I’m starting to feel like a teenager neglecting her diary but I have been real busy lately. I also have my very own domain names now Homesbymom.com cute right? I also registered www. homesNearMom.com too so all of you competitors that thought you might snatch that one up, …too late! I don’t have them directed to a website yet, thats Friday night’s big event.

The callmehome.com domain list has grown into about 70 names now. There was so much research to do before adding such a large amount of names. It will not have any affect as far as SEO issues go because I did not mirror the websites. I simply have a large quantity of names pointing towards the home pages of about 4 sites. Google won’t be upset with me and as long as google is happy I’m happy.

The reasoning behind the names is pretty simply, they are all targeted names which consumers may type in the address bar. Lets say someone is looking for a house in monmouth county, at times people will simply go up to the address bar and type in monmouthcountyhouses.com. Make sense? So it started with about 10 names that were tracked and the list grew from there, examples monroenjhome.com, oceancountyhouses.com and so on. Easy to get to for buyers and most times the traffic is direct navigation and with more visitors it’s more exposure for sellers.

The opening newsletter about the domains is available now online House Shopping 101(thanks to comcast storage and a lot of patience, if anyone needs help getting a publisher print file turned into a web doc and uploaded to the web, let me know, I have it figured out now) Have a good night!

Here is a very good article on Direct Navigation

If you are planning to make any modifications to your property check with your Township/Municipality Building Dept. prior to starting your project. You may be required to obtain a building permit. Building permits are relatively inexpensive, however, if the modification increases value it may result in a tax increase. Thinking it isn’t worth the hassle? Think again. If modifications are made to your property without a permit and it is discovered it can be significantly more expensive. The building inspector must be able to determine that the work was completed properly and complies with code. This procedure may very well include taking apart whatever was completed, opening walls or taking up floors is a possibility.

If you are planning on selling your property a lack of permits could cause further problems during a C/O inspection. Again if the work performed was found faulty or not up to code it would have to be corrected. This could greatly jeopardize the pending sale of the home for a variety of reasons. Many times buyers are locked into a mortgage rate for a specific time period, costing the buyer additional monies for a lock-in extension. A buyer coming from a rental may not have alternative living arrangements past the projected closing date. Depending on the type of modifications involved and the severity of any problems that may have been found, it could take weeks or possibly months to resolve the issues.

Things to remember: Always check to see if you are required to obtain a permit.
Once you acquire your permit and go thru your required inspection/s, always make sure you get the final inspection. This is your responsibility to schedule with the building dept. C/O’s are not issued when there is a pending approval or open permit.

There are several municipalities which require the seller of a property to sign an affidavit stating no work was performed without a permit. If infact work was performed without a permit the necessary procedure’s according to the Building/Code Dept. for the specific municipality in which the property is located in would have to be completed.

A townhouse is a style of construction, whereas condominium and co-op are types of ownership. A townhouse is basically a building or unit that shares a common wall with the building or unit next door. The walls are usually straight and entry is usually from the ground floor. Townhouses usually have two or more stories. A townhouse can be a style of condominium. A condo is where you own the actual structure of the building jointly with the other members of the association, along with common areas such as swimming pools, tennis courts or other common areas. Individually, you own the airspace and interior of the structure, but not the building itself. You and the other members of the association own the structure together. A co-op is where you own shares of a corporation or organization that owns the larger structure, and ownership of those shares gives you the right to occupy a specific unit or apartment.

Technology has taken real estate marketing so far in such a short time (I’m attempting not to show my age but my next statement is going to ruin any chance of that) While doing a property search online I was thinking back to the days of the MLS Book, the sacred “DO NOT REMOVE FROM THE OFFICE” book of listings. We didn’t have digital cameras, or cell phones. We didn’t have palm pilots, digital lock box keys, taking houses, or virtual tours, and believe it or not home computers were just coming out. No email! Imagine that? We were armed with a bulk rate stamper and boxes upon boxes of postcards. Back then if we were lost on the road without our trusty Hagstrom Map we would have actually stopped and asked for directions (men too). We listed and sold real estate with the technology of a bulky pager, copies from the MLS book and a long crooked key that seemed to snap off in the lockbox. I remember like yesterday when the interest rates fell just below 9% in my first year of real estate. It was a buyers market! BUY, BUY, BUY! There was something comforting about those days long gone.

I’ll be posting more later this week, I have been researching some very interesting internet related marketing and so forth… Direct navigation domains; not only are they on the rise, but also very important for any company marketing on the internet. Basically there are two types of direct navigation, known links and unknown links. The interesting part is the unknown links. People actually bypassing the search bar and typing in the goods, services and whatever they are seeking directly into the address bar. I am very certain more articles and data will be available about this subject. There are a few articles online now with the most recent press release which can be read here. Direct Navigation Press Release
A must read for anyone marketing online.