Calgary Real Estate Blog

Why I Love Social Media – A Story About Jeremy Roenick

admin — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 23:55:42 +0000

If you’re a hockey fan, you already know who Jeremy Roenick is. You’ve probably seen him play in the NHL, watched him represent the USA in international hockey competitions….and you’ve probably seen him as an NHL analyst on TV.

His accomplishments as a hockey player have been significant. Jeremy is one of only 4 US born players to have scored over 500 goals in their career, and he sits #36 all time on the goal scoring list. He is also #40 in career points for his career. These are amazing accomplishments, and are just a snapshot of the success Jeremy realized in the NHL.

I’ve always liked JR. He’s been outspoken, sometimes brash, he has strong opinions, and at times he’s been in some ‘hot water’ for some of the things he has said….but you always know where he stands. He’s got his haters (if you were to do a Twitter search today, you would see he’s taking flack for recent comments he’s made) – but I’m not one of them. JR was not the athlete giving ‘canned’ responses when he was interviewed. I loved that.

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of exchanging some Tweets with JR, and what happened yesterday is a great example of why I love social media, and the tools we have today.

It started with looking at someone’s Twitter timeline, and clicking a few conversations that took me through to several Twitter profiles. Somehow, I ended up on JR’s profile. I was not following him at the time, and thought I would check out a few of the Tweets that he had sent recently.

At the top of his timeline, I saw this Tweet:

Seemed like an interesting Tweet, so I checked into the conversation that led to this post….his final response in the conversation. It started with this Tweet from a guy that was looking to win a pair of World Series tickets:

To which JR replies with:

The guy replies with his name, and then you saw JR’s final response above. I hadn’t read through all of the details on the conversation…just the details I could see readily in the Twitter feed. At this point I wasn’t clear on the whole story, so I sent JR a message. To avoid any further “he said – then I said – then he said” explanations, I’ll post the exchange in it’s entirety below.

Jeremy Roenick has always had a reputation of being great with fans. If you Google his name, you’ll see several references to the fact that he has always taken time out to talk with fans, sign autographs, and engage with people. Yesterday he took time out of his day (I’m sure he’s a busy guy) to call a radio station for some ‘random’ guy on the internet, so that this guy might win World Series tickets. After that, he took time to reply to me and my inquiries on what took place.

This is why I love social media. We have access to people that we would never have had the chance to engage with just a short time ago. Our network for ‘direct contact’ has grown imeasurably. Reaching out to people you admire, respect, want to engage with, want to learn from, or want to help has become so easy. People invested in social media and using these tools have been provided with many very cool stories on the power of social media. I don’t think this story speaks to it’s power…..it’s just a cool story (IMHO).

I’m a huge hockey fan….and a big fan of JR. So yeah, yesterday was kinda cool for me to have a brief exchange with someone I’ve cheered for over the years. But this guy….the @HockeyFollower9 guy? Tell me he’s not telling this story everyday for the next year.

He’s got JR to thank for that, and after reading the entire timeline after my exchange with JR, he was indeed thankful.

Very cool JR. Very cool.

Property Inspections

admin — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 04:25:12 +0000

Do Your Own Due Diligence

Calgary REALTOR® Cliff Stevenson recommends you do your own due diligence when buying a home, and not take information provided by the sellers. Have YOUR OWN property inspection completed. If you have any questions or opinions on this subject, please feel free to leave comments or email Cliff at cliff@cliffstevenson.com

Permits and Home Renovations

admin — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 02:05:06 +0000

City of Calgary Building Permits

Calgary REALTOR ® Cliff Stevenson discusses the need for building permits in the City of Calgary if you are making renovations to your home. Check out what you need before you do any renovating. If you have any questions or opinions on this subject, please feel free to leave comments or email Cliff at cliff@cliffstevenson.com

A Tip for Home Sellers

admin — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 22:45:55 +0000

Tips for Sellers

Calgary REALTOR ® Cliff Stevenson discusses recent experiences with trying to show properties to interested buyers. Sellers should make every effort to accommodate showing requests. If you have any questions or opinions on this subject, please feel free to leave comments or email Cliff at cliff@cliffstevenson.com

New Condos in Calgary

admin — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 00:46:31 +0000

Buying a New Condo in Calgary

Calgary REALTOR® Cliff Stevenson recommends that you carefully read any contract you are signing to purchase or sell real estate in Calgary. Condo developers can include clauses that allow them to change your floor-plan. If you have any questions or opinions on this subject, please feel free to leave comments or email Cliff at cliff@cliffstevenson.com

Is Your Home Clean Enough for Possession Day?

admin — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 07:09:08 +0000

Please Clean Your Home

Calgary REALTOR® Cliff Stevenson suggests that if you are selling your home, you should leave a clean home for the buyers on their possession day. Think about how you would like to see the home if you were in the buyer’s shoes. If you have any questions or opinions on this subject, please feel free to leave comments or email Cliff at cliff@cliffstevenson.com

Is now a good time to buy?

admin — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 04:00:09 +0000

Calgary REALTOR® Cliff Stevenson discusses his answer when he is asked ‘is now a good time to buy?’. There might be a reason your REALTOR® is saying ‘yes’. If you have any questions or opinions on this subject, please feel free to leave comments or email Cliff at cliff@cliffstevenson.com

Don’t Worry About Agent Bonuses

admin — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 05:44:14 +0000

Calgary REALTOR® Cliff Stevenson questions why a seller would offer a bonus commission to the buyer’s REALTOR®. Worry about offering extras and value to the buyers. If you have any questions or opinions on this subject, please feel free to leave comments or email Cliff at cliff@cliffstevenson.com

Using the iPad in Real Estate

admin — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 05:19:27 +0000

Calgary REALTOR® Cliff Stevenson explains some of the reasons that the iPad has become an integral part of his real estate business, and demonstrates how he uses it. Special thanks to Jared Chamberlain for getting me on the iPad, and his collaboration and willingness to share over the last year. If you have any questions, comments, or opinions on this subject, please feel free to leave comments or email Cliff at cliff@cliffstevenson.com

I Like For Sale By Owner Companies

admin — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 02:38:09 +0000

A significant amount of attention has been given to the For Sale By Owner network of companies over the last month or so. Here in Calgary Alberta, we have several companies that will provide materials and some service to those who want to sell their property by themselves. Welist.com, Property Guys, ComFree, and there are many smaller players in the FSBO market as well. All of these companies will provide you with contracts, signage, and information on how to sell your home. Recently, one of these FSBO companies in Alberta joined a group of others in forming the largest For Sale By Owner company in Canada.

Now, you might be thinking that I’m going to dismiss these companies, and talk about the virtues of working with a REALTOR. After all, this is my blog, I’m a REALTOR, and For Sale By Owner properties are not paying listing commissions. The same commissions that put food on my table.

You would be wrong.

I think the existence of these companies is fantastic. There are few things that I like about these companies and how they do business.

The consumer has choice. Much of what I personally do today is done after seeking information on the internet. With the wealth of information out there, there are things I find I can do myself with some research. For many people, this is the same for real estate.

They are not a threat to my business. These companies exist for people who want to control and manage everything required in the home selling process, and they offer some basic materials and send you on your way. My business offers services and experience that these networks don’t come close to providing.

They provide contrast. The existence of this business model actually helps businesses like mine stand out. You can compare what you are going to have to endure, and what the process is like selling your home by yourself, with the services that I am going to offer.

The exposure is increasing. While most of these companies are not able to provide access to the MLS for exposure, some of these FSBO sites are attracting some decent traffic and becoming more popular.

Can you sell your home by yourself? Absolutely. Can you save some money by not paying all the commissions that a REALTOR like me is going to charge? Possibly. With these companies, and companies like them, you are enabled and empowered to attempt to save money and manage the process on your own. I think it’s great, and I don’t feel threatened at all.

So try it. You’ve heard success stories from those that have sold their homes on their own. Maybe it will work for you.

But if you have any difficulty with the sales process on your own, I would be happy to talk to you and explain how I might be able to help.