Trulia, Inc. (www.trulia.com),

a U.S. residential real estate search engine, has revolutionized
online home search by offering home buyers the best place
to start their real estate search. Consumers can quickly and
easily access information on homes and review local real estate
guides and agent-buyer discussions to help them make better
decisions in the home-buying process.

Trulia Snapshot

5.0 million unique users per month
6.8 million visits per month
3.0 million homes for sale
75.0 million property records
40.0 million page views per month
12.0 minutes average time on site per visit
Trulia.com Monthly Traffic

Trulia users are a valuable, affluent audience.

35+ years old………………………………….66%
Married/committed relationship………………..74%
Have children…………………………………..41%
Currently a home owner………………………….. 60%

Annual Household income over $100K…….42%
Annual Household income over $200K……. 11%
Graduated from college…………………….81%
Have a graduate/professional degree……..36%
Actively employed…………………………..80%

• 72% plan to purchase home in the next year
• 53% plan to buy a home in the next 6 months
• 42% are pre-qualified for a mortgage

The following are statistics that I have compiled from our company website:
CrossroadsRealtyNJ.com

Since the day I started tracking it, the search engine giant Google is consistently #1 when is comes to bringing visitors to our website. Most of the other top website sources continue to fight for their place to this day.

In 2006, Realtor.com held the #2 spot as Yahoo climbed up behind them at #3. Then, right around April 2007, Yahoo passed Realtor.com and never even looked back. During late 2007, Realtor.com managed to hold onto the #3 spot, but then, Trulia was starting to become strong competition. For almost a full year after that, Realtor.com and Trulia.com would trade places fighting for the #3 spot, each taking a turn in the spotlight for short amounts of time. That is, until we redesigned our company website and added a few key features.

The battle between Realtor.com and Trulia for the #3 spot would have still continued on until today if it was not for the new features of our redesigned website. Our new website started syndicating all active listings to Trulia during July 2008. Since that time, the amount of visitors that Trulia brings us has far exceeded that of not only Realtor.com, but also Yahoo. And when looking at the numbers, it is hard to imagine a chance for recovery anytime soon.

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Today I received a domain notice in the postal mail marked “URGENT- OPEN IMMEDIATELY” with a return address of Processing Center, PO Box 4668 #82011, New York, NY 10163-4668.  This letter was NOT from the company that I registered any domain names with although it implies just that.  This is a scam and I want to warn anyone else out there that may be fooled by it.  If you own your own website name, or “Domain Name”, you may get this or a similar notice sent to you also.

Upon reading the notice letter, it resembles a typical invoice with options to pay for placement in major search engines based on a 2, 3, or 4 year term.  More specifically, the letter asks for bewteen $119 and $199 to be mailed in to them via check in order to avoid “cancellation” that would make it “difficult for your customers to locate you on the web”.  The letter also states that “You must complete your domain name search engine registration to guarantee your listing on the web”.   This is not true, this is nothing more than a marketing attempt that preys on peoples fear.

Nowhere on the letter does it mention their company name, logo, or a place where the name is actually registered.  It simply requests that checks are made payable to “Domain Registration”.

Attached to this post is a scanned copy of the actual letter I received if you want to take a closer look.

DomainNoticeScam.pdf

Do not send these people money for any reason!  If you have already sent in money to this company (or a similar scam company), I suggest you contact the BBB right away.

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• 3/08 - Animoto Videos for Facebook application
• 3/08 - Export directly to YouTube
• 6/08 - DVD Quality Videos via Download or a mailed Disc
• 6/08 - Animoto for Business (commercial use)
• 8/08 - Animoto for Education (learning)

I have already tried out the Facebook app and the YouTube export and they work beautifully. Next I have to check out the DVD download and see how it looks on my Flat Screen TV. Not to mention the possibilities with Animoto for Business…

Animoto for Business should come in very handy for our real estate agents here at Crossroads Realty. Some real estate agents and brokers are using Animoto videos to highlight featured homes that leave a long lasting impression in their clients minds. After all, an Animoto video is a drastic change from the standard slideshows and some of the less innovative virtual tours out there.

If you want to see an example of how one real estate agent is using Animoto for Business, check out Herman Chan’s California based real estate website.

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If you happened to get infected with one of these programs, I have found a new scanner that will actually get rid of it for you.  Now…  I typically scan with Symantec AV Corp, AdAware, and Spybot…  Although, none of these were able to get rid of the program entirely.  Well…  Thanks to a topic I found over at Bleeping Computer, I was able to remove Antivirus 2009 from a few infected computers using Malwarebytes.  This new scanner (well, it’s new to me at least) will remove several of the rogue antivirus variants as well as other spyware & adware objects that my other scanners missed.  I think I will be adding Malwarebytes to my personal arsenal from now on.  Oh, one other thing, I only needed the FREE version to get rid of the infections!

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The program “WinAntiVirus Pro 2008” may sound like an authentically named anti-virus program, but beware! It is only one of the many names now popping up on computer screens all over the world.

These programs are hiding behind the promise that they will clean your computer from harmful viruses and malicious software. It is only after installing these programs that some users finally realize “WinAntiVirus” is nothing but a virus itself!

If you trusted one of these programs to scan your computer, it will display a list of many “infections” that it claims you computer has, although none of these are usually legit. The program then offers to remove the infections, but only after you have purchased a licence for the “Full” version of the program which costs around $40.

If you think that there is no way anyone would fall for this scheme, think again. Watch the special report video below of a woman who is seeking a class action lawsuit against the source of one of these programs.

Here is a list of more programs like this:

• WinAntiVirus Pro 2008
• WinAntiVirus 2008
• WinFixer
• XP AntiVirus
• Vista AntiVirus 2008
• SpySheriff
• DriveCleaner
• PC-AntiSpyware
• SystemDoctor
• UltimateCleaner

For a longer list click here

Do not be fooled!

Beware of any program that you see in a pop-up or in advertisements. Do a quick Google search before clicking on them and see what you may be in for in the long run. Some of these are becoming quite hard to get rid of.

If you are looking for reputable software to scan for infections, download a legit anti-virus program from a well know company like Symantec (Norton), McAfee, Kapersky, or Sophos. You would also be wise to download an anti-spyware scanner as well. A few I can personally vouch for are Ad-Aware SE, Spybot - Search & Destroy, Windows Defender, and HijackThis.

UPDATE:  I found a scanner that will get rid of these fake antivirus scanners, read my update to learn more.

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This article covers the top ten points to take into consideration when communicating through business email with clients and colleagues. For most cases, write any business email as if you were writing on letterhead or talking face to face with the person. You want to present yourself in a fully respectful, professional manner.

• Your email should be free of spelling errors, use full sentence structure, and use proper grammar. Try to include a greeting (Hi, Hello, etc.) and have a proper sign off (Thank you, Sincerely, etc.) at the bottom. If your email program does not have a built-in spell checker, you can always do a copy/paste in Word for long letters and use that one. Sometimes I just need to check the spelling of a single word, so I use Google as a spell checker buy searching for the word and see if it corrects me.
• DO NOT USE ALL CAPS. Use proper mixed case letters and proper punctuation as though you were typing on letterhead or sending postal mail. When you use all capitol letters, IT LOOKS AS IF YOU’RE SHOUTING. While this is sometimes tolerated more in the “subject” line of the email, it should never be used throughout the entire body of the message.
• Sometimes the “Subject” line can determine if your email will ever be opened in the first place. If this is your first contact with a person, be sure to have a concise “subject” of your email that clearly indicates what the topic of the email is. Misspellings, all capitols or all small case can lend to the impression you may be spammer. Also, never leave the subject line blank, I am sure there are at least one or two words you can throw in there to describe the contents or your email.
• If you are responding to a business request, be sure to respond by the next business day at the very latest. If you are not able to fill the request at that time, you should at least send a response back letting them know that you did in fact receive their request and you will be sending more information soon. The keyword there is “soon”.
• When addressing an email to a large group of people, you should list their email addresses in the “BCC:” (blind carbon copy) instead of the “TO:” field as a courtesy. When you do this, each recipient will get a copy of the email but they will not be able to see the other addresses you sent to. This protects the privacy of your recipients from both each other, and also spammers.
• Refrain from sending chain letters, virus warnings, and jokes via electronic mail. Chain letters are also a good source of spam and are technically forbidden on the Internet. In the end, these emails just end up using valuable space in the recipient’s inbox. Also, apply common sense “reality checks” before assuming one of these messages are even valid in the first place.
• Make sure that any message you respond to was actually addressed to you. You might have been CC’d (carbon copied) rather than the primary recipient and a response from you may not necessarily be required.
• In order to ensure that people know who you are, be sure to include at least a line or two at the end of your message that includes your name and contact information. Some email programs let you create a file ahead of time and add it to the end of your messages. This signature file, or “sig”, acts as your business card. Your signature file should not exceed 4-5 lines of information. Having an excessive signature may give the impression that you are egocentric.
• If you ever receive a nasty email from somebody, try not to respond to it right away, if at all. People are very bold and overly critical on the other side of this screen at times. Once you hit the “Send” button, there is no going back. Sending heated or emotional messages is called “flaming”. If you happen to receive one of these flame emails, take your time to determine if the email warrants a response or if the person was just trying to get a rise out of you. This is also sometimes referred to as “trolling”.
• Finally, If you need to send a large attachment, it is good practice to compress or “zip” the files before sending them. You should contact the recipient ahead of time and find out if there is a limit to the attachment size they are allowed to receive. Also ask them what a good time would be to send the large attachment. One last point on the subject of attachments, make sure the recipient has the proper program to view your file you are sending. While everyone can probably read a standard JPG Photo or PDF file, not everyone has the latest version of PowerPoint or Word installed on their computer.

This list is in no way the be-all and end-all to Netiquette, these are just the main ten points that come to my mind with proper email techniques.  For a much longer and also more descriptive list of tips, visit NetManners.com where there is much better coverage on this subject.

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After my first look over, there does not seem to be too much different in the functionality of the new resource center now referred to as the “Solution Center”. All I can see at this point is layout and cosmetic changes. For example, the login section in now located in a column on the left fo the page instead of the right and the graphics have been changed. As I learn more information on this new Realtor Solution Center, I will let you know.

You can check out the new solution center HERE.

Also, I would ask that you let me know your thoughts on this new look and if it has any impact on your business.

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Nice work Animoto. Keep the new features coming!

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Just dial the toll free number, state the location and business type and Google will connect your call for you automatically.  If you are using a mobile device with text messaging, Google can text message you information about the business.  If your mobile device has an internet connection, you can state “Map it” to the voice activated service and it will show you the location of the business on a map.

You don’t need a computer, an Internet connection, or even the keypad on your phone or mobile device. GOOG-411 is voice-activated, so you can access it from any phone (mobile or land line), in any location, at any time. For free.

The GOOG-411 service is 100% FREE.  Although if you call using your cell phone, obviously, the normal usage charges and messaging rates will still apply. 

 The GOOG-411 service also reminds me of another text messaging servicethat Google started up.  You can run a Google search using your mobile device by sending a text message to the number 466453(GOOGLE) and they will text message you back the results.  There are also a bunch of codes that you can use to get information.  For example: if you test “weather 08753″ it will text you back with the weather for today at that zip code!

There are a few other mobile device features that Google is working on, click here to read more about them.

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This article is an update to the Vista printing issues described in my previous articles like this one and this one. I have NOT tested these drivers yet in a network environment to see how well they work…

ARTICLE UPDATED

The Following printers are supported:

• HP LaserJet 1015 (this one was always supported)
• HP LaserJet 1018 (New Driver as of 12/2007)
• HP LaserJet 1020 (New Driver as of 12/2007)
• HP LaserJet 1022 (New Driver as of 12/2007)
• HP LaserJet 1022n (New Driver as of 12/2007)

Still waiting on this one as of September 2008:

• HP LaserJet 1012 (will be supported “soon”)

Last, we have very bad news for these model printers:

• HP LaserJet 1000 (not supported)
• HP LaserJet 1005 (not supported)
• HP LaserJet 1010 (not supported)

Sorry, your product is not supported in the Microsoft Windows Vista Operating System.

For more information of upgrade programs and new product information, please go to the HP Trade-In/Trade-Up Website, or HP Shopping.  We are sorry to inform you there will not be any Windows Vista operating system printer drivers available for your product. If you are using the new Windows Vista operating system on your PC, consider an upgrade to a newer HP product that will work with Microsoft’s new Vista operating system.

If you have any trouble downloading with the links above, HP recommends using this driver support page.  Fill in your model number and search for the driver you need.

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