Margaret Rome's Blog

Dave Meurer, National City Mortgage, and 

Margaret Rome, The Real Estate Company of Maryland 

Present

A Day of Technology with Dick Betts

Thursday, October 30, 2008
at the Greater Baltimore Board of REALTORS® Office
1306 Bellona Avenue, Lutherville, MD

Today's Top Technology Trends    9 a.m. -  Noon

Some of the concepts covered include:

• Creating a technology plan
• The e-PRO designation
• Websites and your presence in the on-line world
• Promoting you and your listings thru domain marketing
• Email hosting
• Name branding
• How blogging affects you Google ranking.

Smartphone Fundamentals for the Real Estate Professional      1:30 - 4:30pm

(Palm OS & Windows devices) *YOU DO NOT NEED TO OWN A SMARTPHONE TO ATTEND*

In this hands-on class, you'll learn:

• How to navigate around the device
• The 6 different ways to input information
• How to look up information with just a thumb (very helpful while driving!)
• How to set up contacts
• Where to store information
• Some "Tips & Tricks" for getting the most out of your device  

Reserve

your

seat today!

 $20 for 1 class, $30 for both.

Email: mrome@homerome.com, put "Registration" in the Subject Line

Call to reserve your seat

 410-530-2400

Dick Betts is a national speaker specializing in Smartphones, business building & management programs, and keeping agents up-to-date on the latest technology. Dick speaks to more than 25,000 real estate professionals a year, and is an NAR Certified e-PRO Trainer. www.DickBetts.com

             Program Sponsored By:

 Dave Meurer - National City Mortgage - 410-241-7908

Margaret Rome - The Real Estate Company of Maryland - 410-530-2400 

Proceeds Benefit GBBR Foundation

I am absolutely overwhelmed by the generosity, enthusiasm, and support of all the Rainers who have reached out by email and phone and I think even mental telepathy to marketing guru Seth Godin on my behalf. With a jump start from wonderful Broker Bryant, you've been sending the word every way you could, and you can be very proud of your efforts.

Now I can tell you that I wrote to Seth and he responded!  He's very gracious and says that he envies me for the great friends I have. And that what really worked was "… that you reached out and wrote to me and I wrote back."  But he also said that it's enough with the onslaught of messages from this amazing Tribe.

I knew that the Active Rain community was powerful, but…Wow! I think something Seth wrote in his blog on Wednesday is very appropriate here: "Attention can be worth more than money. Enthusiasm is priceless." Thank you all my priceless friends!

Now, please no more messages/emails/calls/or blogs to Seth.

www.HomeRome.com

410-530-2400

There was sunshine and conversation and laughter in Timonium, MD, last evening. The Mays Chapel North office of SunTrust Bank hosted a wine and cheese networking event for real estate agents, and invited me to come talk about my book. SunTrust Mortgage has a dynamo Mortgage Consultant in Sharon Clatterbuck who comes up with all sorts of creative marketing ideas, and she's the one who organized the fun event.

Timonium is north of Baltimore and this was a great opportunity to meet some new people and reconnect with others I haven't seen in a long time. My publisher, Peg Silloway, was with me and enjoyed visiting an area she knows well, having worked nearby for several years.

Cheryl Schaffer, Vice President and Branch Manager, made us feel so welcome, and Cheryl Davis, the Assistant Branch Manager, helped keep the atmosphere upbeat. That was something that really impressed me – in these days of doom and gloom, these bankers were optimistic and outgoing. What a pleasure!

I enjoyed talking with Jesse and Jeri Hannon of RE/MAX Acclaimed Realty, along with other Realtors® and bank and mortgage officers. The most fun was watching Sharon's excitement about Real Estate the Rome Way; at one point she was showing our book order forms in her best Vanna White style.

After the official event was over, we sat around the remaining goodies (delicious cheese, crackers, chocolate!) and chatted for more than an hour. I introduced them to the Type E quiz on my website – we weren't surprised to find out that Sharon is a full mystic Type E like me. It was a fantastic evening, and we left very impressed with the people at that SunTrust office. We're looking forward to seeing them again for a book signing party!

www.HomeRome.com

410-530-2400

It's always nice when someone notices what you're doing. When they blog about it, it's even better! One of TRAC's auction signs for a property in Ellicott City, MD turned up in a non-real estate blog recently.

WordBones wrote:

Earlier this week, this sign popped up on the corner of New Cut Road and Montgomery Road in Ellicott City. The actual property being auction is on College Avenue, about three miles from this spot.

What struck me is that this is an "absolute" auction and that includes real estate and "contents." Many real estate auctions contain a "reserve" price which enables the seller to reject any offer that doesn't meet that reserve price. In theory, any bidder who shows up with the $10,000 needed to bid could walk away with the whole eleven acres and even a "Corvette" for that price. In reality it will likely go for much more but one thing is certain, it will be sold by TRAC Auctions on November 1st. You can get more detail on
the offering here."

This is a great example of why signs still do work, and sometimes they lead to more exposure than you expect!

Our own Auctioneer, Paul Sobwick who can be reached at  410 707-6361, had this to say:

It is rare these days that I have an opportunity to take part in what I call " a good ole fashion country auction" where everything sells from soup to nuts. Years ago as I grew up in farm county, the Ohio valley newspapers were filled with estate and  farm sales.

Tractors, tools, equipment, antiques, boxes filled with old books and treasures unleashed themselves to the public for the first time in decades. You name it, you can find it at these type of auctions.

This particular auction will also be offering an 11 acre tract of land in a prime location in Howard County Md. one of the most sought after locations to live in the Baltimore/Washington D.C area.

Two homes, four individual parcels all surrounded by state park land. Everything is sold to the highest bidder, Regardless of price!

Everyone loves these auctions because buyers come knowing the property will sell on that day, no questions asked.
Hope to see you at the Auction.

www.HomeRome.com

410-530-2400

He has great ideas, he writes great blogs, and he's one of the best of this great online community. And now he's the winner of my "What are the Chances Seth Godin Will Review My Book?" contest.

There were lots of great suggestions, and  Missy Caulk was oh so generous when she reblogged the contest post and got a bunch more comments. Thanks to all the Rainers who participated for the phone calls and emails and comments. To Vickie, who after thinking awhile -- came back liking  Bryant's suggestion. And to Lois Geller who stopped by to say that Seth wrote an introduction to one of her books. To Greg Gorman, a CyberStar^® and founder of a new group Bright Ideas, who suggested "…just pick up the phone and call him." And to mARTi (who has his own Active Rain Triiibe) who also said pick up the phone, and put "Seth Godin" as a keyword. To Connie Harvey who I had a delightful phone conversation with, and Kathy McGraw who also liked Bryant's idea. To Robert Swetz who sent  congratulations and has ideas for  writing his own book; I hope to talk with him soon. And to Randy who just stopped by with his kind words and congratulations from Hawaii.

You were all great to jump in with typical Active Rain enthusiasm and creativity. But Bryant Tutas' combination approach was the winner:

"One thing is you can be sure Seth has google alerts set up. So how about this.

"Hey Seth Godin!!!! Come over and review Margaret Rome's new book"

Now we just have to get as many ARers as possible to copy and paste that phrase into their posts for the next week."

A contribution is on its way to World Vision in Bryant's honor. You may remember he recently wrote a powerful blog about the need for action in Africa here on Active Rain.

So now I'm following up with Bryant's and others' suggestions. Will they work? The Active Rain community will be the first to know!

www.HomeRome.com

410-530-2400

Sharon and Missy and Colleen have talked about marketing guru Seth Godin's newest book, Tribes. In a series of innovative and gutsy marketing moves, first he invited people to join a new networking site called Triiibes if they would preorder his book. Then, before the book was officially published, he sent a free copy to everyone who had ordered and paid for a book. With that surprise copy came a letter of thanks, and a request that everyone keep and read the free copy, but give the one they paid for to someone else. Absolutely stunning!

Most of you know I have a book coming out next month. What could be better than a review by Seth Godin? But this man must get thousands of emails a day, and does not publish a phone number. So how to get his attention?

If there's any group or tribe that could do it, it's the Active Rain community. I've seen many creative ideas come from this group before, so the natural thing to do is ask: How do we get Seth Godin to review Real Estate the Rome Way?

Knowing that Active Rainers can be just a bit competitive, I decided to make it a contest. Whoever comes up with the best idea on how to get Seth's attention to my book will receive a signed copy of Real Estate the Rome Way, plus a contribution to their favorite charity. Time's short, so the contest ends Sunday evening, October 19, at 6:00 p.m. Eastern time, and I'll announce the winner on Monday, October 20.

Ready…set…innovate!

www.HomeRome.com

410-530-2400

My friend and client, Tatiana, has created quite a stir in the City by the Bay. Traveling from her home in New Mexico to downtown San Francisco, she recently introduced herself and her artwork at Gumps. If you've ever been to this fabulous store – or seen their online presence – you know that having an opportunity to present to this home of fine jewelry and furnishings is quite a coup.

Not only did she make a presentation, but the entire staff of Gumps came in to the store early just to meet and hear from her, and see her art. The icing on this elegant cake? Gumps bought 31 of her pieces. That's about the equivalent of selling a multi-million dollar home to a high-profile celebrity! 

Success stories are always fun, but when you know the person and know how much they put into their work, it's even better. I love that she's getting this recognition and success!

www.HomeRome.com

410-530-2400

Another glorious fall day for flying with Lee's Saturday morning group. We took our Beechcraft Baron to Cambridge again for a delightful lunch at Kay's. This time there were several Pitts Specials at the airport including a red and blue flame beauty belonging to Randy, our friend's son. After lunch, the guys said, "Hey Margaret, you wanna go up with Randy?" It was sort of a dare, since you'll remember I went up in an experimental plane not too long ago. Wheeee What Fun! This is Flying…the Rest is Just Transportation!

Of course, I took them up on it, and thought to myself, "Oh, there is blog coming on!" Randy showed me how to climb in, one foot goes here, the tush goes here, step on the seat and sit on the parachute, put your feet on the metal spaces on each side, buckle everything in. Within a few minutes we were taxiing down the runway in an S pattern. Randy assured me he had not been drinking. Yep, because this is a tail dragger, you cannot see out the front while on the ground unless you waggle side to side as you go. Before I knew it, he said, "Are you ready?" and we were off - straight up like a rocket. Both ears popped. What excitement!

I learned later that the Pitts Special is the world's leading high performance aerobatic aircraft, and that it's as happy flying upside down as it is right side up. No, we didn't turn over, but we could have! It was so much fun, and I want to go again when we have more time. As it was, I kept postponing a listing appointment that was at 2:00, changed it to 3:00, then 4:00, then 5:00 pm. Who needs another listing in this market?

There were five other Pitts parked in Cambridge that day, but none as pretty as "our" Pitts. If you ever get a chance to fly in one, take it – you won't  be able to stop grinning!

www.HomeRome.com

410-530-2400

It was one of those crisp fall mornings still dark at 6:45 am. As I got out of the car to go in for my workout at Lifebridge, I felt the delightful cool morning air (most people feel that is cold). It was in the 50's, and the sky was magnificent. Not only were the colors rich and glowing, just look at the reflection off the building!

I love these temperatures and Johnny, my personal trainer, even took me outside for half of my exercise. He is very creative and does not allow this Type E person to get bored.

When I returned home, I noticed that the same colors of the sky were greeting me with the beautiful fall colors of the mums and the changing leaves. All this beauty in Baltimore, just going to the gym and right here on my front porch.

Life is good!

www.HomeRome.com

410-530-2400