ActiveRain Success Stories

Vaporin ElectronicCigarettes, Vaporin (Vaporin): Real Estate Agent in Green Cove Springs, FL Vaporin ElectronicCigarettes, Vaporin (Vaporin) said over 11 years ago,
"Electronic Cigarettes by Vaporin look, feel and taste just like traditional cigarette! Try Vaporin e-cigarettes today and experience the freedom to smoke anywhere. Vaporin Electronic Cigarettes is the best smoking alternative."
Edd Van Damme, M.Ed., CRS, ABR, e-PRO - Realtor for the Valley of the Sun (First Call Realtors, LLC): Real Estate Agent in Phoenix, AZ Edd Van Damme, M.Ed., CRS, ABR, e-PRO - Realtor for the Valley of the Sun (First Call Realtors, LLC) said over 11 years ago,
"Active Rain helps me every day to connect with potential clients and expand my opportunity to educate buyers about buying a home simply and easily."
Brad Chubbs, Serving military members, first-time buyers, and h (RE/MAX Pembroke Realty Ltd.): Real Estate Agent in Petawawa, ON Brad Chubbs, Serving military members, first-time buyers, and h (RE/MAX Pembroke Realty Ltd.) said over 11 years ago,
"I'm still fairly new to ActiveRain, but I noticed that my profile has already ranked high in Google for searches related to real estate in my area. After a few more blog entries and some active participation I expect to have very good success from ActiveRain. The information and insights from other REALTORS and industry experts is awesome. ActiveRain will be a great resource of information for my real estate business for many years to come."
Evan Martin, Enhanced Homes Interiors & Staging (Enhanced Homes Interiors & Staging): Home Stager in South Natick, MA Evan Martin, Enhanced Homes Interiors & Staging (Enhanced Homes Interiors & Staging) said over 11 years ago,
"As Michelle, my partner and I are new to ActiveRain I do not have a current success story. I can tell you that we absolutely love what we do on a daily basis as each job is unique. We have met some incredible people along the way which makes it even better."
Vern Eaton, Realtor 651-674-7449: Real Estate Agent in Askov, MN Vern Eaton, Realtor 651-674-7449 said over 11 years ago,
"Once again Active Rain comes through. I had a client looking to Move out of state. AR gave me the chance to find a qualified agent to refer my client to. Now it looks like they may have found a place thanks to my contact ther.

I have not received a direct contact from this site, but I have had clients that were on the fence about me, solidify our relationship after checking my AR involvement. Thanks to Bill Feela for getting me involved on this site! 3/26/2009...UPDATE...I received my first lead via Active Rain. YEA!! Thanks Active Rain!

Late last year I was thinking of quitting the business. Times are tough and the expenses drain the already tight budget. But talking with several members here on this site convinced me to hang in. Now Business is starting to improve and I am sitting ready to react to it. Thanks Active Rain!

I give credit to Active Rain for my internet presence. Although I don't blog a lot, the little I do keeps me on the front in my local area. I will continue to be active and with some help, blog even more to make my presence even better."
Kathleen West, Flagler County & Palm Coast Realtor (Trademark Realty Group of Palm Coast): Real Estate Agent in Palm Coast, FL Kathleen West, Flagler County & Palm Coast Realtor (Trademark Realty Group of Palm Coast) said over 11 years ago,
"- I have been using ActiveRain for several years now, and am constantly getting phone calls from customers who have told me they are constant followers of my articles.

- Just got a call from a gentleman today who's read articles I wrote on the local market statistics and we are seeing properties this weekend."
Marilyn Boudreaux, Lake Charles LA Century 21 Realtor (Marilyn Boudreaux, Century 21 Bono Realty): Real Estate Agent in Lake Charles, LA Marilyn Boudreaux, Lake Charles LA Century 21 Realtor (Marilyn Boudreaux, Century 21 Bono Realty) said over 11 years ago,
"10-29-10 another success story. I posted a localism blog about carriage rides in Lake Charles. To my surprise I ranked #3-4 on Google and the owner of the company contacted me with compliments and endorsement surprise! Thanks for teaching me SEO Active Rain! http://activerain.com/blogsview/1941357/active-rain-success-localism-posts-work-like-magic-

http://activerain.com/blogsview/1868728/surprise-an-ar-connection-when-you-least-expect-it
From time to time people post success stories and connections via Active Rain. That is no surprise to me, I have experienced the Power of the Rain!

It's always a pleasant surprise when your phone rings and the caller on the other end is an AR connection! I have spoken with several members recently and the conversation is always enjoyable. It's kind of like grabbing a cup of coffee with your best friend!

Today I missed a call which showed on my caller ID as Memphis, TN. I work with alot of Relocation buyers so I started thinking who do I know that is calling me from Memphis? I returned the call to discover it was fellow Active Rain Member, Rita Fong from Marion Arkansas! She had a client with a property issue here in Louisiana and had done an Active Rain Search to find a Louisiana agent who could help and when my name popped up she recognized me as a regular AR blogger so she contacted me for help! Thanks Rita this post is dedicated to you!

Turns out the city in Louisiana is not in the Parish that I serve but it was nice to chat with Rita and I suggested some other options for her to consider. Rita said Active Rain is her Yellow Pages of choice when she needs something! After speaking with Rita I felt like I had just taken a little coffee break----it was a nice interruption to a busy Monday!

Active Rain, its a powerful source of information, referrals and friendship! I love it!

When I revisited my 2010 real estate goals in January, I wanted to expand my knowledge with social media and continue to provide my sellers with the BEST marketing exposure possible. 90% of buyers are shopping for homes online and as I found out from attending many webinars, there were many tools and websites other REALTORS were utilizing with success. So I ramped up my business plan for 2010 changed marketing direction and joined Active Rain in February 2010 and began to Blog! Yes, I may still be a "Newbie" to Active Rain, however 253 Blogs and almost 70,000 points later I have quickly achieved Success in the Rain and YES I am completely addicted to Active Rain, Facebook and Twitter must take a backseat!

I write alot of localism posts. Having lived in Lake Charles for 27 years, I know the "hot spots" new and old. So I write about parks, restaurants, events, shopping--you name it. From my experience in working with relocation, buyers moving to an area want to know what there is to do. When touring properties and our city, it is and advantage to be able to share more information than just "real estate" with someone new moving to the region. Relocating buyers have no idea where to go, what to do. One of my earliest blogs was on a local favorite grocery store in South Lake Charles "Cormie's". A short time after writing this post, I received a call from a buyer moving to Lake Charles from Florida (where I used to sell real estate). I discovered later that the Buyer found me online through my Cormie's Blog among others. Thank you Active Rain for teaching me this effective tool! I will be closing soon on a very nice property as a direct result of "blogging" That is just one example of direct business I would have otherwise missed without internet exposure.

You may laugh to hear that I have gotten calls from my localism posts on my Memorial Day "Avenue of Flags" and July 4th "Lake Charles Red White Blue and You" Blogs. Reason being is when you "google" those topics guess who pops up? So sometimes it is fun to see where those calls come from, they are not all real estate oriented but I am happy to provide "local expert" knowledge to whoever inquires!

Not only has my business increased, but my knowledge has increased. I have learned more through Active Rain Members than I have ever learned through my own Board of Realtors. This is a forum of real colleagues with real support and advice.
Your success will come if you are diligent and participate in the community. That is what it is for. We all help each other and the comments and involvement help us all reap continued success. Plus you form a great referral network and friendships!

The experience and information found on Active Rain has surpassed my expectation! If you are not actively blogging as a Rainmaker follow the Nike slogan and "Just Do It"! You will be glad you did."
John Astl (Avail-A-Pro Home Inspection Services, Inc.): Home Inspector in Tampa, FL John Astl (Avail-A-Pro Home Inspection Services, Inc.) said over 11 years ago,
"Agent and member Katrina Madewell recommended connecting through Active Rain, and it has been a great tool for finding new clients and for networking!!"
Daniel Kasco, Danielkasco.com (REMAX Encore): Real Estate Agent in Clarkston, MI Daniel Kasco, Danielkasco.com (REMAX Encore) said over 11 years ago,
"When I came to REMAX, some eight years ago, I was and Independent , I quickly learned what a 50 million marketing budget could do for you, as I learned to tap into these resources, I have developed a system to buy and sell homes, using the leverage of this massive marketing budget, not only has it grow my client base, its refined my system to a well lubed machine, if you visit my website it gives you everything you need to getting your home ready for sale, to being able to search the entire market for the right home for you, give it a try www.Danielkasco.com"
Erna Neal, A Knowledgable Central Florida Realtor (The Viking Team, Realty): Real Estate Agent in Winter Park, FL Erna Neal, A Knowledgable Central Florida Realtor (The Viking Team, Realty) said over 11 years ago,
"My ActiveRain Success has been the network of real estate professionals that I have connected with locally and nationally. I have made friends with people I have never met. I hosted my first Active Rain Meet Up and met face to face some of the nicest and friendliest Realtors in my area. I have established a good relationship with several agents. My customers have started following my blog and share my blogs with their friends. My blog also helps me put together my monthly newsletter since I can share information I have already posted. I hope that soon my blogs will turn into referrals, but until then, I am enjoying the many other benefits of belonging to the Rain."
Uros Umek, Uros Umek (Halconaria): Real Estate Appraiser in Brummitt, AR Uros Umek, Uros Umek (Halconaria) said over 11 years ago,
"Umek"
Candice A. Donofrio, 928-201-4BHC (4242) call/text (Next Wave RE Investments LLC Bullhead City AZ Commercial RE Broker): Commercial Real Estate Agent in Fort Mohave, AZ Candice A. Donofrio, 928-201-4BHC (4242) call/text (Next Wave RE Investments LLC Bullhead City AZ Commercial RE Broker) said over 11 years ago,
"I have acquired numerous buyers, sellers and broker referrals via the action on my blogs in Google and other search engines."
Marilyn Montaigne (Options and Opportunities ): Real Estate Agent in Sedona, AZ Marilyn Montaigne (Options and Opportunities ) said over 11 years ago,
"I attended my first Rain Camp last month and got to get a lot of new tips of helping my clients better!
Great Active Rain Camp "Best of the Best" It is really worth the time and effort spent to listen to these!"
Jason Mitchell (Keller Williams Integrity First Realty): Real Estate Agent in Queen Creek, AZ Jason Mitchell (Keller Williams Integrity First Realty) said over 11 years ago,
"After moving back to Arizona I interviewed with Keller Williams. I quickly chose to work with them and the day I interviewed with them I also went to the DRE to activate my license with their office. The next day I went to my local REALTORĀ® association office and set up my MLS, paid my REALTORĀ® dues, transferred over my lockbox key and then went back to Keller Williams to sign the rest of my paperwork. So........ after spending two days dealing with all of that and FINALLY finishing that part I drive back home....

As I get out of my car at my house a car is driving around the corner and stops me. The driver asks me if I've seen any signs outside of houses. I asked if he was looking for a place to live and he said yes. I invited him in, asked him politely to hang on a minute while I set up my MLS for the first time, and then we began searching for a house for him. We went out that day to look at a handful of them. A couple days later we had a house picked and shortly after that he was moving into the house.

I know they say clients don't just fall into your lap, but in this case... my client just fell into my lap!"
Mark Terry, MCT Construction Services, Inc. (MCT Construction Services, Inc.): Home Builder in Bensalem, PA Mark Terry, MCT Construction Services, Inc. (MCT Construction Services, Inc.) said over 11 years ago,
"In 2012 M.C.T. Construction, Inc. , owned and operated by Mark C. Terry, celebrated 25 Years in the home remodeling/construction business.

Over the last 25 years the world around us has changed drastically and M.C.T. has stayed in tune with the times using quality, energy efficient building materials, innovative designs, and tried and true craftsmanship that shows the pride of ownership an owner operated company can offer.

Out of all of Mark's accomplishments in the construction industry the one thing he prides himself the most on is when a customer is so thrilled with the outcome of their project they refer him to a family member, friend, neighbor or co-worker..that is the ultimate compliment and that is how his business has not only survived all these years but has thrived!"
steel joe, joe: Real Estate Agent in Gar Creek, IN steel joe, joe said over 11 years ago,
"Buglers do not miss even a single chance to yield benefit of this season. As discussed above this is the time when you have lot of precious gifts presents in your home."
Chris & Karen Highland, Integrity, Experience, Enthusiasm! (eXp Realty): Real Estate Agent in Frederick, MD Chris & Karen Highland, Integrity, Experience, Enthusiasm! (eXp Realty) said over 11 years ago,
"Referrals are Great! We've received several from the ActiveRain community."
Bonnie Hart, Finding You the Best Possible Solution! (Coldwell Bankers): Real Estate Agent in Mission Viejo, CA Bonnie Hart, Finding You the Best Possible Solution! (Coldwell Bankers) said over 11 years ago,
"I have met several of my best clients thru Active Rain. Active Rain is a great resource to reconnect with past prospects."
Bob Hertzog, Designated Broker (Summit Home Consultants): Real Estate Broker/Owner in Phoenix, AZ Bob Hertzog, Designated Broker (Summit Home Consultants) said over 11 years ago,
"AR has been amazing, not only for the valuable insights I take away daily from other agents, but also what it's done for my bottom line. A year ago, when I joined the AR community, I didn't know what a blog was. Today, I can honestly say that my blogging on AR has brought me over $30,000 in commissions that I would have never had. Thanks guys, and keep up the good work!"
Mario Zarantenello (@Properties of Harbor Country): Real Estate Agent in New Buffalo, MI Mario Zarantenello (@Properties of Harbor Country) said over 11 years ago,
"Every time I open Activerain and blog, post a response or read someones post is a success story. It's a success story because just 10 years ago this type of internet social networking was rare. We've come a long way and the future holds many more wonderful things for us."