Mortgage Concierge Service by Joe Gonzalez

Puerto Rico: Zip lining, Tarpon Fishing & a Wedding

noreply@blogger.com (Joe - The Mortgage Guy) — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 13:59:00 +0000

Although Summer was officially over in September, I wasn't quite ready. Back pack in hand (if you read previous posts, you'll notice a theme) Jen and I headed to Puerto Rico for some fun & a wedding. Don't you love it when you can visit family that lives in a tropical climate?! :-)

I like adventure but not something that's going to kill me. We opted for zip lining at Toro Verde Adventure Park in Orocovis, Puerto Rico. The drive was amazing. Think long winding roads up a mountain into lush vegetation.

At Toro Verde, the zip lines in this course range from 800 feet to 2526 feet long. That is almost a ½ mile long! And the view you get at 600 feet off the ground is breath-taking!

We added "La Bestia" literally translated "The Beast" to our tour. This zip line is different from all the others. For this one, you are put into a large body harness, and you lay down and get attached to the cables from your back. So you are flying through the air like a bird (or Superman or Ironman). As far as I know, it is the only one of its kind in Puerto Rico.

At 4745 feet, it is almost a mile long (one of the longest zip lines in the world) and it is really, really high off the ground (853 feet)! This zip line takes about 2 minutes from end to end, and you are going pretty fast during parts of it — with the wind whipping across your face (hang onto your hats and sunglasses). You have time to really enjoy the scenery. It was really fun, and over way too fast — I could have done that again and again.

Since I love to fish, no trip to the Caribbean would be complete without tarpon. For the majority of the trip they eluded me; however on my last day, 3 hours before my flight left, my persistence paid off. This little guy jumped at least 4 to 5 feet in the air.

All in all a great trip. Summer is officially over but now it's time for some fall fun. Salmon fishing in upstate New York is next. I'll be sure to send some pics.

Sincerely,

Joe

P.S. - Click here for a few more pics!
P.S.S. - For those of you that love the outdoors, I highly recommend Krux shorts and Keen sandals. They're both WELL worth it.

Blogging Mistakes You Can’t Afford to Make

noreply@blogger.com (Joe - The Mortgage Guy) — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 19:04:00 +0000

Blogging Mistakes You Can’t Afford to Make (edit/delete)

Here's from my partner Rebekah Radice. Great info on what NOT to do when blogging.
Hope you get as much out of it as I did!!

When you consider the numerous choices you have to market your business, there aren’t too many options that can hold a candle to blogging. A blog can be an inexpensive way for you to impart your years of experience, knowledge and expertise to potential clients. It can also be an incredibly effective way to promote your business and establish yourself as the local industry expert.
The problem is that most of us start a blog without a road map. We fly by the seat of our pants, learning the do’s and dont's of blogging the hard way. I am no exception and felt that passing along a few of the dont's that I’ve made along the way might help you avoid blogging mistakes you can’t afford to make.

Getting Started without a Purpose

Too many times we begin our blog without knowing the “why” behind it. Finding your bloggers voice is a process. However, having a clearly defined purpose for your blog before starting out gives you and your blog direction.

Ask yourself a few questions before getting started:

Why do you want to blog?
Who are you as a writer and author? Are you funny, quick witted and social or are you serious, to the point and eager to educate on all things industry related?

Not Blogging Consistently

Blogging inconsistently does not allow your audience or the search engines to find or follow you. Why would anyone return to your blog if you post sporadically at best? Create a schedule and a blog post calendar to keep you focused and on track.

Losing Site of Your Readers

I have seen so many blogs that have completely lost site of the very people they were initially looking to connect with. Your blog should be more about the client than about you. While it’s important to infuse you into your writing, stay zeroed in on the needs and wants of your potential clients.

Promoting Rather than Writing

I understand that your purpose is to draw clients in, but bashing them over the head with boring stats and constant promotional ads is not the way to build readerships. Your clients want to understand what it is you do and how you can assist them. They also want to know why working with you is so important. Yes they need facts and figures, but they also need to hear and see the human side of who you are. Don’t be afraid to put more of “you” and less of “Hi, I’m Johnny Realtor. Call me at blah blah blah for your free report” into your articles.

Expecting Your Readers to Find You

Your blog is a vital piece of your overall marketing plan. Don’t forget to promote it in all of your marketing and advertising efforts. Your clients will not just miraculously find you if you don’t add it to your postcards, emails, newsletter and other promotional items.

Not Installing (or reviewing) Google Analytics

I’m often asked by bloggers why they would review or even track their statistics. Not tracking your statistics is like driving at night without your headlights on. You may get to your destination, but the ride won’t be pretty. Google Analytics allows you to track your success and adjust your message along the way.

Forgetting how Powerful Your Blog Title Is

When I first started blogging I was more focused on fun, snappy titles than search engine friendly titles. While we need a nice mixture of both, forgetting the power of blog titles is a huge mistake. Don’t spend hours crafting that perfect post without adding an attention grabbing, descriptive, SEO friendly headline. **Read How to Write a Catchy Blog Post Title that POPS

Poor Writing Leads to Poor Perception

There’s nothing worse than reading an article full of misspellings and poorly written sentences. Take your time to spell check and review your article before you post. If you struggle with grammar, then pass off the review portion to a colleague. An editor will help point out punctuation, spelling and grammatical errors before that post ends up on the World Wide Web for all to see.
What blog mistakes have you made? Share your mistakes in a comment below. Hopefully we can prevent others from making the same mistakes!

Blogging Mistakes You Can't Afford to Make was written by Rebekah Radice.

Check out Valley Forge Park today.

noreply@blogger.com (Joe - The Mortgage Guy) — Tue, 04 May 2010 18:42:00 +0000

Looking for a great local place to visit, check out Valley Forge Park today!

National Open House Weekend!

noreply@blogger.com (Joe - The Mortgage Guy) — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 20:29:00 +0000

This weekend is the weekend that all of you will have tons of success selling those open houses!! Let us know how we can help!

To your success!

Joe Gonzalez

Will your business survive 2010 changes?

noreply@blogger.com (Joe - The Mortgage Guy) — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 21:20:00 +0000

The tax credit is done & rates are increasing.
So what are you doing to get your business moving forward?
http://www.joegonzalez.net/ Joe’s Daily Blog Joe Gonzalez Active Rain Joe Gonzalez Linked In

noreply@blogger.com (Joe - The Mortgage Guy) — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 18:31:00 +0000

So how much money should you borrow? Check out this video....

Who is Joe Gonzalez?

noreply@blogger.com (Joe - The Mortgage Guy) — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 15:37:00 +0000

Since you don't know me from Adam, here's a short video on who I am.

noreply@blogger.com (Joe - The Mortgage Guy) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 20:32:00 +0000

So the new GFE & TIL are here. Are you ready?