ActiveRain Success Stories

Todd & Devona Garrigus, Broker / REALTORS® (Garrigus Real Estate): Real Estate Broker/Owner in Beaumont, CA Todd & Devona Garrigus, Broker / REALTORS® (Garrigus Real Estate) said about 10 years ago,
"We first found ActiveRain in early 2008. Honestly, we didn't, or couldn't, see the value in ActiveRain or blogging. Our first sentiment was the website was more of a Myspace for Realtors. We are interested in making money, not socializing with other agents. We did sign up, but didn't take it serious for a while. Our first blog wasn't until January 2009. Even then we were not very active until about May of '09. Once we started posting our blogs, and staying active on AR, our business saw a very measurable increase! Now, we blog frequently, and use ActiveRain's Hit Router. 2010 is promising to be a great year for us!

Our focus has been on standard sales and short sales and ActiveRain has enabled us to focus like a laser! We have used AR for quality links, blogging, sharing knowledge with other members and now the new and IMPROVED local pages!

Will we continue with ActiveRain? NOTHING could keep us from it!

Since our last update the new local pages have progressed and optimized. ActiveRain has done a great job with the Local Pages, and they listened to the concerns of members regarding the Leaderboard. We now have a Leaderboard with links from out member home page straight to the rankings and points. In short, the new Leaderboard is very slick!

ActiveRain has also implemented new Community Pages. The future outlook is for the Community Pages, which are sponsorable, and yes I've sponsored mine, is to replace the Localism Pages, although I believe AR is still optimizing the Community Pages.

We get activity all day, every day from ActiveRain, because ActiveRain works hard towards that goal!!!

Here's an update to my ActiveRain Success Story:
ActiveRain has provided every aspect in my real estate success so far! For example, the community and support ActiveRain provides is second to none! I read blogs everyday written by agents and other professionals facing the same problems and challenges I do. Not to mention the traffic that reads my blog! I am a better agent because of ActiveRain and its members! Thank you, ActiveRain!"
Richie Alan Naggar, agent & author  (people first...then business Ran Right Realty ): Real Estate Broker/Owner in Riverside, CA Richie Alan Naggar, agent & author (people first...then business Ran Right Realty ) said about 10 years ago,
"I was raised to believe to come in out of the "RAIN" and that people who didn't, did not have enough sense...remember? Well, I am here to tell you to go toward the "Rain"...ActiveRain that is. When you do, be prepared to receive good fortune, adventure, fun, and educational opportunities. I have benefited in multiple ways. First, I got my blogging wings. Second, I attracted leads that quickly turned into dollars $$$. Third, I was able to launch another career to run concurrent with my Real Estate brokering duties and write and release the popular "PEARLS SERIES" of books. As a bonus; I made some valuable contacts and friends. So, ActiveRain in my case is Active Gain and even Active Fame...Now I ask you....Why would I get out of the "RAIN" when I get so much being in it....Umbrellas....? You can have mine...thank you"
Debbie Malone, From Lynchburg To The Lake (434) 546-0369 (Londeree's Real Estate & Property Management): Real Estate Agent in Lynchburg, VA Debbie Malone, From Lynchburg To The Lake (434) 546-0369 (Londeree's Real Estate & Property Management) said about 10 years ago,
"I joined Activerain in October of 2006 and it was the wisest decision I could have made for my Real Estate career. My AR membership is the foundation of my success as a Realtor. I have learned so much from the Activerain members who generously share their experiences, I've learned more about online marketing, trends in real estate and the latest technology. I haven't kept Activerain a secret either- I've invited countless people and 29 have joined.

I am contacted several times a week from someone who has read my blog and wants more information on real estate in the Lynchburg area. Activerain has let me help my local community - my blog has sent clients to the small businesses I've profiled and I receive calls because of something I've written for localism. I've given and received numerous referrals and have made connections with top agents, home inspectors and lenders and best of all I've formed great relationships. Thank YOU Activerain for MY Success Story!"
Anna Hatridge, Missouri Realtor with R Gilliam Real Estate LLC (R Gilliam Real Estate LLC): Real Estate Agent in Farmington, MO Anna Hatridge, Missouri Realtor with R Gilliam Real Estate LLC (R Gilliam Real Estate LLC) said about 10 years ago,
"(✿◠‿◠) I have made so many new friends with ActiveRain. I love learning and ActiveRain is great avenue to achieve that goal every day."
Lisa Hammerstein,  Pascack Valley NJ Real Estate - Bergen County (Christie's International Real Estate ): Real Estate Agent in River Vale, NJ Lisa Hammerstein, Pascack Valley NJ Real Estate - Bergen County (Christie's International Real Estate ) said about 10 years ago,
"The Summer Season is here and the weather and market is hot hot hot! We love the Summer Season this year and it's keeping us very busy. This Season that brings family celebrations and the magnificent Summertime outdoor shows to all. Inventory is climbing as we get ready for the fall temps. We Love this Place! Active Rain has been like a shining light in the real estate world across the country. We joined at the end of 2006 and have made hundreds of friends and networked with so many. It's like one big happy family for us. This site Rocks! Now going forward towards 2014 we are excited at all of the new innovations that Active Rain had added to the site. Awesome job guys/girls. In addition to the great networking opportunities, blogging has helped us move up in the search engines allowing customers to find us. Active Rain has become an integral part of our business plan and we feel it should be a part of each real estate professional's plans too. 2014 is looking like it's going to be a great year as well and thanks to Active Rain I know it will be."
Joyce M. Marsh, Joyce Marsh Homes & Design (Luxury Home Couture): Real Estate Agent in Daytona Beach, FL Joyce M. Marsh, Joyce Marsh Homes & Design (Luxury Home Couture) said about 10 years ago,
"Networking on active rain is one of the best ways to reach other professionals in the real estate community throughout the country. Sharing ideas, regional trends, referrals and opportunities with other active rain members has been very beneficial to my business as well as additional exposure for my listings.

I recently attended RainCamp here in Orlando and it was definitely an awesome experience! A day full of new ideas and networking opportunities.

I recently attended the Orlando RainCamp which was awesome. This was a day filled with non-stop educational information which far exceeed my expectations. The content was extremely valuable and I plan on implementing new strategies, and methods immediately into my business. If you have a chance to attend a RainCamp near you, definitely take advantage of the opportunity.

Having the ability to network with other ActiveRain members and share ideas and business opportunities is one of the greatest benefits of membership in ActiveRain."
Darren Copeland, Darren Copeland (Leader One Financial): Mortgage and Lending in Lee's Summit, MO Darren Copeland, Darren Copeland (Leader One Financial) said over 10 years ago,
"Once I made the decision to jump to 'rainmaker' status I saw immediate changes in the traffic that my blogs and even my website were getting. Especially after I took advantage of the Active Rain University classes, which were great for teaching simple and easy to use SEO tips for blogging! Now when I do a Google search for my blog topics I am seeing them consistently on the first page of Google, and we all know what that means - it means that more people are seeing my name associated with mortgages and being ranked high on google means more traffic to my website, and that means more traffic in my front door! I can't tell you the number of clients who have said to me - I found your blog (either my active rain or my outside blog provided by Active Rain) and figured you were the local expert on home loans! Thank you Active Rain!"
Diana Eklund: Real Estate Agent in Goodyear, AZ Diana Eklund said over 10 years ago,
"Using Activerain to assist me in Virtually Touring my new listings to real estate professionals nationwide has been an asset to my business. My sellers love the fact that I am able to provide this service to them and Activerain helps me achieve the goal. Thank you Activerain!"
June Stark, Las Vegas Condos & Luxury Homes Expert (Elite Realty-Luxury Homes & Condos On & Off the Strip): Real Estate Agent in Las Vegas, NV June Stark, Las Vegas Condos & Luxury Homes Expert (Elite Realty-Luxury Homes & Condos On & Off the Strip) said over 10 years ago,
"Activerain has enabled us to easily blog about the latest happenings in our great city. With its easy platform, we ave been able to publish our listings, and market info to a wide audience. Connecting with other agents and reading industry tips and tidbits on blogging, seo optimization, etc. has helped keep The Stark Team at the top of the search engines which works to our clients' advantage as well as ours. THANK YOU ACTIVERAIN!!"
Jonathan Arnold Team Grand Rapids, Consistent, on time, under budget , no surprises!: Mortgage and Lending in East Grand Rapids, MI Jonathan Arnold Team Grand Rapids, Consistent, on time, under budget , no surprises! said over 10 years ago,
"ActiveRain is an incredible place to share your knowledge, meet others in the industry and connect with potential clients as well as referral sources. Thank you to everyone who I have connected with through the years!"
David Shamansky, Creative, Aggressive & 560 FICO - OK, Colorado Mtg (US Mortgages - David Shamansky): Mortgage and Lending in Highlands Ranch, CO David Shamansky, Creative, Aggressive & 560 FICO - OK, Colorado Mtg (US Mortgages - David Shamansky) said over 10 years ago,
"Without question Active Rain has provided me with an incredible tool unlike any other I have found. I have made friendships, relationships, contacts, business referrals from both AR members and consumers directly.
I have gained much knowledge in areas I knew relatively little from the Real Estate / Realtor point of view as well as other ancillary industry like home inspectors and other service providers.
I am a big fan and believer and promoter of Active Rain.
I cracked the 600k milestone and looking forward to 750k then 1M and beyond!"
Holly Weatherwax, A Great Real Estate Experience ( Associate Broker, Momentum Realty): Real Estate Agent in Reston, VA Holly Weatherwax, A Great Real Estate Experience ( Associate Broker, Momentum Realty) said over 10 years ago,
"When I first started on Active Rain, I did not know exactly what to expect. I dabbled in blogging, occasionally left comments and checked it when I remembered. Little by little, my time on Active Rain began to be the best way to start my day. As my participation has gained momentum, I have made referrals and received calls from my blogs. As someone who works primarily from home, Active Rain has provided me with colleagues and companionship that I sometimes miss by not going into the office. I can't emphasize enough how much there is to learn and share on Active Rain. It is like having one big, world-wide office! Thanks, ActiveRain!"
Kumar Sharma (IndianMatka.Com): Title Insurance in Sunny Hills, FL Kumar Sharma (IndianMatka.Com) said over 10 years ago,
"Kalyan Matka, Satta Matka, Matka Game, Kalyan Matka Tips, Kalyan Matka Numbers, Kalyan Matka Results, Main Kalyan Open, Main Kalyan Close"
Elizabeth Weintraub Sacramento Broker, Put 40 years of experience to work for you (Elizabeth Anne Weintraub, Broker): Real Estate Agent in Sacramento, CA Elizabeth Weintraub Sacramento Broker, Put 40 years of experience to work for you (Elizabeth Anne Weintraub, Broker) said over 10 years ago,
"I have been blogging on Active Rain since 2006."
Kerrie La Guardia, Let it Rain! (ActiveRain, Community Manager): Services for Real Estate Pros in Kirkland, WA Kerrie La Guardia, Let it Rain! (ActiveRain, Community Manager) said over 10 years ago,
"ActiveRain has opened up a whole new world of beautiful, caring and wise people. I am grateful to be among such amazing company doing what I do. Our community is strong and filled with forward-thinking members. LET IT RAIN!"
waptrick woles (ngindonesia): Home Builder in Hondorus, IN waptrick woles (ngindonesia) said over 10 years ago,
"Thanks for sharing this quality information with us. I really enjoyed reading"
Paul S. Henderson, REALTOR®, CRS, South Puget Sound Washington Agent/Broker! (Fathom Realty Washington LLC): Real Estate Agent in Tacoma, WA Paul S. Henderson, REALTOR®, CRS, South Puget Sound Washington Agent/Broker! (Fathom Realty Washington LLC) said over 10 years ago,
"ActiveRain has done wonders for my online marketing of my listings! I learned something after I posted my first property that I hope will be of use to all reading this.

I learned how important it is to keep the listing up to date! Duh, you say.

If you have a price reduction, do a blog post!
If the listing goes pending, do a blog post!
New Pictures, do a blog post!
And most important! If you sell the listing, make sure, you do a blog post!
I never realized that people were finding my listings online, using the address. When the listing comes up on the search, so does the blog post. I failed to do the sold function on my first listing I posted here on ActiveRain and I was still getting calls on the property a month later. These Buyers were only using the city or Zip code and were still finding my property thinking it was still Active for sale. When you brag blog about the sale you are able to tell;

How many days your listing took to sell
What it sold for
And of course what percentage of the list price it sold
This is very good for acquiring that next listing...
Make sure you close the package!

I have sold several listing by blogging this way on ActiveRain; Its not a secret, it's a dividend!"
Allison Bernard, Real Estate & Relocation Services 401-533-6916 (Keller Williams Central Rhode Island): Real Estate Agent in East Greenwich, RI Allison Bernard, Real Estate & Relocation Services 401-533-6916 (Keller Williams Central Rhode Island) said over 10 years ago,
"Starting off at a small family brokerage before recently moving to Keller Williams, I was inspired by ActiveRain because it was the resource I needed to grow my career with my own style. In fact, the first day I signed up for the free account I received a telephone call from a guy who gave me the the lowdown on AR and told me what to do to get the most out of the site. His name escapes me...a man who worked in Hawaii and now is in South America?? I wonder if he realizes a 10 minute phonecall to a stranger made a little spark. I wish I remembered his name!

Anyway, I took his advice, completed my profile to get the extra points and spent the next few days searching every real estate question I had on Active Rain. At that point I did not care to even know consumers could find me through this site with a paid subscription. I needed a CRM so I searched in google :" CRM site:activerain.com ", I needed a wide angle camera so I searched in google :" wide angle camera site:activerain.com ", I needed to know how to get a house ready to list so I searched in google :" home staging site:activerain.com ", I needed to know how to do an open house so I searched in google :" open house site:activerain.com ", etc. Who needed the internet when you had ActiveRain. ActiveRain was my source. I know there were other sites out there but none had the raw information and grass roots feel like AR. This was right before the Market Leader and Trulia drama.

And that is how I started reading different bloggers posts. And then I started to read certain people over and over again. YES! I was hooked.

I took some of the webinars and knew what I had to do. I still would not say I have implemented everything but I will say I became inspired by certain Rainmakers so I did get a subscription. And did find that consumers can find my local posts. I only have a few local posts out there but I have found success with it. Once you go incognito in Chrome after posting a RainMaker post see for yourself. And if you have no idea what I am talking about, search in Google " chrome incognito post site:activerain.com ".

I moved to Keller Williams to better serve my clients. Hey, Get With The Times, right? Since I had invested so much time into getting on board with ActiveRain, I decided to "go with" the Active Rain and Market Leader as if they are peanut butter and jelly. Why get too creative off the bat, right? And the first post was a success.

Take the blogging bootcamp series and implement it. Kerry LaGuardia and Bob Stewart are great at harnessing the best talent out there. And I found Katrina Benton a great example of dedication in implementation.

Cheers......see you in the rain."
Kona Home Team (LUVA LLC) Lance Owens (RB-24133), 2024 Real Estate Expert - Hawaii Island (Kona Home Team          (luva llc)): Real Estate Agent in Kailua-Kona, HI Kona Home Team (LUVA LLC) Lance Owens (RB-24133), 2024 Real Estate Expert - Hawaii Island (Kona Home Team (luva llc)) said over 10 years ago,
"ActiveRain is by far the largest contributor to my success when compared to print advertising and social media. I almost don't want to say to much here, because it has been so good to me. But when you get down to it, ActiveRain is about networking with other professionals around the country, we all help each other succeed, so if you need some advice, go ahead and feel free to ask me.
Aloha and Mahalo
Lance Owens (RS)"
Graziella Bruner, Associate Broker - Serving Wayne & Oakland County (NCS Premier Real Estate): Managing Real Estate Broker in Detroit, MI Graziella Bruner, Associate Broker - Serving Wayne & Oakland County (NCS Premier Real Estate) said over 10 years ago,
"The greatest thing about being part of Active Rain is getting to know other professionals in the real estate field as well as those in our related fields and gleaning from their expertise and even learning from others mistakes.
Active Rain is a great place to meet and make new friends. I love the fact that there's an Active Rain University to help you brush up on old tricks of the trade and learning how to market yourself, your business, and your listings.
It's a great way to build relationships, your business and even get referrals.
So far while being part of active rain I have received numerous referrals, not all referrals pan out but it's the fact that they are coming in. I truly appreciate everyone and what they contribute to Active Rain.
Thank you to all those who are helping others achieve great success in their businesses.
If each one of us help just one person at a time this would be a better place and more people would glean and learn from what we do.
Everyone out here in the Rain can have great success just by associating with all those involved in Active Rain.
Wishing everyone much success! There's nothing like being out in the RAIN!"