Here’s why I think I should get a free ticket to attend this event…

• As a blogger, I’ve been with the Real Estate Tomato from day 1 and I love them.
• I need a “vacation” from San Diego.
• I will tell everyone how great the Tomato is!
• I’m one of the first 5 to respond?
• I have a cool blog address…www.SanDiegOh.com(Denny Oh)

There you go…50 words(I count contractions and URLs one word!).

Click here to read more.

Thanks for all your submissions and as I should, I’m dedicating Carnival #73 to the San Diego Chargers! See all of you in Arizona. Enjoy.

I’ll begin my selections with a few blogs that offer some useful tips and insight. Some of these issues were news to me, so I hope they help you as well.

DeeinAustin of the Texas Realty Blog provides us with the Top 5 REALTOR Magazine Tools That You Don’t Know About. Dee reminds us, or in some cases introduces us to Realtor.org (not Realtor.com). This is the online version of the REALTOR Magazine and the site also offers great tools to stay informed.

John Barker of John Barker’s Mortgage Blog doesn’t have the most creative blog name, but he does offer some useful information on How much will my credit score cost me on my next mortgage? John talks about how Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will be placing new penalties for borrowers who have less than ideal FICO scores. The blog is short, clear and informative – thanks John.

Raymond of the Money Blue Book talks about some interesting ways to pay down your mortgage. In his blog, Use Credit Card Rebates To Help Pay Off Your Home Mortgage Loan Principal, Ray teaches us about some credit cards that aren’t as flashy as air miles reward cards, but can help those who tend to over spend and maybe under pay their mortgage.

Moving on, the next selections are more of the editorial type, but offer some insight on topics that many of us deal with. And while we may have heard it before, it’s always nice to get a quick reminder.

Mike Mueller at Patagonia Finance takes a step back from all the numbers and negativity in the current real estate and finance industry. In It Doesn’t Matter, Mike reminds readers that the change we’re all experiencing in the market right now is more than a decreased income, or articles about foreclosures. He asks us to look beyond the numbers and headlines and really think about how people are being affected. As Mike says, “it is Humans that matter.”

Pat Kapowich of Silicon Valley Broker talks about how the weather and changing seasons affect more than just what we wear. In Deja Vu~What Spring & Summer Sellers, and Their Licensees, Can Learn from their Fall & Winter Counter-Parts, Pat breaks down the year and talks about how agents and clients are affected by the weather – increased listings, holiday anxiety and how maybe when the best time to sell is.

Finally, we come to my last pick – The Carnival of Real Estate #73’s Winner…

Jim Cronin of the Real Estate Tomato was recently selected as one of the industries top bloggers, so I try and pay attention to what he has to say. In How A Strong Finish Has A Real Estate Blog Article Generating Leads, Jim talks about how important is it to focus on the end of our blogs in order to get the point across. Not only are readers trained to look at the end of an article or blog, this is your last chance to engage the reader – it’s the end!

Jim talks about how to structure your blogs and how to get readers to participate. He reminds us that our content must produce a feeling of trust and value in order to get any type of response. I won’t discuss the article too much, but I think we can all gain from his writing style and tips.

Related Must Reads:

Home…What’s In a Name?
6 Months as a New Blogger
6 Reasons Why Downtown San Diego Isn’t Overbuilt
Search the SanDiegOh MLS

Again, thank you all for your submissions and I look forward to seeing you all next week.

Submit your blogs for next week by clicking here.

I am now offically a geek – or at least a regular contributor for the Zillow created,Geek Estate Blog. The site was created as a resource for real estate professionals who want to learn more about how they can grow their business through smart use of technology. I was asked to join the site and write about how I use technology to reach out to my clients, specifically those of the Generations X and Y.

As home buyers, and sellers, become more savvy and educated about the real estate market, Realtors must be able to cater to their needs and appeal to them in a manner that suits them. Using the hard sell approach probably won’t work on most younger home buyers (or anyone for that matter), as the “new” generation of buyers tend to do more research and educate themselves, before seeking a Realtor’s assistance.

Some clients I come across can tell me more about the recent sales in a particular building than many of my coworkers can. The Web has so much information, that anyone can become an expert on whatever topic, location, neighborhood, or building, that they want to. Once buyers have a good idea of what they’re looking for and they are ready to move forward, it’s then that they seek a Realtors expertise.

Most home buyers realize that they aren’t experts in real estate and they still want our help. They can know the statistics inside out, but they rely on us to tell them about the people who live in a building, or what’s going on with the HOA and the latest litigation issues, or simply where to get a good sandwich around their future home.

This is why blogs are so great…you can provide a vast amount of information to whoever wants it. Anyhow, I will continue to write and hopefully you will continue to read…

If you have any feedback, or need my help, please don’t hesitate to email me.

With 52 posts, I’m hardly near the 100 mark I aim to be at by the end of this year (especially since some of these blogs are just “Featured Listings” and others are from my lender). Still, I’m relatively happy with my progress. Six months ago, I had no clue how large the real estate blog world was, nor did I know that Geek Estate even existed!

Click here to read more…