Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Playlist | Yakima, WA Real Estate & Homes for sale in HD

Chinook Pass Home For Sale Naches WA | Single-Family Homes for Sale | 2066064618 | Oodle

You will feel like you just found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow with this Chinook Pass property, located halfway between Yakima, WA and the summit of the scenic Chinook Pass Byway on Hwy. 410.
With an elevation of 2500 ft, this Chinook Pass property is among only a few properties that offer a TRUE 4-Season experience.
This custom built home was built by one of Yakima's Premier builders and many deluxe amenities were added for convenience and year-round living in mind.
This home sets on a Historic Landmark as well: The historic trail from Naches to Chinook Pass mining camps.
With all the natural beauty that surrounds this property and daily wildlife viewing you will soon discover why they say "if you're lucky enough to be in the mountains.....then you're lucky enough!"

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Moxee cafe destroyed by wildfire to reopen

Originally published Tuesday, July 27, 2010 at 8:45 AM

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Moxee cafe destroyed by wildfire to reopen

Just hours after a wildfire destroyed the Silver Dollar Cafe last August, owners Rick and Martha Lounsbury had little doubt about what to do next.

By MAI HOANG

Yakima Herald-Republic

MOXEE, Wash. —

Just hours after a wildfire destroyed the Silver Dollar Cafe last August, owners Rick and Martha Lounsbury had little doubt about what to do next.

"Rick said, 'We'll rebuild it,' " Martha Lounsbury said.

Nearly a year after making that decision, the Lounsburys, both 49, are looking to reopen the restaurant by Aug. 1.

The reopening of the restaurant, which is at the corner of state routes 24 and 241, more than 30 miles east of Yakima, has been anticipated for several months by the handful of neighbors in the area and those driving by.

"I'm anxious for it to reopen," said Cindy Attar, who lives two miles from the restaurant. "It's looking really, really good."

Long-time residents of the area say the Silver Dollar Cafe could have been in operation as far back as the 1940s and was housed in a former packing shed from the 1960s until last year.

Over time, the humble restaurant became a rural landmark and a valuable rest stop for nearby farmers and Hanford workers.

Dick Prigmore, who owned the restaurant for more than 15 years before he died in August 2008, had a sign referring to his restaurant as "The Middle of Nowhere."

Indeed, by the time drivers get to the Silver Dollar Cafe, they have driven through miles and miles of open valleys covered in sagebrush. The nearest town to the restaurant - Sunnyside - is nearly 20 miles away via a winding route through the Rattlesnake Hills.

But that's the way residents like it. The handful of people who live near the restaurant moved here to get away from the hustle and bustle of urban life.

The area surrounding the restaurant also got attention as it ended up in the center of several political debates.

The area was the site of the Black Rock Reservoir, a proposed 1.6 million acre-foot man-made lake that supporters claim would provide a much-needed water supply for nearby farmers and generate tourism activity.

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Prigmore, who owned the restaurant at the time the reservoir was first proposed in the early 2000s, was a staunch opponent of the project, which would have displaced the restaurant.

More recently, the restaurant was destroyed in the 49,000-acre Dry Creek Complex wildfire on Aug. 21, 2009, the largest of several dozen fires caused by lightning strikes.

The fire generated awareness of the risk of living in what's called a "no man's land," an area that is without fire protection because it's just outside several fire-coverage areas, including Yakima County Fire District No. 5 and the East Valley Fire Department.

Politics aside, running the Silver Dollar Cafe still fulfilled a longtime dream for Martha Lounsbury, who spent most of her working career running a travel agency in Yakima.

The couple took over ownership of the restaurant several months after Prigmore died.

Though the couple operated the cafe for just eight months before it burned down, they grew attached to the neighbors and the others who frequented the restaurant.

"It kind of becomes this community within itself," Martha Lounsbury said. "(Diners) seem to let down their guard and enjoy visiting."

She said that alone was worth the money and labor it would take to rebuild.

Although the area was never zoned for commercial use, the county allowed the Lounsburys to rebuild the restaurant as long as it was built in the same spot as the previous one.

While the restaurant is the same size - 3,150 square feet - it doesn't look anything like the old restaurant.

Most of the restaurant's exterior is red metal siding. The exception is the front of the restaurant, which was constructed with cedar. A wooden porch made in a wagon wheel design completes the restaurant's new look.

The restaurant's sign, the only thing not lost in the fire, remains outside.

Inside, one wall of the building is lined with coolers, part of the restaurant's minimart area.

In the dining area, patrons can sit in large gray wooden booths or at the bar. The restaurant's floor was filled with concrete, a surface that can be easily cleaned.

While the Lounsburys wanted to give the restaurant a new look, they were careful to not decorate it in a way that would alienate regulars.

"We don't want anyone feeling pretentious about the restaurant," Martha Lounsbury said.

They did allow their daughter, Kelsey, 21, to paint one of the walls the crimson of Washington State University, her school. She has plans to hang WSU athletic posters on the wall.

It's a visual symbol of how much the Lounsburys value their family and neighbors.

To save costs, the Lounsburys decided to build the restaurant themselves.

A Yakima County building permit issued to the Lounsburys in December lists the value of constructing the restaurant at just under $298,000.

The Lounsburys wouldn't reveal the actual cost of rebuilding the restaurant but said that they saved about $100,000 building the restaurant themselves.

But they didn't have to go through the process alone. Every weekend, family members and neighbors drove up to the site to help in the construction process.

"If it wasn't for the family helping out every weekend, (the restaurant) wouldn't be rebuilt," said Rick Lounsbury.

For the restaurant's several dozen regulars, it's about restoring a community gathering place.

"The people who live out where we live are in one sense loners. We don't want to live right next to neighbors. That's why we don't live in town," Attar said. "But in human nature, we have social needs. With the Silver Dollar, the locals have a place to gather and chat."

And though the Lounsburys haven't owned the restaurant for long, Attar said they've already become a valuable asset to the area.

"Those two have a personality that is welcoming," she said. "They are appreciative and positive. They just have that type of personality. They draw people to them."

That's why she makes a point to note the construction progress during her once-a-week visits.

"When you're involved in something that huge, you forget there is progress," she said. "It's important for me to say, 'Wow, you got this done. This is looking really good.' I'm trying to help them keep perspective."

The Lounsburys are eager to reopen and put the long construction process behind them.

"I tell my husband that when we open, it will be actually be a vacation," Martha Lounsbury joked.

---

Information from: Yakima Herald-Republic, http://www.yakimaherald.com


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Friday, July 23, 2010

As the end of Newspapers as we know them come to a halt, what does the future hold for Real Estate and print advertisement hold?

Below is a list of links relating to Newspaper Advertising and it's steady decline. 


Newspapers, meanwhile, continue to suffer from a decline in advertising revenue. According to numbers released by the Newspaper Association of America earlier this year, print advertising revenue dropped 28.6% in 2009 to $24.82 billion. The PwC report estimates that print advertising in newspapers will hit $22.3 billion by 2014.   Wallstreet Journal

 

As the End Nears For Newspapers, What Will the Future Of News Look Like? | Big Journalism

Extra, Extra: Is It the End for Newspapers? | ABC News

 

The End of Newspapers? | The New York Times

 

CHART OF THE DAY: The End Of Newspapers | Business Insider

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An aerial view of the Cowiche fire shows severe damage - KNDO/KNDU Tri-Cities, Yakima, WA |

As crews work to contain the fire we wanted to see how much damage has been done to all of the land out there.  

An aerial view of Cowiche shows thousands and thousands of acres of charred land, homes in danger, and smoke continuing to rise.

 Firefighters in Yakima along with the Tri-City area including Benton and Franklin Counties have been working to contain it.

 "I heard reports of 40 to 60 mph winds over in Yakima even though we were pretty calm here," Chief Mike Spring of Benton County Fire District 4 said. "Wind driven fire is just going to move on you."

Chief Spring says at one point it was so bad, flames injured one crew on the scene.

 "We heard a fire truck got burned over, some guys got sent to the hospital, so things got bad. If that's happening to firefighters it's a bad fire."

As we continued to circle the area, the damage was obvious and the ash still visible.

Crews tell us the scattered small fires still left are what they're worried about as they try to make the area safe once again.

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Chinook Pass Homes For Sale

16211 State Route 410, Naches, WA | Powered by Postlets

16211 State Route 410, Naches, WA | Powered by Postlets

By: Realty Tours Northwest of Yakima

CHINOOK PASS

CHINOOK PASS

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Yakima Real Estate | Video Email Marketing For Real Estate | The Internet Marketer - Joseph J Gomez

Did you know that video email marketing is a must-have for real estate and mortgage professionals? The reason being that in a recent interview, 86% of clients said that they would use the same realtor or loan officer again. They also said that they would refer their friends, family, or co-workers to the same agent or LO.

The problem is, only 7% of them did. I hate to be this blunt, but this is no one’s fault but your own. Think about it, what are you doing to stay in front of your clients? Are you sending postcards? Did you know that postcards have a very high rate of being tossed into the recycle bin because most people see postcards as junk mail?

I recently came across an article online that showed the difference between sending postcards versus sending out emails with video. The business decided to send out both campaigns at the same time. They have a database of 16,000 addresses and 6406 email addresses.

The total cost for the mail campaign, after figuring in the cost to create the cards, postage, etc., was just over $12,000. After all this, they got a total of 12 responses. That’s a rate of 0.075%.

The email with video was sent out to 6406 people. It got an open rate of 43.8% (2,804 opens), a click through rate of 44.7% (1,254) and 146 direct replies asking for more info. This equals an 11X higher response rate!

I don’t know what kind of money you have to throw around for your business these days, but one thing is clear: if you’re not maximizing your “face time” with your clients, you’ll no doubt lose them to someone that just happens to be in the right place at the right time.

Has that ever happened when you were at a gathering or function and someone you’ve done business with says, “I forgot all about you, I just bought/sold my house!” Or, “I just refinanced!” You can avoid this by staying in front of your clients. Think about all the holidays we have, birthdays, graduations, the birth of a new baby, a new pet, etc. These are all excellent excuses to send out a video email. If you’re ready for a demonstration of how powerful this tool can be for your business, click on the link here. Watch the 60 second video and start using this today.

Thanks for reading,

Joseph J Gomez

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This entry was posted on July 7, 2010 at 4:44 pm. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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Yakima Real Estate & Homes | Wells Fargo Charged With Fraud In Mortgage Morass

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The International Bank Activities Reform Commission is charging Wells Fargo, partly owned by Warren Buffet and the Gates Foundation with fraud in their global involvement with the mortgage morass which continues impacting the global economy.

In a complaint filed with the European Monetary Commission and the World Court in the Hague, Gabor S.Acs. one of the founders of IBARC stated, "Wells should get a Wells Notice from the United States Securities and Exchange Commission soon if they are on top of this investigation at the Justice Department."

The complaint alleges that Wells Fargo, their Directors, Officers and Major Institutional Stockholders including Goldman Sachs knew or should have known that billions of dollars in first and second mortgages originated, packaged and sold as securities by Wells contained false financial information provided by real estate brokers. mortgage brokers and borrowers, making it impossible for the borrowers to pay back the loans or to be qualified to even make the monthly payments without refinancing over and over during a 30 year period that falsely inflated the cost of housing in the United States and the world over as a result, causing serious economic damage to hundreds of millions of humans around the world.

In Washington State Wells Fargo Financial recently announced it is shutting 25 of its stores which are currently located in Auburn, Bellingham, Bellevue, Bremerton, East Wenatchee, Everett, Federal Way, Kennewick, Kirkland, Lakewood, Lynnwood, Marysville, Olympia, Puyallup, Seattle, Shoreline, Spokane (two), Spokane Valley, Tacoma (two), Tukwila, Vancouver (two) and Yakima.

Read more: Wells Fargo shutting 25 Financial outlets in Washington - Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle)

 

 

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170 Deer Cove Ln., Naches, WA 98937 - CHINOOK PASS CABIN AND PROPERTY - real estate listing

Monday, July 19, 2010

CitizenTube: Wildfire Scorches Central Washington State

Yakima and Cowiche Fires Updated Video Part 1

What started as a brush fire in Cowiche......just outside of Yakima Washington turns into a 5 alarm blazing fire that consumes more than 10,000 acres of mostly barren land and shifts towards the west valley area of Yakima. Firefighters are in a race to keep up with the rapid growth as steady gusts of wind keep fueling the fires. Over 200 firefighters arrive from all over the county and an air-strike is called in to help combat the fires. The fires were reported to have taken out 3 houses and several out-buildings. The battle to detain the fire continues into the evening and seems to worsen. It is reported that a few of the firefighters are rushed to a local hospital for smoke inhalation and 1 of the fire trucks is destroyed. The fire continue throughout the evening and by morning the fire is 15% detained.


 

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Busy night and morning for Yakima Fire Dept. - KNDO/KNDU Tri-Cities, Yakima, WA |

YAKIMA, Wash. -- Five companies from the Yakima Fire Department assisted in the Cowiche-West Valley fire Sunday afternoon into early Monday morning.

Yakima firefighters helped to provide structure protection, and said this prevented a number of homes and nearby buildings from being burned in the fire.

About 1:15a.m., firefighters were called out to a structure fire on North 9th Street. A spokesperson for Yakima Fire said that fire used all remaining city fire engines.

Firefighters were able to contain the fire, but they said the city was without fire engines for about a half an hour.

The last fire engine returned from the Cowiche-West Valley fire at around 4:30a.m. Monday morning.

One Yakima brush truck remained at the Cowiche fire to assist the other agencies.


***North 9th Street Fire***
YAKIMA, Wash. -- Yakima firefighters responded to a vehicle and house on fire in the 200 block of North 9th Street.

It happened around 1:15a.m. Monday morning.

Firefighters found a van under a carport on fire near the home.

No one was injured.

Damage is estimated at $60,000. The house and vehicle were a total loss.

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

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Yakima and Cowiche Fires Updated Video Part 1

What started as a brush fire in Cowiche......just outside of Yakima Washington turns into a 5 alarm blazing fire that consumes more than 10,000 acres of mostly barren land and shifts towards the west valley area of Yakima. Firefighters are in a race to keep up with the rapid growth as steady gusts of wind keep fueling the fires. Over 200 firefighters arrive from all over the county and an air-strike is called in to help combat the fires. The fires were reported to have taken out 3 houses and several out-buildings. The battle to detain the fire continues into the evening and seems to worsen. It is reported that a few of the firefighters are rushed to a local hospital for smoke inhalation and 1 of the fire trucks is destroyed. The fire continue throughout the evening and by morning the fire is 15% detained.


 

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Cowiche fire scorches at least 8,500 acres | Yakima Herald-Republic

 

COWICHE, Wash. -- A brush fire that started early this afternoon in Cowiche Canyon is threatening about 50 homes late this afternoon, fire officials said.

"It’s still burning hot and heavy," Chief Sam Glanzer of Fire District 1 said.

The fire, which originated across from the Cowiche Creek Nursery and then spread, is threatening homes in the West Valley area, Glanzer said.

Glanzer said two helicopters are working to draw water from local orchard reservoirs to douse flames. One retardent plane and multiple bulldozers are also working save the threatened houses.

Multiple agencies, including West Valley, East Valley, Yakima, Naches, Tieton, Highland and Naches Heights, have responded to the scene. Resources from the Department of Natural Resources are also being utilized. 

An estimated 100 firefighters are at the scene.

COWICHE, Wash. -- Off a small gravel road in west Yakima, Dary and Jenny Reed anxiously looked on Sunday, wondering if the flames were ripping through their personal belongings and home of 27 years.

Large plumes of thick gray smoke blotted out the afternoon sun as the couple waited amongst friends for news. A few hours earlier, the couple had evacuated their home on Carvo Road.

As they waited, firefighters from around the Yakima Valley were battling a 8,500-acre blaze near Cowiche that consumed three homes.

"I didn’t think about taking anything out ’cause we see flames on the other side of the hill all the time," said Dary, who was home by himself at the time. His wife, Jenny, was at the CityFest event at State Fair Park when she heard the news.

As of 8 p.m. Sunday, firefighters said 100 area homes were threatened by the five-alarm fire.

Evacuations were ordered for all residents on Yule, Olson and Carvo roads. Officials said homes along Black Hawk, Wakatak, Winchester, Palomino, Mahre and Stone roads and Hillstone Drive could be evacuated as well. More than 100 firefighters were at the scene and an estimated 150 more were expected to respond overnight. 

"We’re like DEFCON 5, man," said West Valley Fire Department Chief Dave Leitch.

Of the three homes that were burned, one was vacant, Leitch said. Three to four outbuildings were also lost. None of the occupants was injured. It’s unclear whether they were home at the time.

Firefighters were using West Valley Fire Station 3 at 14901 Tieton Drive as a command post. Concerned area residents gazed on while firefighters guzzled bottled water and scarfed down pizza before heading back out into the smoke. 

The blaze started as a small brush fire at 2401 Cowiche Mill Road in Cowiche Canyon across from the Cowiche Creek Nursery. Flames were first reported about 2:30 p.m. Heavy winds prompted the fire to travel southwest over the hillside into the West Valley area. Firefighters estimated wind speeds at 20 and 25 miles per hour, with gusts as high as 35 mph.

"It came down that hill pretty fast," Leitch said.

The flames engulfed West Valley fire engine 31 and sent three firefighters to an area hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation. Shelters were not deployed, but Leitch said the engine is lost.

Neighbors helped Dary Reed evacuate the couple’s horses from the scene. He joked that all he took from their home was his 1994 fully customized Harley Davidson motorcycle, the three horses and his gun collection.

"That’s only because the wife wasn’t there, ’cause I would have got the pictures out," Jenny Reed said. 

"If the house burns down, the divorce will be more expensive than the house," Dary Reed said as he stood next to his motorcycle.

Marlin Lindgren, 57, of Wiley City said he helped Dary Reed round up the horses and his beloved Harley. Since Reed’s truck was being repaired, he had no way to tow his horse trailer.

"We took ’em down the road and put them in a friend’s barn," Lindgren said.

Gary and Doris Brownell, who own Queen B Ranch, a horse ranch on Tieton Drive, said they found two horses running loose near the fire. They rounded the animals up into their trailer, but are unsure who they belong to. Until someone comes forward for the horses, the couple said they’ll house them at their ranch.

Three helicopters from the Department of Natural Resources and one federal helicopter out of Wenatchee were at the scene dousing flames with water drawn from a local orchard reservoir. Two heavy tanker planes from Moses Lake were dumping flame retardant on the blaze. Five bulldozers helped to provide structural protection for area homes.

Leitch said that due to the size of the fire, a FEMA request has been made to cover resource expenses. In addition to the units on site, Leitch also said an additional 35 engines would be soon en route. Also, seven strike teams from around the state will be in the area to help this morning. Each team will consist of five engines, a team leader and three to four firefighters.

Flames were visible from the Terrace Heights area after 10 p.m. Sunday.

Richard Andring, public information officer for the West Valley fire department, said the blaze should continue into today, with containment efforts taking another couple days.

Power also was affected for residents in the area. Jan Mitchell, spokeswoman for Pacific Power, said about 23,000 customers lost power at 9:07 p.m. Power was restored at 9:15 p.m. for all but 3,850 Tieton residents.

Mitchell said a transmission line from Union Gap to Pomona was lost, but was unsure what caused it. It is believed to be related to the fire, she said.

Officials said it is unclear what caused the blaze.


• Ryan Ricigliano can be reached at 509-577-7626 or rricigliano@yakimaherald.com.

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Cowiche Fire Continues Burning

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The Cowiche fires continue burning and spreading into the night. The fires seem to have tripled in size in the past few hours as firefighters from every corner of the county continue the air-strike.

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Sunday, July 18, 2010

Wildfire erupts near Yakima - Northwest - The Olympian - Olympia, Washington

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Wildfire erupts near Yakima

By SHANNON DININNY | Associated Press Writer • Published July 18, 2010

COWICHE, Wash. – Fire officials say a wildfire in central Washington state has destroyed at least one home, several outbuildings and is threatening more homes.

The fire, about 10 miles west of Yakima, started Sunday afternoon.

Heavy winds were pushing the blaze toward an unknown number of homes.

The fire was burning on an estimated 3,000 acres and had sent a big plume of smoke over Yakima.

One fire engine was burned.

Three firefighters were taken to a local hospital with minor injuries, mostly smoke inhalation.

Firefighters are going door to door evacuating residents.

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Yakima Fires Expected To Burn All Night And Into Tomorrow.

We heard from local officials today that the Yakima Fires that are still burning now will probably be burning through out the evening and into tomorrow.

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Huge Yakima Fire takes out power to hundreds of homes in the Cowiche, WA

The Yakima county fire just wiped out all electricity in Tieton and Cowiche. We were in the middle of filming some footage when we heard a huge explosion..then we noticed all the lights go out. As we have tons of video footage and photos of the Yakima valley fires...we will have to resume our coverage tomorrow when the power is back on.

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Yakima Valley Fire

A small brush fire near Cowiche Mill Rd. Turns into a 5 alarm fire covering the entire valley with heavy smoke. Stay tuned for more pics and video.

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How is Video Marketing Beneficial for Your Online Real Estate Business | Yakima Real Estate & Homes

How is Video Marketing Beneficial for Your Online Real Estate Business


How is Video Marketing Beneficial for Your Online Business Each year, since Youtube arrived, the popularity of videos has grown by significant numbers. Reading books has taken a back seat to online videos. Videos are entertaining and easier to process for people. Net people have become horrendously impatient, and that’s a good thing for videos. So of course online marketers use this medium to offer their content and marketing messages to people. Apart from that, you can also post your videos on your website to get more sales. Marketer use video for the same purposes as any other marketing tool, but it can be much more effective. clean up credit score clean up bad credit clean up credit reports

We want to share some more ideas about video, and how you can use it in your IM business.~Of course, successful marketing on the net requires that you get noticed about what it is you’re doing, or selling. You’ll find some online methods are more effective than others for getting that done. You can bring traffic to your various sites and offers in a variety of methods. You can get very targeted traffic with ppc, but it’s expensive, and other methods only produce low quality traffic. If done correctly, videos can generate targeted traffic plus brand your business at the same time. Videos are powerful market engagers because they can really draw in your audience. So the potential with video marketing is endless if you know what you’re doing. You will use videos to presell your offer and encourage them to take action. We now want to share just a few of the many benefits of this medium in your online business.~Youtube forever changed the landscape of video when it entered the scene. Naturally, leave it internet marketers to find other fantastic uses for Youtube and videos. Of course marketers started experimenting with ways to create traffic, collect optins, etc.

The popularity of video makes all this possible. It is known at this point that a very well made video can convert at tremendous rates. Video is versatile because you can build your branding power as well as customer relationships. A lot of marketers are completely sold on using video because their own results are so good.
There are many benefits of using video, so let’s talk about a few more.~Videos have been on the web for a long time now.
Of course, Youtube was the major player that brought the online video to the stage that it is at now but there are others. Online video has grown so strong that the time spent watching it is comparable to the time spent watching TV. Video marketing is good news for the internet marketer who is willing to take advantage of this vast, long-term traffic source. Internet marketing is a field that has many different methods and strategies. You definitely have your pick between free and paid methods. Some free methods will drain all of your time and still may not produce any worthwhile results; not with video marketing. It’s a powerful way to engage your target audience, give them high quality content and drive targeted traffic back to your website.
The power of video marketing is no longer a secret so I’m surprised when I hear that so many people are still turning to the oversaturated article marketing method where you have to have a complex system set up to make it work. It is now so easy to make and upload videos that you can take someone with little computer experience and teach them. You need to keep your videos laser-focused in order to get the most conversions but sometimes a general video can get you a lot of views. Next, we are going to point out some of the obvious and not so obvious benefits of video marketing.~Youtube has paved the way for video and its domination of the internet. Youtube is the #1 source for videos but there are many other high quality sites to utilize. It’s no wonder why so many internet marketers are turning to video marketing for there online business. This just goes on to show that video marketing will only move forward with time, as more and more people start creating videos for promotional purposes.

Videos work wonders for positioning you as a reliable source for info, and they can get you in front of a lot of people. If your aim is to create a marketing campaign that is successful on all levels, then video marketing should be on your list of marketing techniques. When you put in the time needed to craft out a strong video, you’ll see that it pays on the long run in terms of quality traffic. Some people have been quietly making a killing with videos but the secret is out now. Following, are a few of the ways that video marketing can explode your traffic.}
Your videos are accessible as long as people have an internet connection. Apple product users routinely surf the net and do many things with their Apple products, such as video watch, etc. We all know that vvideos are here and won’t be going anywhere. Videos can be used to extend your marketing reach, and if your content is good – attract much more people to your site.

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Saturday, July 17, 2010

Friday, July 16, 2010

Seattle Real Estate & Homes in HD Video | An Open House Anytime 24/7

Do want more foot traffic to your recent  Seattle Real Estate listing?

Of course not!

  • Why should you have to scramble to get the house all tidied up and ready every time some LookyLoo'r wants to drag their muddy feet through your home....just to say "thanks, you have a nice home" then walk off into the sunset.

 

  • Gone are the days of making arrangements to open up your home to everyone and anyone. NOW, you can have an OPEN HOUSE 24/7 and eliminate the "LookyLooers".

 

  • Now that you have decided to list your home with a Video Tour..you have just increased your chances of having a serious buyer who is interested in your home by 80%

 

  • So relax..... set back, maybe even go on vacation and let your Seattle real estate video tour sell your home

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Yakima Real Estate & Homes in HD Video | An Open House Anytime 24/7

Do want more foot traffic to your recent real estate listing?

Of course not!

  • Why should you have to scramble to get the house all tidied up and ready every time some Looky Looer wants to drag their muddy feet through your home....just to say "thanks, you have a nice home" then walk off into the sunset.

 

  • Gone are the days of making arrangements to open up your home to everyone and anyone. NOW, you can have an OPEN HOUSE 24/7 and eliminate the "Looky Looers".

 

  • Now that you have decided to list your home with a Video Tour..you have just increased your chances of having a serious buyer who is interested in your home by 80%

 

  • So relax..... set back, maybe even go on vacation and let your video tour sell your home

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Thursday, July 15, 2010

Aaron at AMS Inspection Services: Yakima Housing Market: Positive June

Aaron at AMS Inspection Services: Yakima Housing Market: Positive June: "Yakima is showing postive peformance. The local market produced an 8% increase in home sales from May to June 2010 and an 18% increase from ..."

By: Realty Tours Northwest of Yakima

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Dare To Compare! | A quick real estate syndication challenge | Yakima Real Estate and Homes

Why is Video and YouTube so important in your real estate marketing strategy? Are You Getting The Syndication Your Listing Deserves?

  • Let's try this little challenge to see how many times your real estate listing or ANY current market listing without Video can be found on Google. My research shows that most FSBO listings generally show up on about 2-4 websites indexed by Google.

 

  • Now let's try a listing submitted by a Realtor via IDX/MLS. Okay...great! Now we're talking 5-10 websites indexed by Google, i.e..Zillow, Trulia, Realtor.com, Local MLS..etc. This is better.....no doubt. 

 

  • Finally, let's try doing a Google search for a property that has a YouTube video like in the example above. Clearly you will see that there are over 35 different websites across the internet where you can find that listing.....and the video was uploaded only 3 weeks ago! You will also notice that the video has been syndicated by 3rd party News Feeds and Blogs.

 

  • So what does this all mean? It means that a "Listing" with a video can show up in targeted search results. Try doing a general Google search for real estate in your local market....(such as yakima real estate) and notice that those results will NEVER show an actual listing for a property. The only way to have a property listing show up in a general real estate search is to put that listing on video.

 



 

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Yakima Real Estate Tours in HD - 201 S. 62nd Ave. - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sq99wCndcsc

View a Video Tour of this Yakima Real Estate Listing guided by Realtor Emily Coleman. Check back to our channel often to find Yakima Homes. 5 Bed, 2 Bath, Huge Shop, West Valley, Close to schools.


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Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Yakima Real Estate & Homes on Google Maps. - Link: http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?oe=UTF-8&ie=UTF8&ei=A4YzTNCAIYHdnAehz-SxDA&ved=0CBQQ_AU&hl=en&source=embed&msa=0&msid=100212588587296159875.00048a7de2930edf906cf&ll=46.741743,-120.790558&spn=0.574071,1.451

Realty Tours Northwest now provides Map Based Browsing of Yakima Real Estate. The listings are YouTube Video Tours of Yakima Homes for sale.


View Yakima Real Estate Video Tours. in a larger map

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Why Use Video in Real Estate | Yakima Real Estate & Homes

Using Video in Real Estate

Published by Lance Mohr | Filed under Videos

Why use video in real estate


Click on the photo to view the video.

I want to go over this with you to talk a little bit about video, why it is important and how you can use it in your real estate business to get more sales and communicate with people better. I really feel if you are not using video on your website or with your clients, customers, and prospects you are really missing the boat. There are a lot of ways to connect and video is the absolute best.

Here are a couple of ways that I use it:

The first thing I do is a lot like what we are doing right now, I am talking to you and I will send out a video email. If I get on the phone with someone, I have a good conversation with them and I think I might be working with them, buying or selling, I am going to send them a thank you email video email. Thanking them for their time and just letting them know, hey this is what I look like, I am a real person, I am not just someone on the other end of the telephone line or on the other end of a keyboard. So it really helps them identify to see what I am like.

View a sample video email:  Click here

I also use, not just video, I use audio emails as well which is really important. I have had people in other parts of the world. I had a gentleman I sold a home to a few months ago who was in Kuwait. He sent me an email and I am not much of a typist, so I sent him an audio email back. He in turn emailed me back and then I sent him a video email, introducing myself and saying I could not wait to help him. He flew out here a couple of weeks later, bought a new construction home and is completely happy. He even remarked it was because of my email on my audio and video. So he was very impressed with that.

I also use it all throughout my website. I do educational videos, I think I have about 12 of them on my website right now. I think as a real estate professional we are all trying to show that we are different and that we are the expert in our market place. Nothing says it better than video, so if you go to my website www.tampa2enjoy.com you are going to see videos that are educational videos. Now, I have some on property taxes, buying a short sale, selling your home, buying new construction, selling a preowned home. I have had a lot of people remark that they have watched my videos and have learned more than what their past realtor or even current realtor have taught them after working with them for a month or two months. So it is a really big advantage.

Also, I do home movies tours. I think home movie tours are critical. I am going to let you watch this one right here. I will give you a little snippet of it, you can sort of see what I do and then I will tell you the importance of a home movie tour.

Okay, you get the idea. Now, how powerful is that? Let me tell you how powerful it is. When people are looking on the Internet and they are looking for homes, they know all the information about it, the price, the size, the subdivision, bedrooms, bathrooms, square footage, year built, etc. They want to see a lot of pictures, who does not, everybody wants to see pictures. But the problem with pictures is you cannot really get a feel for the home, you do not know the layout of the home, which is why everybody wants to look inside of the home because they want to see if it works for them. Now, I think pictures are great and most all MLS’ out there will allow you to put anywhere from maybe 8 photos, 12 photos, some I have even heard up to 20 photos, but the advantage of a home video tour is it really gives them the sense of walking through a home.

I have a couple of people actually in my pipeline right now that are pending a sale and they have not even seen the home. They are out of the state, they identified that they really liked the home. They had the pictures, I shot the video tour of the home, I sent them a video email, went over the home with them in detail and of course they get to see it all. I told them to look at the video, match that with the pictures that are on the Internet, if there are not many I will take some pictures, and then look at Google Earth and see the area. I have two people right now, one of them it is the second time they have done this and they are buying the home site unseen.

So it is very, very powerful if you are not doing that. There are a lot of other advantages, but it really gives you as the real estate agent, as the listing agent, it really in all honesty you could say you are sitting an open house 24 hours a day 7 days a week. I doubt anybody in your market place could say that, because I doubt many agents in your market place are using video.

The other way I use it is through customer testimonials. Now we all know, and I hope all of you out there have a website, and if you do I hope you all have testimonials on that website. I have gone away from the regular written testimonials because of video is so much more powerful. Keep in mind text is powerful, a picture is worth a thousand words but a video says a million.

So here is an example of a customer testimonial from a young lady just to give you an idea what that is like.

All right, you get the idea. So you are going to want to have several of these on your site. Whether you have 3 or 30 it really does not make any difference, but you are going to want something. Because the one thing about video is people are not used to it, they are used to You Tube, but agents are really, really behind the eight ball on technology. The longer we go in the industry and the more progress the more people are getting into video. The advantage you have right now is you could separate yourself from virtually all the competition. Just some of the stuff I have shown you, look at the power of it. Look at if you were going out and people were looking at your website and you did not have video and they go on one of your competitors websites and they have video testimonials, home tours, they could tell them they could do home tours for them and send a video email, they send them audio emails, they do all this stuff. I do not even think it is competition who the buyer and/or seller are going to work with.

So I strongly recommend if you are a real estate agent that you start using video on your websites and with your customers. Now, there are a lot of places out there to get video and do it, this is just my personal suggestion to you. Do not use You Tube that just does not ooze professionalism. It basically, in my opinion, I will look at people who will try to use You Tube, and it tells me these people either do not know what they are doing, they are not professional, or they just do not have the money to invest in something more professional, but again that is just my opinion. Do what you would like, but you are going to have a hard time. You are going to be able to do some of the stuff on You Tube, Revver, and some of these other sites, but I would get a little bit more professional. The company I use is ComF5. You could actually go to this site it is http://www.COMF5.com/lancemohr. That will take you to the site, you could fill out your name and email and it will send you a video email so you can get an idea of what that is like. They have different packages and they are really, really inexpensive from $10 a month, $40 a month up to $100 a month depending on what your usage is, but even for the $10 a month one you get video email, audio email, you could do live a broadcasts. There is just a ton of stuff; you could easily pay $100 just for what you are getting in the $10 package but that is probably for more basic usage. I would probably say the $40 one. I am on the $100 one, but I do a lot of video, and it is more than enough storage there is no question about that. Give it a shot.

Visit my website http://www.tampa2enjoy.com look around and check it out. I hope this helps you and gives you a little insight on why you should be using video.

As Tampa real estate experts we specialize in Tampa luxury homes and Tampa waterfront homes.

July 13th, 2010

Lance gives his expert advise on utilizing video in his Real Estate business. As you can clearly see...he explains the massive benefits of using video and the all around advantage video has over traditional means of advertisement. However....his opinion is that YouTube videos don't necessarily look professional. My opinion varies completely as a producer of Yakima Real Estate videos for several reasons. 1. YouTube videos allow you to get very good analytics about the viewership of your videos. Most website embedded video do not have a statistics break-down of the video like YouTube. 2. People are VERY familiar with YouTube videos. 3. YouTube is the 3rd LARGEST visited website in the world! 4. In a 90 day period...YouTube videos receive MORE views than all other video platforms combined! 5. SYNDICATION.....YouTube videos are syndicated more often and faster than any other videos.
Conclusion:
While Video is the greatest tool available for a Realtor who is wanting to catapult his/her business above the competition.....and websites that feature videos are ranked higher in search engines than competing websites. I strongly suggest using YouTube video on your website.

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Monday, July 12, 2010

Yakima Real Estate & Homes - 201 South 61st Ave. -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sq99wCndcsc

Have you ever wished there was a way to get your Yakima Real Estate listing exposed to over 2 million people and syndicated all over the internet? If you would like to get more exposure to your Yakima Home...visit Realty Tours Northwest of Yakima's website to find out how it works.

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Sunday, July 11, 2010

New Program Will Help Prevent Homelessness | KIMA CBS 29 - News, Weather and Sports - Yakima, WA

Yakima County has just received a federal stimulus grant designed to keep people in their homes.

The money will help people pay rent and utility bills as well as provide other services to prevent more people from becoming homeless.

You must have an income at or below 50% of the area median income and be homeless or in danger of becoming homeless.

Contact one of the following to find if you qualify:

Yakima Interfaith Coalition, 107 House: (509) 249-6232

Yakima Neighborhood Health Services: (509) 454-4143 extension 1206 or 1274

Northwest Community Action Center (serving the Lower Valley): (509) 865-7630

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Yakima Valley Blog: Cool off in Yakima Valley Pools!

Thank You Yakima Valley for the great resources for finding a place to cool off this summer.

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Saturday, July 10, 2010

Realty Tours Northwest of Yakima provides HUGE options for Yakima Real Estate home owners and Realtors.

Harness the power of Video and the internet to maximize your Yakima Real Estate listing. Recently added to our website and blog is Google Maps browsing....and best of all, the listings are YouTube Video Tours of the home! Gone are the days of browsing a few pictures and waiting to get inside the home to take a look. Now you can get a feel for the "flow" of the house without ever stepping foot inside the home!
Does this new era of viewing homes deter away from a more personal and tradition in-person tour of the home with your Realtor?? ABSOLUTELY NOT!
Rather...a viewer can make a better decision about the criteria they are looking for in a home..and whether or not that home has the features and "flow" that the client is looking for. Thus....saving both the Realtor and Client countless hours of shuttling around from one home to the another.
And best of all...the Agent who uses video in their marketing is branding themself as a LEADER in the Real Estate market.

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Six Ways to Use Video on Real Estate Websites

 

Videos.  They're the latest craze online.  The search engines are ranking them, people are watching them, and real estate websites are a perfect place for them.

Video Creation Resources

If you've been thinking about taking the plunge, here are some resources that can help.  First, you need a way to film the videos.   Take a look at using a Flip video for real estate applications

Second, you need a place to host the video.  You might want to consider hosting your real estate videos at WellcomeMat.com if you don't have a host site of your own. 

Hosting at WellcomeMat comes in both free and paid flavors.  And, if you don't want to do your own videos, WellcomeMat gives you an excellent opportunity to find a local videographer.

Six Ways to Use Video on Your Real Estate Website

Once you've figured out how to produce a video, your next challenge is deciding what kind of a video to create.  Here are a half dozen topics to consider:
 
  1. Home Tours – Think about creating a personally-hosted video tour of your listings.  If you're wondering what the impact is of that type of tour, listen to this agent's experience.  Attracting listing clients can be a lot easier if you first WOW them with one of your other listing's video.
     
  2. Community Information - Think about what someone who is moving across town or across the country wants to know.  Any type of community information would be worthwhile in a video.  Think about neighborhoods, shopping areas, things to do, parks, recreational venues, restaurants, special events, and well, you get the idea.
     
  3. Schools - Especially if you're selling in a family-friendly area, a video showing schools in the neighborhoods you target would be a welcome show for parents and kids alike.
     
  4. Testimonials - If done properly, a video testimonial can be very effective.  Make sure that you choose clients who aren't camera shy and come up with a list of questions or topics you'd like them to address.  A rambling testimonial isn't going to help.  The rules for obtaining effective real estate testimonials apply to both written and video versions.
     
  5. About Me - Every agent has a page on their website that is intended to introduce them to website visitors.  The most effective ones focus on the benefits of the service provided rather than the person themselves.  Think how effectivea video would be to reinforce who you are and what your business can offer.  Are you nervous in front of a camera?  If so, you might want to set this video up as an "interview".  Even someone off camera asking questions can give you a safety net.
     
  6. Real Estate Tips - Here's just one example.  Let's say you're a Buyer Agent and you have a page on your website about Buyer Agency.  You can list out all the reasons why a home buyer should have their own representation.  But, with a video... you probably have a client who tried to go it without a buyer agent in the past.  Why not tape the two of you talking about potential pitfalls and reasons to have representation?  Not only can you bring home a very important point, but what better way is there to let your site visitors get to know you as a person?

Kathleen Allardyce is the founder of Getting It Write, Inc. The firm specializes in providing Web-Centric Real Estate Marketing services to agents and brokers – a one-stop service that establishes clients as true Internet professionals. Services include developing brands, logos and lead-generating websites. Visit her real estate marketing website, real estate marketing blog, and Point2 Agent real estate website.

 

Video is very quickly becoming the Real Estate Agent's best resource for attracting new clients. Yakima Real Estate Agents are now able to harness this new market trend by adapting to Video Listings via our established online presence in Yakima, WA. We offer more marketing of local listings for pennies on the dollar when compared to traditional means of advertisement.

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