I relish every opportunity to travel to the Crystal Coast of NC! My upcoming trip to the NC Coast will be extra special as I get to combine my visit to the Southern Outer Banks with the opportunity to do what I’m passionate about – helping Crystal Coast real estate agents understand the power of the Internet. The prospect of meeting and sharing at real estate conferences and events is something I really feel I’m made to do. In fact, I’ve been asked to speak to the local chapter of the Women’s Council of REALTORS®!

See You at the Crystal Coast Women’s Council Luncheon!

I want to offer a tremendous “thank you” to Kathryn V. Gorham for this terrific opportunity. As the 2010 President of the Women’s Council of REALTORS® for the Crystal Coast Chapter, Kathryn is a top notch real estate pro and blogger. If you are a member of the Women’s Council of REALTORS® along the Crystal Coast, I trust I’ll see at this event!

Bobby Carroll – Speaks for the Crystal Coast Women’s Council of REALTORS®

The luncheon is scheduled for February 24th Wednesday, at 11:30am – 1pm at the Country Club of the Crystal Coast in Pine Knoll Shores.

Internet Tools Needed to Connect With Women Buyers

What online marketing tools do you leverage when connecting with women homebuyers? Kathryn has asked me to speak on the topic “I am Woman Hear Me Roar” – Marketing to Women Buyers! In case you didn’t know, female homebuyers are a growing segment in our real estate market place.

Below is a brief summary of some of the tools Crystal Coast real estate agents should use to connect with women homebuyers. The tools I’ll discuss include:

1.    What is the “hub” of your online presence? How about your real estate website and your blog? Does your hub answer the questions female homebuyers are asking?
2.    Concerned about the time drain to maintain a real estate blog? YES! Blogging can be easy. Learn about The 5 minute blog post women love to read and agents love to write!
3.    Do you use Facebook? FB is the single largest social networking site for women. Are you using your personal profile to “listen” for “social triggers” and engage with your FB friends? Are you even aware of these opportunities to respond to these social triggers?
4.    Are using Facebook Fan Pages to connect with women homebuyers? Fan pages are FREE websites within FB! What’s the best strategy to attract women prospects and encourage them to be “your fan”?

Crystal Coast Real Estate Agents – See You Soon!

I’m so excited at the opportunity to share at this event. If you are a Crystal Coast real estate agent I trust I will see you will be at the Crystal Coast chapter of the Women’s Council of REALTORS® Wednesday, February 24th at 11:30am.

Bobby Carroll

P.S. If you are interested in having me speak at your event, be sure to complete this real estate speakers request form today!

I have received many calls and questions emailed to me from readers wanting information about Crystal Coast homes and specifically about Emerald Isle condos for rent and for sale. Most of these questions center around the local Emerald Isle real estate market, and questions about things to do in Emerald Isle.

My Personal Favorite Entries From the Crystal Coast Blog

To help provide the answers many visitors to this blog have asked, here are some of my personal favorite past Crystal Coast Blog post.

Which Type of Emerald Isle Real Estate Agent Should You Select? One Who Blogs or One Who Doesn’t?

Internet Connectivity High on the List of Crystal Coast Hotel Guest

Questions for Crystal Coast Home Buyers

Factors that Impact the Success of Selling Your Emerald Isle Property

Is There Such a Thing as a Long-term Emerald Isle Rental?

The Cool Things You Can Do With Your iPhone on Emerald Isle!

Great Coffee on Emerald Isle – Beans-N-Screens

I hope you enjoy reading these post as much as I enjoyed writing them!

Feel free to leave a comment and let me know which one was your “personal fav”!
Bobby Carroll – Your Crystal Coast Blogger

I often receive phone calls from renters seeking a long-term Emerald Isle beach front home or condo. I’ve found most of these inquiries come from younger couples especially military couples stationed at Camp LeJeune who are looking for a long-term rental. A few of things occur during these calls.

Educating the Emerald Isle Renter

I feel it is my first responsibility is to help educate those who call about locating a rental property on Emerald Isle. Many renters are unaware of the higher costs associated with renting property on Emerald Isle. Emerald Isle’s location is far more desirable than a rental property located on the mainland in Jacksonville, Cape Carteret or Swansboro. Second, many callers have a dream of finding a long-term condo or single-family property rental right on the oceanfront never giving thought those situations are so few (if not impossible to find). Why? Let me explain.

Emerald Isle Property Investors Really Want Higher Rental Rates

For an Emerald Isle property owner, they prefer to have their vacation property rented for short-term rentals driving higher rental rates. Obviously, higher rentals rates occur during the desirable peak summer months. It’s a simple matter of economics. This is especially true for those properties located on or near the oceanfront or along the Bogue Sound. Move slightly away from the beach or sound and the likelihood an Emerald Isle property can be rented for a year or longer becomes more economically feasible for both the property owner and the potential renter.

Desirability and Emerald Isle Property Values Increase Rental Rates

Just keep in mind, long-term Emerald Isle rental units will always incur higher rental rates than rental properties located on the mainland. It’s all because of the law of the supply and demand, desirability and higher property values. And property on Emerald Isle is very desirable!

What has been your experience renting long-term rental property on Emerald Isle? Be the first to leave a comment.

Bobby Carroll – Your Crystal Coast Blogger

It seems a day doesn’t go by that another really cool iPhone APP is introduced. I really enjoy my iPhone and try to take full advantage of all its available applications, features and benefits. For everyone who visits or lives on the Crystal Coast and especially in the town of Emerald Isle, I suggest you put to good use your iPhone the minute you arrive and select the “Nearby” application. With Nearby, you can locate all kinds of great information uploaded by local Crystal Coast residents.

Search for Emerald Isle Homes for Sale with the Trulia APP!

If you are in the market for an Emerald Isle home or condo, be sure to download and test-drive the property search app provided by Trulia. This neat application offers Emerald Isle home buys a property search and mapping solution while the Nearby application contains user-generated content of recommended restaurants and services with mapped Crystal Coast locations.

Emerald Isle Home Sellers

If you are thinking about selling your Emerald Isle home, the first question that I would ask my Emerald Isle real estate agent is this – “Do you own an iPhone (or some sort of smartphone) and do you know about the great APPs (especially the APP called Nearby?” and the second question I would ask is this – “Do you upload your Emerald Isle property listings to the website Trulia?” Now I’m sure you are wondering why in the world would an Emerald Isle real estate agent would need to know about iPhone applications. Allow me to explain:

• First, it is a true test just how tech-savvy (and marketing savvy) your Emerald Isle real estate agent really is. Are they keeping up with the latest smartphone technology available to empower consumers. For your sake, you better know your agent is staying ahead of the technology curve.

• It lets you know how web-savvy your potential listing Emerald Isle real estate agent is. If your agent isn’t taking advantage of these tools to attract more buyers to your Crystal Coast property, you might be risking your Carteret county home languishing on the market due to lack of maximized exposure. This is especially true now that more consumers are using smartphones and specifically, iPhone apps like Nearby and the Trulia property search on their cell phones.

What Other iPhone APP’s Do You Use?

As you can see from the screenshots from my phone, I have a wide variety of social networking apps, a couple of games and the really critical applications like Twitter and WordPress app so I can blog on the fly from my phone.

Own an iPhone?

So which applications do you like and use often when visiting or residing on Emerald Isle?

I look forward to your comments,

Bobby Carroll

Your Crystal Coast Blogger

Update: phones and other similar technology tools (blogs, websites, and marketing tools) help real estate agents carry out their duties and responsibilities to serve their clients. Consumers would do well to carefully look at the way an agent uses all technology tools efffectively to deliver the results you seek.

Do You Think the TBJ Reads the Crystal Coast Blog?

If you’re like me, I like to read my area’s local Biz Journal. In fact, even in this day and age of RSS feeds, Google Reader and news aggregators, yes I still read the paper. Archaic isn’t it. Because I have a subscription to the TBJ, I receive their daily email updates on “breaking news stories.” Well I received an email today from TBJ and it included a story entitled “Study: Few execs leave the office behind while on vacation“. Wouldn’t you know I had to go leave a comment and gloat a bit. You see, I wrote (dare I say scooped!) a post on a similar topic entitled  “Wireless Web the Most Requested Amenity for Hotel Guest“. Me thinks the writers of the TBJ are reading my Crystal Coast Blog!

Making a Case for Providing Internet Access

In my previous post I recommended Crystal Coast vacation property owners provide the “wired generation” their Internet “tether” or chance losing precious Emerald Isle rental revenue. It seems my TBJ friends were “tuned in” to my wave length as their article indicated C-level corporate types and mid-level managers surveyed stated wired vacations were a must.

Luxury Emerald Isle Vacation Rental Properties – Go Wireless or Miss the (Gravy) Boat!

The evidence is pretty compelling, either add Internet connectivity (of the wireless variety) or possibly lose rental revenue from the very target audience (corporate executives) you are trying to attract to your Emerald Isle luxury beach rental home. It’s as simple as that.

I look forward to your feedback.

Helping you “connect” with more Emerald Isle real estate rental opportunities,

Bobby

Lately I have been thinking about the direction of topics and information provided in this blog. One key element I teach every blogger is you must know who your audience is and then provide “high-value” content to your audience in your blog. That way, loyal readers will return time and again to read your fresh content.

The SEO Benefits to a “Themed Blog”

Another important element is to make sure a blog has a central theme for search engines. Random thoughts across a broad spectrum of topics can confuse the likes of Google and Yahoo, not to mention my readers.

Real Estate Agents and Brokers Read the Crystal Coast Blog

Because of my activities as a real estate marketing coach, I advise my real estate agent clients and other real estate related professionals the best practices related to real estate web sites, blog sites, blogging and search engine optimization. And yes, I have used this portal to occasionally speak to that audience. I’m confident my clients and other industry friends who hang out at online social media sites read this blog too. My site stats and the comments left by real estate agents bare this out.

Speaking to Crystal Coast Consumers

Then again, consumers who visit the Crystal Coast for their vacation, and others who are thinking about buying and selling a home on the Southern Outer Banks of NC read this portal. It was and still is my mission to provide meaningful travel and vacation tips mixed with real estate buying and selling strategies so you will make the absolute best decisions about your Emerald Isle real estate transaction or vacation trip.

Slight Topical Shift Ahead

Going forward, each new post added to the Crystal Coast Blog will be 100% focused to you, the consumers. If you are seeking information on vacations on the Crystal Coast as well as those families and individuals seeking to buy and sell property in Emerald Isle and all along the Crystal Coast, this blog is for you!

Plenty of Resources for the Real Estate Crowd

If you’re a real estate agent or broker and you were expecting to find articles to help you  better understand the dynamics of real estate marketing, I will be featuring those articles on several blog portals including the blog at dakno.com, at BloggingBootCamp.com and the Bloggerlounge.com blog.

Please let me know how you feel about this slight change in topical direction.

Bobby Carroll – The Crystal Coast Blogger

How a Blogger Will Benefit You in Your Next Emerald Isle Home Sell or Purchase

The purpose of this post is to convey the many ways an Emerald Isle real estate agent will benefit  you. Yes – believe it or not, an Emerald Isle real estate agent that regularly writes on a blog offers Crystal Coast home sellers and buyers so many benefits. So now that I have you wondering how a real estate blogger is going to help you Mr. or Ms. Emerald Isle home buyers or seller, consider this; real estate professionals who blog tend to be:

• Far more tech-savvy than the average agent allowing them to utilize all of the computer technologies to make their business more productive for their clients.
• Agents who are well read! Another words, effective real estate agent bloggers understand they must be good readers to be a good blogger. That means you will be getting an agent who typically stays abreast of the latest tips and tricks in the industry to bring more knowledge and greater value to your experience. Remember – knowledge and value are powerful assets for you!
• Understanding of the power of online resources and has the unique ability to tap into the resources of the web including proficient use of online social tools and networks like Facebook, LinkedIn, Squidoo and many other portals. As a consumer, you benefit because the agent blogger tends to be a more knowledgeable real estate marketer with a superior understanding how to effectively market your Emerald Isle home in the digital arena.
• Blogging Crystal Coast real estate agents who know how to use the marketing power of high-traffic syndication websites like Realtor.com, Trulia.com and Zillow.com to market your Emerald Isle home to millions of potential buyers from all over the nation. Atracting a larger pool of buyers is critical to selling your Emerald Isle home quicker and for more money.
• Blogging real estate agents who tend to network with other bloggers and regularly attend real estate blog conferences to gain even more knowledge to blog more effectively.

When You Interview Your Next Emerald Real Estate Agent

Ask them if they have a real estate blog. Ask them to show you their total online presence (all of the websites and blog sites) so you can see if the agent you select brings more to your Emerald Isle real estate experience.

Emerald Isle Consumer Feedback

What other qualities do you seek when selecting an Emerald Isle real estate agent to help you with your real estate transaction?

Helping Crystal Coast real estate consumers buy and sell smarter!

Bobby Carroll
Your Emerald Isle Real Estate Blogger

Use the Power of the Internet and Save!

Who in their right mind would simply jump in their car and ride around neighborhoods looking at houses for sale on the Crystal Coast? I’m of the opinion plenty of folks are doing this and you have to ask yourself why? With the price of a gallon of gas on the rise, it just makes good sense to use the power of the web to search for homes for sale on the Crystal Coast before you hit the road. This post will help provide numerous easy steps to help you narrow your Emerald Isle property search plus help you save $$ by eliminating wasted gas and time driving around Emerald Isle looking at listings that will never meet your home buying needs.

Strategies to Use Before You Get Behind the Wheel

Before you’re tempted to launch a wholesale property search for an Emerald Isle home or condo, it is recommended you consider the following aspects of buying your next Crystal Coast property:

• Consult by phone with a trusted lending professional so you know how much vacation home or primary residence you can afford to buy assuming you will finance your Emerald Isle home purchase with a home loan. If you’re going to pay cash for your Emerald Isle luxury condo or oceanfront home, this consideration is a moot point.
• Before hitting the streets of Emerald Isle, define what you absolutely “need” and what features you “want” but can live without. For many buyers, you will “need” a certain number of bedrooms, baths and minimum square footage, whereas you might “want” a specific feature or amenity that would not necessarily be a deal breaker for you if you didn’t get it with the house. To expedite your home search, it is recommended you make a list of your wants and needs and be ready for compromise.
• Before striking out in your car, use the power of the web to get really familiar with previously sold properties in the Emerald Isle area, condo complex or neighborhood. When the time comes to select the home Emerald Isle property that best aligns with your wants and needs, you’ll be prepared to make a smarter offer. When surfing the web be on the lookout for terms like “Neighborhood Sold Report” or “Past Sells” and similar verbiage to access this data. Just understand, you’re probably going to have to “sign-up” with your name and email address before “receiving” this data from an agent.
• Remember, not only are you buying a property in Emerald Isle, also know you’re buying the neighborhood with it too. Where possible use the power of the web to learn about areas and condo developments.
• When you begin to narrow your choices using an Emerald Isle property search tool, don’t forget to consider resale even as you’re looking for a property to buy. Would someone else find the property equally attractive if you needed to sell quickly.
• Google Crystal Coast real estate and see what agent or agency is at the top of your search results and select several real estate agents to interview. Choose the one you feel comfortable with and advise them what type and price Emerald Isle home you are in the market to buy. Teaming together, your agent should help eliminate Emerald Isle properties that fail to meet your search criteria saving you time and money.

By using these time saving strategies, you will be a smarter consumer. Why not take advantage of these home buying ideas and save some cash on gas along the way too.

Your Feedback

Be the first to comment and tell everyone how you saved gas and time using the power of the web to search for your Crystal Coast home? BTW – I promise your name and email address will never be sold, rented or shared with any third party to send you unwanted spam emails. You can comment with confidence on the Crystal Coast Blog.

Helping be a smarter Emerald Isle home buyer,

Bobby

But What About Vacation Rentals?

According to a recent survey conducted by the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), hotel guest believe a wireless Internet connection is the most important technology amenity when selecting a hotel. Here is a quick breakdown of leading technology amenities hotel guest rank for importance:

1. 82% of guests rank wireless Internet as their most preferred hotel amenity
2. 48% requested In-room entertainment systems
3. 38% thought airline check-in kiosks would be the highest ranking hotel amenity

How is the Hotel Industry Different From the Vacation Rental Business?

They are totally different animals. That’s a no-brainer! While those on vacation might select a hotel as a place for short-term lodging based more on creature comforts and location, by and large, business travelers are the hotel’s “bread and butter” and generate the most revenue. Those traveling for business purposes need all the relevant technology tools available to remain “connected and productive”.

Crystal Coast Beach Cottage Rentals

Those on a Crystal Coast vacation typically desire to “disconnect” and relax. The problem is, many in our society refuse to be breakaway from the technology we demand and use each day of our lives. It’s like the “Crackberry” addiction! We must stay on top of our emails, instant messages, Tweets from our Tweeter followers, and communications from our online social network “buddies“. That’s why I believe Crystal Coast vacation rental property owners can cash in on this “need” to be constantly connected by offering your guest the highly sought-after wireless connectivity.

What Can Emerald Isle Vacation Property Owners Learn From the Hotel Industry?

Apparently, the hotel industry has listened to their customers and are quickly moving toward 100% of industry’s hotels offering wireless Internet connectivity. The current stat is at 91% of all hotels are now offering wireless access. That’s up 35% from four short years ago. As a Crystal Coast vacation property owner, you would do well to follow the lead of the hotels and provide “your guest” the same technology.

Want More Rental Income From the Gen Y Crowd?

This is especially true if you want to attract more of your business from the Gen Y crowd. Remember this fact, guys and gals of the Millennial Generation were raised on the Internet and they depend on it like we used to depend on our transistor radios. Oops, now I’m really showing my age.

Have a Different Opinion?

If you do, be sure to leave a comment.

Until next time,

Bobby

Because I’m always curious and eager to learn how home buyers use the web when searching for homes for sale in Emerald Isle (or anywhere else for that matter), I came up with a laundry list of questions to ask you. Here are a few of my burning questions for Crystal Coast home buyers who depend on the Internet to search for homes and fact find for area information:

1. As a home buyer, if you complete a form on a Crystal Coast real estate website that requires you provide your phone number and you submit the form, do you really want to be called by an agent? Obviously, if you make a specific request in the comment box asking for an agent to call, don’t be surprised when the phone rings.
2. If you decide to complete multiple forms on multiple agent websites, which many consumers are prone to do, would you typically work with the first real estate agent to respond to your contact? If you don’t select the first agent to respond to your web inquiry, what is the criteria for your Crystal Coast real estate agent selection process?
3. In an effort to remain “in your face”, many Crystal Coast real estate agents place you the buyer on what is called in our industry “a email drip campaign”. The purpose of an email campaign is to occasionally send you emails filled with “valuable home buying tips”. That way you think of the agent as an expert. Have you ever been on the receiving end of home buying tips emails sent to you by a Crystal Coast real estate agent? Do you see these emails as “spam” and ignore them or do you think these “drip emails” offer you meaningful information?

Your Opportunity to Answer the Questions?

I have my own thoughts about each of these questions and I’ll be sure to share them in a future post. In the meantime, let the rest of the readers know your thoughts. Inquiring minds would like to know your answers.

Until my next post,

Bobby