For me the highlight, the defining moment for 2013 happened in May when Google changed its algorithm. This blog, which was getting a respectful number of visitors, started getting 50% more. I went from getting around 75 visits a day to getting about 110 visits a day. Then I got another little bump in September with the hummingbird update – went to about 120 visits a day.
Earlier in the year, the blog was already doing well. It was already working. I was getting clients and making sales from my blog. K and M from Toronto were the first to actually buy. They were the first to go from meeting over coffee to buying a great house in a great neighbourhood. It was the first time in three years of blogging that words lead to commission. The blog had begun to pay for itself. My web guy said it would take three years. It did. I’d blogged. I’d learned. I’d finally succeeded.
As the year went on, more and more clients came directly from the blog. Hot dog. I was on to something. It’s important because this is what I set out to do. I like to blog. I learn by teaching, by writing things down. Finally, I was being found.
At the end of the year, 80% of our real estate business came from the blogs. The other 20% came from people we (with Alasdair) know or met or referrals. Open houses lead to one sale, only one. In past years Open Houses might have lead to ten sales. Times have changed.
My Blog
For about 3 1/2 years I’ve been blogging about Kitchener Waterloo and real estate here at keithmarshall.ca. My most popular posts on my blog in terms of page views were:
Where are the best schools in Kitchener Waterloo? School rankings post do very well. I’ve been posting about schools since 2011.
How much commission do real estate agents charge? I found out that the commission structure is different in BC. They are changing here too.
Where are the good and bad neighbourhoods in Kitchener Waterloo? Where are the high crime areas? People are finally catching on that neighbourhoods are important.
ReMax or Royal LePage, which is better? Most people begin their search on the internet. They ask general questions like this.
Can a private seller sell on MLS? What is a mere listing? Do it yourselfers need help too.
Is buying property in Kitchener Waterloo a good idea? Short answer – it is.
How do I fire my real estate agent? This post lead to a listing. I wrote this post because a local real estate agent’s website outright lied on his website.
How will the LRT affect property values? This post is about neighbourhoods and making a good investment.
Empire School and it’s Westmount neighbourhood. Other schools post ranked very high too.
When is the best time to buy a house? Will prices go down this year? I predicted that if prices were to go down it would happen in early summer. I was wrong.
To read these posts, just type the keyword into the search bar.
At the end of the day
A started another (mostly) real estate blog in the spring. Here are my most popular posts on my google blogger blog :
Well known Cambridge real estate agent has his license revoked. Kelly DeCosta is still involved in the day to day operation of his real estate group.
What will happen if Blackberry closes? We are bigger than Blackberry. Besides it’s not going to go away overnight.
The Osborne effect in relation to real estate. Waiting is bad for business.
What is your walk score? This is about neighbourhoods and important amenities.
ReMax advertising Royal LePage listings. Things change in real estate, so slowly that no one notices.
Selling real estate is like fishing. It’s like being a fireman. It’s like a lot of things.
My trip to Shanghai. It was an adventure.
To read these posts, they are listed here on the right.
