That’s A Wrap!

REBarCampDC was a blast and everyone learned LOTS from the talented speakers. As a follow-up to the event, if you blogged about your experience, uploaded pictures to Flickr, or other activity related to this event – please post in the comments section below so that everyone can enjoy the information.

Already there have been emails floating about the next REBarCamp in the DC area. I’m not sure when that will be in 2010, but we’re definitely planning a reunion for the attendees in late January… just to catch up and see all the great people again!

REBarCamp Celebrities

Hey Real Estate Paparazzi!  Don’t forget to bring your cameras, iPhones, Flip Video cameras, etc. There’s going to be some serious real estate celebrities at REBarCampDC!  Some of these folks are traveling far and wide to come to DC (or rather Herndon, VA).  It’s time to roll out the red carpet.

Here’s a short list of some of the great guys and gals who will be attending (and many will likely be leading sessions).  As they say on Dancing with the Stars, in no particular order (except alphabetical):

Brian Block @blockrealestate – Brian’s a RE/MAX Broker and co-author of Profit from Technology (one of the sponsors of REBCDC).  You may’ve seen him as the Desperate REALTOR on YouTube (Nearly 15,000 people have!) or on the Neil Cavuto Show on Fox News.  He’s been to several REBarCamps including the first one ever in San Francisco 2008. Most recently he taught Real Estate Blogging to a standing room only crowd at NVAR’s Convention.

Bobby Carroll @rewebcoach – Bobby and his son Brad run Dakno, a premier provider of websites and blogs to the real estate industry.  He’s a veteran BarCamper having lost track of the number that he’s attended.  He’s always quick with helpful advice, enjoys livestreaming the conferences and hails from Raleigh, NC.  Bobby is one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet.

Jim Duncan @jimduncan – Jim’s a longtime real estate blogger who has been blogging before most people could spell blog.  He’s a partner in Nest Realty, which this year was named the Inman Innovative Brokerage of the Year.  Jim joins us from Charlottesville.

Heather Elias @hthrflynn – Heather is the Queen of the BarCamp.  If you’ve read about a real estate event, chances are Heather attended or spoke there.  Her blog LocoMusings was recently cited by Forbes as an example of an excellent hyper-local blog.  Heather teaches a very popular Facebook webinar, is the mother of 4, and still finds time to actively sell real estate in Loudoun County.  She’s also last year’s Virginia VARBuzz Blog Brawl Winner.  Yeah Heather!

Pamela Ermen – Real estate instructor extraordinaire – that’s the best way to describe Pam.  She got her real estate license at age 18 and by age 24 she was a full-time managing broker!  She teaches REALTORS how to build successful teams and was selected as the 2006 Virginia Real Estate Educator of the Year.  She joins us from Virginia Beach.

Allen Hainge – If you’ve been around real estate for any length of time, you’ve heard of Allen Hainge and his CyberStars.  We’re lucky to have Allen, one of the country’s top real estate trainers, right here in Reston.  Talk to Allen… you’ll learn something. Guaranteed.

Ray Hwang @VideosByAddress – Ray is a real estate video evangelist.  Not those flying picture vids, but real videos.  In fact, Videos by Address, a sponsor of REBCDC, is the only video company approved by MRIS, and just recently got approved for use on REALTOR.com.  Look for Ray behind the video camera.  He can get you on YouTube in no time.

Bill Lublin @billlublin – Successful REALTOR.  Uber-smart guy.  NAR bigwig.  Says it like it is, Philadelphia-style, that’s Bill Lublin.  CEO of Century 21 Advantage Gold and an active blogger in many places including AgentGenius, Bill is also the founder of the Social Media Marketing Institute.  If you want to challenge yourself and learn from experience, spend some time hangin’ with Bill.

Ben Martin  @bkmcae – Virginia is for Bloggers!  Learn from Ben Martin who’s helping Virginia and the Virginia Association of REALTORS pave the way for social media in real estate.  Ben’s the VP of Marketing and Communications for VAR and the brains and behind the VARBuzz blog.  He regularly speaks to REALTOR groups and other associations.  He also does a mean Axl Rose impersonation but only breaks it out once in a while.

Tina Merritt @tinainvirginia – Who hasn’t heard of Tina Merritt?  Shame on you!  She just won the NAR REALTOR Technology Spotlight Advocate Award.  She’s a trendsetter and she’s everywhere both on and offline enthusiastically spreading her love of all things tech & real estate.  Check out her training company Wolkia and think about heading to VA Beach for Social Media At (the Beach).

Matthew Rathbun @mattrathbun  — This guy’s a regular genius, an Agent Genius, that is.  Matt has just about every real estate designation under the sun!  He was also selected as Virginia’s Real Estate Educator of the Year in 2007.  He’s a full-time real estate educator and Director of Education for the Fredericksburg Association of REALTORS.  Matt writes his own blog at TheAgentTrainer.com

Margaret Rome – Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome!  She’s been using that slogan for years but that’s not the only reason why she’s one of the top real estate professionals in Baltimore, MD.  She recently published Real Estate the Rome Way.  Let’s just put it this way, Margaret knows her way around real estate.

Daniel Rothamel @RealEstateZebra – He’ll likely be wearing his trademark funky blogging jacket.  Daniel is the Inman News Community Manager.  He combines his passions for basketball refereeing, selling real estate, and discovering new technologies on his blog, The Real Estate Zebra.  He and his wife Kari are about to have their own Little Zebra.  Daniel travels the country speaking on real estate and technology topics.

This post was written by REBarCampDC volunteer Brian Block.

Beer For Bloggers!

What REBarCamp would be complete without a Beer For Bloggers event? We’ve got TWO of them!

On Monday night we’ll all be congregating around Mr. Cuervo at Jackson’s Mighty Fine Food & Lucky Lounge located at the Reston Town Center. For the out of towners, and locals who want to join, the fun begins at 6 p.m.

Then after a fine day of learning on Tuesday, we’ll continue the mayhem at Carpool Billiards in Herndon.

10 Ways Realtors® Can Use the Web to Sell More Homes

Real Estate BarCamp DC is going to be a HOT event, and we’re lucky to have some pretty impressive sponsors. Our Gold Sponsor, BOALT, provided this guest post written by celebrity-blogger Chris Garrett who is a world renown blogger and author of social media best seller ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income.

Think that headline is a big promise to make? Read on and I will explain everything …

Let me start by saying right up front that I am not a Realtor®, but I have had clients who are Realtors® and have managed to increase their sales and make better relationships with clients using simple web tactics. I know this stuff works when you do it right. As well as my own client’s experiences to go by, I also write about internet marketing and social media for BOALT, an interactive agency in Washington, DC that is one of the sponsors of REBarCampDC.

Between our two companies we have seen how the web can work powerfully for creating sales, and some areas to avoid that can collapse your efforts.

Let’s first take a look at what you SHOULD do …

How the web can help your Realtor® business:

1. Increase Visibility - The web can give you a huge boost in visibility. If you are competing for attention in a crowded market then you need all the visibility you can get, but even if you have few competitors you still need to be reachable. More and more people are turning to Google before anything else. Search is replacing the telephone directory, the rolodex, and in fact most people are turning to the web before even their lawyer or doctor. If you are not in Google then for most people you do not exist. At the very least you need to have a website containing the area you cover and your contact details.

2. Referrals - If your business is like mine then the majority of your new client leads come from referrals. The internet makes it easy for someone to refer you. Simply give them easy to use tools and they will use them. Enable your visitors to send your content to friends via email or Twitter, and encourage recommendations and referrals via LinkedIn and FaceBook.

3. Word of mouth - The internet spreads word of mouth at the speed of light. You need to be involved if you want to have any influence on the conversations that are happening. Again, make sure you are in the social media tools and getting involved with forums and blogs. You want your name to be the go-to person for your area.

4. Networking – Most Realtors know the influence of networking, but do you want to be one of those folks who hands out a million business cards with nothing to show for it? Of course not. Accelerate and deepen your networking performance by using online tools, if only to keep in touch with the people you meet face to face. Using the web you really are only a couple of degrees separated from most of the planet. Make use of it.

5. Long term value – So many people have a short term focus but with a few simple measures, such as a blog or email newsletter, you can grow your long term loyalty so when people are ready to buy they turn to you first.

6. Community outreach - Instead of trying to draw people to you, go to where they already are and engage them there, then give them reasons to come back to you. If they are on FaceBook then meet them there, if they hang out on Twitter then be there. Once you have made contact, show them valuable content on your website or blog, then get them to subscribe to your email.

7. Relationships - We like to work with people who we know, like and trust. This needs to build over time, it is very difficult to make a client fall in love with you at first sight! Start the process with content, keep top of mind with content, and remind them with content.

8. Trust - Very linked to relationship is trust, how does the prospect know you are the right person for the job? Demonstrate credibility, trust, personality and expertise with your content, case studies, and testimonials.

9. Research - Find out what your market is thinking! The web is not just a source of leads but also a great tool for information and insight. Get inside the mind of your prospects, know what they are worried about, talking about, and looking for. Use Twitter search, monitor conversations, and use keyword research tools to discover the hot search patterns.

10. Video - Use video to do all of the above! Did you know YouTube is now the world’s second biggest search engine? This means you need to be in video, for the direct traffic, the viral traffic, to show off your magnetic personality, and to boost your positive branding.

Looking at this list might seem daunting, but you can take all of this stuff one step at a time. It need not be your life’s work, but the sooner you get started the sooner you start to reap the benefits.

This blog post was provided by BOALT, an interactive agency in Washington, D.C. BOALT’s guest blogger, Chris Garrett is the author of this blog post. For more information about BOALT, please visit: www.boalt.com or twitter: @boalt.

Parking & Shuttle Service

As we have a minor limitation on parking at the event site, several options/arrangements have been made for additional parking nearby. First, for those coming from out of town who are staying at the Embassy Suites Hotel – they will be providing a shuttle service both to-and-from the site. Lunch is being provided so there is no need for you to leave during the day or to have personal transportation.

Second, a nearby church – St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church – has graciously agreed to permit us to park in their lot and walk over. It is a quick 2-minute walk, but if the weather turns bad we will have a someone with an SUV picking up people parking at the church lot.

Here is a google map customized to show all three locations – event site, church parking and hotel location.

View RE BarCamp DC in a larger map

Remember to arrive early to allow plenty of time to park, check-in, and get settled!

Hotel for Out-of-Towners!

Thanks to the wonderful people at Embassy Suites Hotel, we have negotiated a special group rate for folks travelling from places afar! Our hotel is less than 2 miles from the center and best of all – they are running a shuttle to the location for all attendees!

Embassy Suites Hotel
13341 Woodland Park Drive
Herndon, VA 20171 (Map)

Group Rate: $149/night
To Make Reservations:
Call hotel directly at 703-464-0200
Verify group association: REBCDC when making reservation.

Hotel Highlights:
These are two room suites w/LR and BR area – so sharing with other attendees is good!
There is a full complimentary breakfast!
Between 5-7pm there is a complimentary cocktail hour w/heavy munchies.
There will be a shuttle from the hotel to the location.

We’re Giving Back!

The beauty of Real Estate BarCamp in general is that its people sharing their knowledge freely with others. Then in July, Todd Carpenter posted on the main REBarCamp blog about making a difference as a group. REBarCampDC is going to contribute to that process by giving all proceeds to DC Central Kitchens – and their “Fresh Start Catering” program is going to cater our lunch at the event.

DC Central Kitchens began in 1989 by redistributing the excess food leftover from the Presidential Inauguration celebrations. Its mission is to strengthen and empower homeless men and women. They provide culinary training to help them find jobs, and provide counseling and mentorship. This program makes a tremendous difference in the lives of homeless people in the DC-Metro area, and this year celebrates their 20th anniversary.

After expenses are covered, any excess monies from sponsorships will be made as a direct donation to DC Central Kitchens. Additionally, on the day of the event we will be taking up donations from attendees who wish to give as well.

Note: Although you can make donations directly on their Web site, we ask that you hold your donations until our event. Online donations have credit card processing fees subtracted – whereas check and cash donations will be taken up on the day of #REBCDC.

New Sponsorship Levels

We all know RE BarCamp is a terrific unConference, but the REBCDC is going to be “off the hook” in terms of the event and the sessions! Already we have people coming together to take it all to the next level of information and sharing. If you miss it, you’re missing a lot!

Because we have companies interested in becoming a sponsor on so many levels, we have additional sponsorship opportunities now available. Check it out!

Many thanks to the sponsors who have already stepped up, and please show them some link-love on your own blogs for being early adopters of this event!

We will also be announcing our designated charity for the event soon, so stay tuned to this space for the announcement!

Sponsorships Now Open

We’ve now posted the button for Sponsors, and to make it a level playing field there is only one price. All sponsors will receive equal billing on the Web site, and an equal spot on the swag table during the event itself. The cost to be a sponsor is $250 because our goal is to merely offset the cost for doing this event, not to make money off everyone.

There a select few of “special” sponsorships that are being treated differently. If you know a company or person who can fulfill any of the below needs, they will receive a reduced-rate sponsorship.

1. Parking Overflow. One of the restrictions we have at the location is parking, but our center is large enough to take a much larger capacity. We are looking for a company near the Herndon Center who will allow people to park in their lot.
2. In conjunction with the parking, we would like someone to offer to “ferry” people at the offsite lot to the meeting location. This could potentially be a limo company, or if the parking lot is close enough a golf cart or two.

If you would like additional information on sponsoring this event, please contact Ainsley: (click here).

RE BarCamp DC is Official!

After a few minor technical difficulties, REBarCamp DC is officially open for business. Stay tuned to this Web site for more details.

Most importantly, RSVP now because space is limited and almost always sells out!

SPONSORS!  We are in need of sponsors for this event. Sponsors receive recognition on this Web site (logo), a spot on the swag table, and the opportunity to network with technologically savvy real estate agents all day long. For more details, click here.