2 questions you should never ask foreign clients

Cultural differences in real estate

BY BERNICE ROSS, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012.

Inman News®

Foreign real estate clients image via Shutterstock.

Editor's note: This is the first of a two-part series.

Sooner or later you will probably work with a buyer or seller from another country. If you handle the transaction well, you can have a steady stream of referrals for many years to come. The key is how to avoid the cultural pitfalls that could cost you the deal.

With the worst of the real estate downturn behind us, the United States continues to be an attractive place for offshore investors to purchase property. Establishing a niche serving global buyers and sellers can be a smart move for a variety of reasons.

Real estate should embrace 'the visual Web'

Websites should be responsive, but not at the expense of design

BY TOM FLANAGAN, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2012.

Inman News®

Screen shot of ERA.com home page.

Responsive design and the visual Web are two trends gaining traction on the Web. They are vastly different approaches, but both of these styles are having an effect on our desktop and mobile strategies.

The visual Web is characterized by big, beautiful imagery that features a contemporary layout. Platforms such as Pinterest and Instagram have been a catalyst for the movement. "Images and video are becoming an increasingly important part of what we consume online," says Richard MacManus, founder and editor in chief of ReadWriteWeb, writing about "The Rise of Beautiful Apps."

Although not always executed properly, photography has always been a staple of real estate marketing. The visual Web is a trend that the industry can leverage. Photography -- or better yet, amazing photography -- is a wonderful way to showcase communities, neighborhoods and homes.

Websites that depend on agent dollars are doomed | Realtor Notebook

BY TERESA BOARDMAN, THURSDAY, JUNE 14, 2012 Inman News®

Dinosaur image via Shutterstock.

A couple of months ago I was contacted by the editor for a local news website. They syndicate some of my real estate content and we have had an ongoing relationship for many years.

They wanted to talk about having neighborhood pages with real estate listings on their website, and they wanted to get local agents to pay to sponsor the pages and to pay to advertise real estate listings on them.

Take your photo strategy beyond listings | Realtor Notebook

BY TERESA BOARDMAN Inman News®

St. Paul, Minn. Victorian home photo credit Teresa Boardman.

Home buying and selling activity started picking up a few months ago and is still going strong. But for me, it is also photography season.

I have an endless, inexhaustible need for photographs for blog posts and for advertising, and everything seems to look better in June. Some of the photographs I will take in the next two months will be sold next winter, and others will bring me clients.