on Flickr

And friend Kirsten Anderson also had an entry on Boing Boing of Steve Bard’s Odditorium.

If you’re a science fiction fan, do not miss Kirsten’s science fiction art show at her gallery Roq la Rue, Amazing Visions. (And see photos of Seattle Mayor Greg Nichols at Fantagraphics Books on Kirsten Anderson’s blog “That Ain’t Art”.

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Other events of note, next weekend will be the Japanese comic and popular culture convention Sakura-Con. Very cool.

And don’t miss Norwescon, the only large (3000+ attendees) annual Science fiction/fantasy convention in Seattle, is this weekend, April 5-8, at the Airport Doubletree hotel (former Red Lion). The convention features a large fantasy art show and a dealer’s room full of books, jewelry, art, costumes, etc. There are a dozen tracks of continuous programming, ranging from writers on writing, science and technology, art and costuming workshops, etc. Major convention events include a masquerade costume show, presentation of the Philip K Dick Award for best softcover novel of 2006, dances, music, gaming, and lots of parties.

http://norwescon.org