Blogging for Real Estate with Top Blogger and Agent Mary Pope-Handy
Welcome Back to Season 7 Episode 7!
On today’s show, I’m interviewing Mary Pope-Handy, who has been selling homes full time since 1993. She is based in Los Gatos and sells real estate throughout San Jose, Saratoga, Campbell and all over Santa Clara County in California. She has been a top 5% producer since the early years, have won many awards for production but also for service and her real estate writing. She is a prolific blogger and real estate educator, that’s why I thought it would be amazing to have Mary on the show today.
On the show, we talk about best practices in selling a home, as well as habits of successful real estate professionals. We also dive into blogging for real estate and how to blog successfully for your real estate business.
Next week the podcast will be taking a one-week break. I have been dealing with some personal health issues. I had an old back injury that’s extended to my neck and my hip and it has been difficult for me to move around and do work. So I was not able to record an episode with a guest this week. But the week after, I’ll be interviewing Pam Christiansen again. She was amazing earlier this season with her expertise in workflow management, home staging logistics, and inventory management. She is going to come back to talk to us about profit margins. I’ll be announcing the recording time in our private Facebook group and through the email list. So if you are not yet on our email list, you can sign up on our website on the sidebar of the blog.
About Mary
I am a full-time, second generation REALTOR® since early 1993. I’m in the top 5% or better each year since early in my career.
I’m an area native and my local knowledge is extensive. I sell real estate in all of Santa Clara County and Silicon Valley with an emphasis on Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, Saratoga, Almaden Valley, Campbell, and several districts within the City of San Jose, especially Cambrian Park, Almaden Valley and Willow Glen. (The “west valley” is my primary focus.)
Additionally, I have assisted buyers and sellers all over San Jose and the Santa Clara Valley generally (the Vendome area, Japantown, the Rosegarden, Evergreen, Milpitas, Santa Clara, Santa Teresa, South San Jose, Sunnyvale, etc.). I am familiar with the individual cities and towns in Silicon Valley and the districts and neighborhoods in San Jose too. In many cases, I am familiar with the work of local builders as well. though Once in awhile I do venture farther: I have sold in Scotts Valley, Redwood Shores, Fremont, Livermore, etc. as well.
An education junkie, I have an ongoing and extensive real state education – including 8 college-level courses: finance, appraisal, real estate law, real estate practice, real estate economics, real estate brokerage, real estate principals, and property management. I take non-required coursework to stay on the cutting edge, including courses on marketing, feng shui, negotiation, contracts, and much more. Recently I completed a negotiation class within the Stanford Innovation and Entrepreneurship Certificate program.
Additionally, I co-authored a book, “How To Get The Best Deal When Selling Your Home In Silicon Valley” (Dec 2004). It has been very well received and is now available in libraries and some stores. It would be my pleasure to give you a copy when we meet for our first appointment.
For Mary’s full bio, visit: http://popehandy.com/about-mary-pope-handy/
Some of the Qs I asked on Today’s Show:
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Tell us about how you got started in real estate?
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Tell us about your business.
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What is your market like?
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I know you’ve also co-authored a book on home selling. What are some of your top advices in selling the home?
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How did you start blogging in real estate?
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Do you have to be very tech savvy to start a blog?
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How much do you blog and what do you blog about?
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How has blogging changed your business?
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Do you ever get writer’s block?
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What does your online marketing strategy look like? Is blogging the only thing that you do?
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How about offline marketing? How do you get clients and listings?
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What are some of the biggest misconceptions about blogging?
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If someone wants to start blogging about his or hers real estate business, what advices do you have?
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How do you blog to boost your SEO?
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How do you write to connect with your potential customers?
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Do you repurpose and/or refresh your older content for something else?
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What are some of the trends you are seeing with technology and blogging in real estate?
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Lastly, if someone can only follow one advice, what is the top one advice you have for real estate professionals who want to start a blog for their business?
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NAR statistics on how buyers overestimate home renovation costs
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how to maximize the sales price on your home
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importance of home inspections
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key issues with disclosure and the danger of not disclosing
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the number 1 cause of real estate lawsuits
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how to cover your vulnerable spots as a home seller
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disclosures in California
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how to prepare for a successful home sale
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how do new real estate agents get started
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how to start blogging in real estate
Examples of Mary’s Blog
Mary crunches a lot of numbers herself on her blog, mostly using the MLS but sometimes using other tools (RPR, or a subscription that she has). Here are some of the image examples:
Here’s one blog with the absorption rate for the city of Saratoga by price and high school district (there are 3 in Saratoga, and it makes a difference): http://sanjoserealestatelosgatoshomes.com/saratoga-ca-real-estate-market-update/
Connect with Mary
Website: http://SanJoseRealEstateLosGatosHomes.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LosGatosRealEstate/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/marypopehandy
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marypopehandy/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/marypopehandy/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/popehandy/
If you want to help & support the show, there are 3 ways:
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Leave a review and ratings in iTunes
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Share the show on social media!
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Donate to support the hosting costs for the website and the podcast. You can make a donation through the show notes or on the sidebar of our site.
LISTEN TO TODAY’S SHOW
If you want to support the show and keep it going, you can do so by leaving a review and rating on iTunes, that will help other people to find our show. If you find the podcast helpful to your home sale and would like to donate a few bucks to help with the hosting of the show, there’s now a donation button on the blog sidebar to your right, you can donate $5 or more to help with costs associated with the show.
