Marc Davison Got Me Thinking…Does Size Really Matter?
January 24, 2009 by Stacey Harmon · 6 Comments
I admit, Marc Davison gets me thinking a lot. I have a bias…he is one of my favorite voices in the re.net world. So, his twitter post caught my attention, enough so to distract me from the awful lounge singer I was watching while enjoying a martini with my friends (gotta love the iPhone!).
Here are the tweets that caught my eye, along with my interaction/response:
“Why list 20 properties per page? This renders every property to a tiny thumbnail of a home. Do 10 per page & double size of pic.”
A tiny little thumbnail does most homes an injustice. In some cases, you can’t really even see the property. Go for Gallery views. BIG PICS
staceyharmon:
hum-I don’t know. I think consumers want a quick sum of the choices. More homes=better. If interesting they click 4 big photo
1000WattMarc:
I hear you but surveys reveal a different story. MRIS did months of consumer focus groups. Hence their site is a result of it
Don’t mean to disagree but in real estate we need to do more than think we know what they want. We need to be sure
staceyharmon:
I agree that we should be sure, but I think about my experience w/iStockPhoto for example-I want a glimps & will click 4 more
houses do not = stock photo images, but the image isn’t all that matters in home search, although it is clearly important.
1000WattMarc:
I agree with that Stacey. Well said
This got me thinking…does size really matter? Is the size of the listing photo at first site really critical to in consumer listing search results? I am a huge proponent of photos on listings. It think the number 1 investment Realtors should make in listings is good photography. From my experience, it sells houses. And, even if it doesn’t sell houses, photos drive inquiries. BUT, do consumers really need to see large photos at first to be interested in a property? Does size matter? I think not. I equate it to my experience with iStockPhoto where I am often trying to search for photos that interest me. I don’t often know exactly what I’m looking for…I’m not always clear the exact terms that will pull the photo I want and so depending on my level of patience at that moment, I may or may not sift through hundreds or more of photos searching for something that catches my eye. I’ve noted that I am most interested in seeing as many search results/thumbnails on one page as possible when I search the iStockPhoto images (I change the default results view from 20 to 100). The thumbnail is enough for me to get an idea of if I’m interested. If I have further interest, I’ll click through for the larger image. What is really aggravating to me is that the PERFOMANCE of the iStockPhoto site is sub-par. When I do click through, it takes too long. But, if they solved that problem for me, I’d be thrilled. (as a side note, although iStockPhoto doesn’t have this problem, I would also find it aggravating if when I went to click through, the image wasn’t bigger than the thumbnail, say, due to a low resolution image…if I click on the thumbnail, I expect to see a bigger image – quickly. Realtors don’t always understand how to not get into this situation…resolution of images is often not an understood concept – this is an issue to account for).
Take this idea over to real estate search. If you give me (the searcher) a thumbnail photo along with some basic descriptive fields and text about multiple listings, I’m going to initially be happy. And, if you give me the ability to then click through to BIG photos that I can navigate to without much wait, I’ll be thrilled. I think it is about the performance of the site. If it works fast, and gives me what I expect, I don’t mind a 2nd screen to see big photos. But if it is slow or clunky, I hate it. The performance trumps the size display of the photo. Make it speedy, and give me lots of thumbnails to browse/search through along with the ability to quickly see a blown up image, and you have a sticky site when I’m looking for property (if you combine it with the right data points, of course!). Easy, right? :)
Just my 2 cents after 2 martinis.
New folks, old folks, and GaryVee – My takeaways from RE Connect New York
January 18, 2009 by Stacey Harmon · Leave a Comment
So the problem with waiting a week after a conference to write a post about your perspective on a conference, is that in this ultra fast web 2.0 world, all kinds of impressions and opinions have already been posted, discussed, and put to rest. So, not sure that this post is adding anything new, but its my blog, so I’m going to write about it anyways.
For me, the value in attending the Inman Real Estate Connect conference in New York was truly in the networking. I’m not the most “social” of the RE.net community in terms of participation (I’m certainly there, but don’t for example, hold a candle to the wit of a Kelley Koehler who I am repetitively entertained by on twitter nor do I have the eloquence or clarity of Rob Hahn, writer and critic extraordinaire). I actually find it challenging to forge new friendships purely through the web 2.0 world. I like to watch though. I can certainly see who the influencers are. I can see whose style I like. I can see whose style I don’t like. I develop a curiosity about some. I learn a lot. But it isn’t until I meet the face behind the avatar that the web 2.0 world really does wonders for me. And this is the true value of Inman. To meet in person those people who shape these online social communities is awesome. And there are many I’m glad I had the chance to meet (or re-meet) and interact with. People like Jay Thompson, Matt Fagioli, Matt Goyer, Rob Hahn, Ginger Wilcox, Heather Elias, Jeff Corbett, Jon Washburn, Pill Thomas Di Guilio, Daniel Rothemel, Mike Simonsen, Kristin Mohan, Todd Carpenter, Rudy Bachraty, Kris Berg, Joeseph Ferrara, Ines Hegedus-Garcia, Jeff Turner, Pat Kitano, Gaylord Dewald, Guy Johnson, Scott Sambucci, Kelly Koehler, Dustin Luther, Megan Murphy, Liam Dayan, Dale Chumbley, Perri Feldman, Drew Myers, Stacey Ret, Poppy Dinsey, Jim Cronin, Morgan Brown, Christian Sterner, Dan Green, Mary McKnight, Mike Price, Gerry Bourgeois, Andy Kaufman, Joel Burslem, Jeff Bogert, Hillary Marsh, and last but certainly not least, Derek Overbey. I look forward to continuing the conversations both on, and off, line.
As for the conference content, the only speaker that truly made an impact on me was Gary Vaynerchuk. After a dismal first day of conference speakers rambling on about how bad the economy is and how bad the real estate market is, Gary was a welcomed relief of enthusiasm, energy, and optimism. I made a note to myself that if I’m every feeling discourage in 2009, I need to watch a Gary video – it will adjust my perspective and cheer me right up. Here was a guy who is thriving. And, he was discussing what I want to know – where the opportunity is today. And the perspective in his speech was that of personal branding…he says that to build your personal brand online – own yourself. I was very pleased to hear this since just the week before, I had set up this website based on my personal url. Gary seems to think I’m on the right track and made me feel progressive in my purchase of my personal domain back in 2004. I wasn’t sure what I would ever use my personal URL for, but I just had a hunch that I would want it. Social media seems to be finally making that hunch a reality. He also reminded me that people respect and appreciate effort – a lesson I (someone who may demonstrate perfectionistic tendencies on occasion) am well served to remember every once and a while. Here is a video of his entire presentation (hang in there…first 15 seconds are a bit woozy but it improves):
I don’t believe that all he says is perfectly practical for the working Realtor today (the Brandie Young article on Agent Genius well articulates one of my concerns from his talk) and there has been good discussion and debate in the RE.net world about this…I’ll let you read about it here and here and here. But all in all, it was a great speech and one of the best parts of RE Connect, and I’m glad I was there to see it.
Also, Derek Overbey and Morgan Brown did a great post-presentation interview with Gary. Enjoy:
"Please Enjoy A Complementary Robe" and other experiences from Manhattan
January 12, 2009 by Stacey Harmon · 6 Comments
My business trip to New York City for the Inman RE Connect Conference wasn’t confined to learning and networking…I had some fun too! This post is dedicated to documenting some of those New York experiences that caught the attention of this California gal.
I ate, and ate, and ate. Started with some NY style pizza:
Had a suggestion to try Bobby Flay’s Bar Americain. 
My waitress recommended the lobster and avocado cocktail (it was divine!) and the asparagus chopped salad. I added a glass of wine and thoroughly enjoyed my first dinner in New York. She did not steer me wrong.
Also tried some Thai food with a group of RE.net friends (not so sure about the fried fish):
BBQ’d some Korean food over real coals:
And, had some cheesecake at Juniors (the pickles, beets and onions were complimentary):
Used the hotel gym to get in a half hour on the treadmill. Not my typical view during my runs:
Decided to take a spin on skates around Rockefeller Center’s ice skating rink. Going in I was feeling a little lethargic from my travels, but a few spins around the rink in the cool winter air cured that. It was exhilarating and made my cheeks rosy! I brought my Flip Cam to document my trip around the ice:
The RE.net community throws some great parties and saw some bars the likes I have never seen before. Rob Hahn took a group of us to the Salon de Ning - a small, swanky bar at the top of the Peninsula hotel with great views, expensive drinks, and art hung from the ceiling. Trulia introduced me to Grace, a sauna themed bar complete with a pool and steam room. Too bad I didn’t bring my suit! Then Active Rain had a party at one of the best bars I’ve ever been to – 230 Fifth. I knew it was an interesting place when I was greeted by a sign that said “Please Enjoy A Complementary Robe” followed by a rack of red hooded fleece robes. This was the wardrobe for the rooftop portion of the bar, and I took a video of it (the video is a bit dark, but the view was spectacular).
I did what I could to experience all forms of New York transportation. Took a taxi from JFK to my hotel (didn’t document that one on film). Rode the Subway (so great – thanks to Mike Simonsen for helping me with the ticket and documenting the event!):
And, took the train then the air train back to the airport thanks to my trusty guide Jeff Turner (who even navigated the purchase of the tickets for me and Jay Thompson!):
Lots of fun memories from this trip!
I'm Packing – On My Way to New York City for Real Estate Connect!
January 1, 2009 by Stacey Harmon · Leave a Comment
In just a few short days, I will be heading to one of my favorite conferences – Real Estate Connect hosted by Inman News. I’m looking forward meeting so many of the people I follow in the RE.net world next week. I will be attending Bar Camp on Tuesday and Bloggers Connect on Wednesday morning followed by the main conference Wednesday afternoon through Friday.
Here is a link to a brief video of me that appeared on the Inman Blog introducing myself to the RE Connect attendees. It has been viewed over a 120 times so I’m curious to see how this changes my conference going experience…hopefully lots of friendly people will come up and introduce themselves to me. Can’t wait for the conversations. I’m also excited to reconnect with many of the new friends I’ve had the pleasure of meeting at RE Connect in San Francisco in 2008 as well as Blog World 2008.
See you in New York!