Neighborhood Secrets: Lake Hills, Fairfield CT! | Linda Raymond Real Estate Blog, Fairfield, Westport & More

Most Fairfield locals have heard of the Lake Hills Association, but many don't know much about it, as it remains one of those best-kept neighborhood secrets!  -Until now. :-)                     The Association encompasses five private beaches along the Samp Mortar Reservoir, each labeled with a sign.…
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Fairfield Memorial Day 2018: Photo Gallery In Case You Missed the Parade | Linda Raymond Real Estate Blog, Fairfield, Westport & More

Fairfield rocked the parade today as we remembered our veterans who have fought for our freedom.  Enjoy the photo gallery below, and let's hope we can keep our freedoms and look forward to more peaceful times ahead!   Photos courtesy of Linda Raymond SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave…
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Hiking Trails, Water Park, Lake Mohegan- Take Tours! | Linda Raymond Real Estate Blog, Fairfield, Westport & More

One of the many super amenities in the town of Fairfield is Lake Mohegan and all the great stuff right around it.  Take tours around the park with our friendly Portuguese Water Dog, Splash.  He will preview some of the fun for you, and then you should come and see for yourself! The park is…
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5 Things I Bet You Didn’t Know about Lordship, CT! | Linda Raymond Real Estate Blog, Fairfield, Westport & More

Here are five cool facts about Lordship Connecticut, that you probably didn't know before. Read on and enjoy! ONE - Two movies were filmed in Lordship: "Butterfield Eight" with Elizabeth Taylor in 1960, and "Hell Island" between 1981 and 1983. TWO -  The gigantic German dirigible, The Hindenberg was seen by residents flying about 1,000 feet over Lordship… #LordshipCT #LordshipHistory #Blimps #Hindenburg #RealEstate #ClassicMovies #WilliamRaveisSouthport #LindaRaymondRealtor
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Panoramic View Goes Full Circle with 360 Video!

A panoramic view always adds a dramatic effect to a photo. While video captivates with expansive scenery, activity, and sound, what's the next step for enhanced drama and interactivity? Have you

seen the immersive 360-degree videos that Facebook began supporting in September?

Check out the latest examples at 360 Videos on Facebook.  When viewing a 360 video on the web, be sure to move your cursor around to select the perspective you would like to see.  On a smartphone or tablet, you can do this by dragging your finger around or even tilting your device.

How are 360-degree videos created?  First, several video streams have to be recorded simultaneously from a single point. Kolor by GoPro provides a variety of rigs for mounting multiple GoPro cameras. There are different rigs depending on whether you are in a dry situation, need to water-proof your filming or plan to be completely under water.  Then all the video perspectives get stitched together using special software like Kolor's Autopano Video. The software synchronizes and stitches together all of the video streams and even calibrates the color and exposure for seamless viewing.  Take a look at the steps and visuals here!

Kolor rig for 360 video

Upload specs and video creation tips are offered on Facebook's media site.

These videos offer a rich and immersive viewer experience.  Do you see this as a useful tool? Have you put this technology to use yet? If so, how have you used it for business? How have you used it for fun?  Share your thoughts and ideas about how best to capitalize on this new form of communication!

Pinterest Checklist & Cheat Sheet!

What can you do to get noticed on Pinterest?

Pinterest gets 3,472 pins a minute which equate to 5 million pins a day according to ConstantContact! SocialMediaExaminer says there are 70 million global users. How can you possibly get noticed?

There are some things you can do to optimize your profile, pins and boards as well as to gain followers.  After reviewing several sources, I've boiled down most of the key steps below.  Links to the sources are included for added detail and explanation.

Optimize Your Profile

1. Include a keyword or phrase at the end of your Pinterest business name.  You can find these keywords using Google's Keyword Planner tool. Make sure your profile name relates to your brand, website, and your other social platforms.
2. Use a photo of yourself (instead of a logo or pet pic!). This helps people feel they are connecting with a person as opposed to an anonymous brand.
3. Use keywords or phrases in your profile description.

Optimize Your Pins
Strategic Descriptions

1. Use keywords and phrases at the beginning of your pin descriptions to increase search ranking.
2. Use keywords in the name of your image file, for example, sculpture_Network_Niki_Ketchman.jpg
3. If you feel you must use a hashtag in your pin description, make it branded to you, ie. #suzyscupcakes, Don't hashtag generic terms like #holiday, as this can actually be detrimental to your search ranking. 
4. Complete the location field in the pin detail.
5. It's recommended by Josh Dunlop to use keywords in the image title and alt tags though this may not have a direct impact on search ranking.

Optimized Images

1. Make sure your image is vertically oriented with the optimal dimensions of 735px  wide by 1102px tall, or taller (no limit on how tall!).
2. Bigger is better for catching the eye! 
3. Add text to your images to tell viewers what they are about and also to boost your rankings.
4. Wired.com summarizes findings by research done at Curalate stating that images winning the most attention (views, Likes, comments) had the following characteristics: 
• No faces. Pinterest is more about things than people.
• Multiple dominant colors
• Minimal background, but supports strong impact/context of the main image
• Lots of red/orange.  Found to get twice the re-pins of mostly blue images
• Moderate color and brightness. Too extreme, and activity drops off

Use Keywords!

Activity & Engagement

1. Repin your pins and ask others to do the same.  The more repins your pin has, the more likely it will show up in Pinterest search results.
2. Repin your old pins that may be buried after months online to get them in front of people who may have missed them as well as new followers.
3. Pin other people's pins to your boards, not just your own. One source recommends 50/50 your pins and pins from others. Pin the best content you can find on the web, not just your own.  This will increase your followers and boost visibility for your own pins.
4. Tag other pinners, (@SoAndSo) if you share their content.
5. Like other people's pins. 
6. Link pins back to your website.

Optimize Your Boards 

1. Start by creating up to five boards. Keep the topics related to your niche to encourage people to follow all your boards as opposed to picking and choosing.  This way, they will automatically be following any new boards that you add.
2. Use keywords or phrases toward the beginning of your board titles to increase search ranking, says Social Media Examiner.
3. Create and join Group Boards.  Josh Dunlop recommends creating, at least, one Group Board to which you invite all your followers to pin.  You must follow them first.  This board then has ongoing sources of pins and is likely to gain good re-pinning momentum!

Build Your Followers

Promotion

1. Josh Dunlop says to do the following: Promote your Pinterest account on your other social media sites.
2. Connect your Twitter and Facebook accounts to your Pinterest account. Then you will have the option to post your pins to them at the same time you pin on Pinterest

Activity & Engagement

1. Search for and follow about 100 boards right from the start, that relate to the topic of your boards.
2. Go to each board and Like 3-5 pins that look like good content. This will get you noticed in their notifications and can lead to a follow.
3. Pin often and consistently, at least, 5-10 times per day is recommended.
4. Pin at optimal times and varied times to reach new and global followers.
5. Review your Pinterest analytics to see what's working and what's not.  SocialMediaExaminer has a good article discussing results from this tool. 

One of the great things about Pinterest is that the content you put on it is searchable and evergreen. Use this post as your cheat sheet and checklist to help optimize your profile, boards, and pins.  All of these steps will help to enhance your exposure.  After you try the steps above, I would love to hear how it worked for you in the comments section below.  Please share any top tips of your own as well!

What are the Hot Technology Trends in Real Estate?

Here are Six Hot Trends that are Super Cool for Consumers!

1. Virtual Experiences – The trend is to showcase properties while delivering consumers 
   an engaging experience that also saves
   
   them time. In addition to creative videos, this includes 3D touring, virtual reality, drone photography, virtual staging and even hologram projection of furniture into rooms.  3D tours enable viewers to virtually walk through a property while using their computer mouse to “go” anywhere in the home.  The tool also creates a virtual doll house that lets buyers float through the floors and get an overall feel for the layout, orientation, and flow. Inman News recently talked about virtual reality tours that use special goggles to create an experience close to being there in person as well as gear that projects holograms of furniture into a space to visualize it “for real”.  Last, but not least, busy or far-away consumers can benefit from a live virtual tour via Skype.

2. Social Media Exuberance – Okay you might have guessed this one, but it shouldn’t be underestimated. Social media can provide a much richer perspective and bring added value beyond what a typical website can offer when evaluating a potential Realtor.  Does the agent share useful information and resources? Do they have a strong presence on multiple platforms including a blog? Do they leverage this presence to promote client listings for maximum internet exposure? Are they creative, resourceful, knowledgeable, personable?  Do they share insights from past customers?  What do they do in their spare time? Many consumers are looking into these types of questions with a simple online search or searches within social media platforms.

3. Mobile Optimization – Everyone’s on the go! The trend is for people to consume web content on their mobile devices.  Statista.com predicts a 57% increase in global mobile web traffic per year through 2019.  The most recent click reports I received from my e-newsletter show that readers opening the email on a mobile device versus a computer range between 50-70%. 
   
    So more and more real estate websites and blogs are becoming mobile friendly and optimizing for the best mobile experience. Mobile apps are also on the rise.  William Raveis provides a comprehensive Real Estate App. The company has also released a Mortgage App that enables home buyers to start their pre-approval process right from their phone! And hot off the press is the Raveis Open House App that lets guests type in their name, phone, and email and then request a complimentary home value report, mortgage pre-approval and Local Housing e-Newsletter for the town of their choice!

4. Mortgage Magic – Instead of misery. The complex process is now streamlined with new technology that gives consumers the efficiency and transparency they need and deserve. William Raveis Mortgage addresses the first critical step by providing buyers with a certified loan pre-approval followed by electronic milestone tracking of their loan process that also keeps all the players on track. Borrowers view a bold graphic showing a clear progression of the steps and status across their screen.  The icing on the cake? Sign documents electronically from wherever you are!

5. Accurate Value Estimates - We’ve all heard of the Zestimate, and most of us are well aware of the frustrations with inconsistent results, incorrect data and inability to correct errors.  "What is my home worth?" is the question people are always asking. Savvy consumers want a quality tool to help them estimate the market value of their property.  William Raveis recently launched the RAVestimate. The interactive technology lets consumers  input specific home improvements and then work with comparable sales data that they select.  The company tested the tool and documented extraordinary accuracy.

6. Predictive Marketing – Advanced intelligence and predictive modeling to help buyers before they ask are up and coming. Consumer data and predictive analytics will be used to anticipate home buying goals, preferences, and timing.  So in the not-too-distant future, Realtors, lenders, and perhaps the perfect home may be finding the buyer before they even know they are going to buy!  

Which trends do you think have the most promise?  What are some other trends you are seeing that are consumer driven?