Top Ten Posts For 2009

By rerockstar • December 31st, 2009

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It’s That Time Of Year

At the end of every year, every publication goes through the top news stories and moments of the past 365 days. With this being the end of a decade, it will be twice the lists and twice the reminders of things you may have forgotten. Since I haven’t been blogging for ten years, I’ll skip the decade list and get right to the top ten posts (in my opinion) that I wrote in 2009. Here are my ten favorite posts (with a bit of commentary as well). Thanks for riding along with me through 2009 San Antonio and I look forward to writing much more than just ten top posts for 2010. I’ve enjoyed writing every last one of these and I hope you enjoy the recap. Think I forgot a post? Let me know what your favorites were for 2009 in the comments below.

In no particular order…

I’ve moved – to RE/MAX Access! – I was very nervous about the thought of joining a new office this year, but on July 1, 2009, I made up my mind to make a leap and see if I couldn’t push myself further. It worked. My broker, Sheila Moran, is a constant inspiration and support for me and our small office is a great team of people to work with. We share ideas, opinions, and methods instead of playing the cloak and dagger game of keeping the competition in the dark about what we’re doing that’s bringing us success. It turned into the best possible decision I could have made and my business has benefited greatly from surrounding myself with talent and idealism.

San Antonio Real Estate Market Reports – Now In Your Control! – When I decided to add San Antonio real estate market reports to the site, I was overwhelmed at the response. I had no idea there would be that many people looking for data and statistics. When I found this plug-in that allowed you to build your own charts and customize the data you wanted to see, I knew I had to install it. Putting control of the data into your hands is something I’m very proud of. No longer confined to what I decide to tell you in any given post, you can now see what you want to see.

Selling Your Home In San Antonio: The Art And Science – I overheard an agent telling someone that “negotiating was an art form” one afternoon and started writing this post almost immediately. I agree; negotiations are an art form, but they are also deeply rooted in the logic and rational thinking of science.

Are Realtors® Too Positive About The Market? Or Are They Not Doing Enough? – It’s been a rough couple years in the housing markets and after reading an email from the National Association of Realtors®, I was forced to wonder if we play the “sunshine and roses” game too often. At the time I wrote this post, it seemed that every Realtor® was shouting “it’s a great time to buy” from the rooftops. Although it was for many different reasons, I couldn’t help but think that “it’s not a great time to buy, unless you’re ready.”

Selling your home in a buyer’s market. – After selling a home in eight days with multiple offers for more than list price, I took some time to consider what made this house different from those in the same neighborhood that were languishing on the market. Not every home can sell this fast, but with some attention to detail, you can get your San Antonio home sold faster than the averages in your neighborhood.

Where’s my San Antonio neighborhood? – I’m very proud of the ever growing San Antonio Neighborhoods section of the website. Giving you photos, videos, direct links to home searches within the neighborhood, and market research for each neighborhood I’ve added, this section will grow by leaps and bounds through 2010.

Real Estate Bloggers And Journalists – Are We All That Different? – I want our industry to move in a positive direction over the years that I continue in it. There is always room for improvement. With the explosion of real estate blogs available on the internet, I felt it necessary to speak to my peers on the thought of responsible journalism (agents had been reported the First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit had been extended and expanded, long before it actually had – it was eventually passed into law). I have a feeling this is going to be a big stumbling block over the next few years as more real estate agents join the online world.

San Antonio Home Search – Now With No Required Registration – I love knowing who’s searching for what home on my site. In real estate, it’s those searches (and the contact information that is provided at registration) that allow agents to follow up with the user and (hopefully) turn that internet searcher in a buyer working with the agent. With registration we are able to build a database of people to follow up with and convert into clients. So why buck the trend? I remember when I searched for homes on the internet. The minute I was asked for my name, email, or phone number I was out searching for a new site to search on. I wanted to do some searching and read up on some agents before I was ready to make any commitments. I wanted to be left alone until I was ready. With that in mind, I stripped the registration requirements from my San Antonio home search page and have given you the freedom to decide when you feel comfortable enough to contact me to discuss what I can do to help facilitate your home purchase.

Realtor® Speak 101: Pre-Approval – Often, I feel we as Realtors® forget to explain things to consumers. We tell them what we need to do, but forget to tell them why. The Realtor® Speak 101 series (and the Realtor® Speak 102 series on my San Antonio’s Rockstar Turned Realtor® blog) are meant to do just that.

An Open Letter To HUD About FHA Loans – I get a bit concerned when someone in Washington gets a bright idea of how to fix the housing markets. Although typically well-intentioned, these efforts tend to open up new problems and just keep us wrapped in a constant cycle of applying band-aids to control the bleeding. I wrote this as a letter in order to dissect the ideas and what I thought of them. It was one of the top articles this year on the site and attracted quite a bit of attention.

Here’s to some great blog posts in 2010!

I’m already excited about the thought of going back through 2010 and seeing what I’ve written and what I thought were some of the more important posts of the year. I hope you’ve enjoyed the blog in 2009 and I hope to see you in 2010…wait, that’s tomorrow! With that in mind, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow! Thanks again for a great year and I can’t wait to see what 2010 brings.

photo courtesy of SironekoEuro