Kathy Helbig, Author at Shakadoo

Inman RealEstate Connect Conference : What I learned in the Big Apple-Part 1

I’m back! As most of you know, I was away last week attending the 2008 Inman News Real Estate Connect

Conference which took place in New York City. I was a first time attendee and I have to say it was quite the whirlwind. I met lots of great people, saw a little bit of the Big City and and I was able to pick up several "nuggets" to bring back to share with my fellow Shak-ers.

The first little "nugget" I got was from Greg Tracy of Blueroof.com. As you may not know, Greg has been a guest blogger for us here at Shak and Jill so I was excited to meet him face to face. He suggests that before uploading photos onto your website, to be sure to use meta tags when naming your photos for better SEO results organically.

He was actually speaking of blog photos but it got me thinking of all of the photos that I upload onto my different real estate sites. Why not tag those photos as well? In other words, don’t just name your photos "front view Main Street". Actually name them with the key words or phrases that buyers may be searching with. So instead, maybe try something like "4 bedroom 2 bathroom ranch home for sale in Camelot Subdivision, 123 Main Street front view.jpg".

Secondly make sure you are tracking your traffic. How do you know what’s working if you’re not tracking? A few of the suggestions were;

I’ve been tracking my users and traffic for sometime now. You’ll be amazed at the data that is available to help you develope a marketing plan that works rather than just throwing your money out the window unknowingly as so many of us have done for years.

Be sure to keep checking in here at ShakandJill as I continue with this series of "what I learned" in the Big Apple!

If you attended this years conference or would like to add to the conversation, please join in!

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Ready For The Winner?

by Kathy Helbig Leave a Comment

The time has now come to announce the winner of our Love Shak Baby giveaway. I am happy and I know that Interior Style Home is also happy to congratulate Camille Wilson from Snaphappymama.

Camille you are the big winner of the monkey dish set.

It is always a fun day here at the Love Shak to give great things away.

I want to extend a sincere thank you to all of you who left a comment and posted about our contest on your blogs. Loveshakbaby readers Rock!

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Inman Real Estate Connect Conference 2008

by Kathy Helbig 7 Comments

It’s almost here… The Inman News Real Estate Conference in New York City kicks off Wednesday morning with lots of great speakers and panelist in queue. I am excited to to attend and am looking forward to hearing what’s expected for real estate in 2008.
Besides the obvious real estate intensives, they have planned sessions and workshops for bloggers and social networking as well. Some of the who’s who include;

Greg Tracy Founder Blueroof.com
Michael Yang, General Manager Yahoo! Real Estate
Lockhart Steele Founder Curbed.com
Craig Newmark Founder Craigslist.org
Lloyd Frink, President Zillow.com
Bradley Inman Publisher Inman News
Matt Heaton, CEO Active Rain
Pete Flint, Co-Founder & CEO Trulia

If any of you Shak-ers or fellow Realtors are planning to attend, let us know! If you’re not attending but wish you were, check back with us here at Shak and Jill to hear about all you missed in the Big Apple!

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Hot Trends For Homes in 2008

by Kathy Helbig 5 Comments

Say hello to warmer colors, and goodbye to minimalism. It
appears that several interior designers and industry insiders are saying you
should be ready to introduce color into your decor. According to Sean
O’Driscoll of the Associated Press in an article Hot Trends Of Home Design for 2008 , Minimalism is out.

“Susan Gutfreund, who designs for some of the most
expensive apartments in the U.S and Europe, said that minimalist white and
beige are being pushed out in favor of color, textures and layers. Speaking
from Paris where she is redesigning an apartment, Gutfreund said there is a
move toward warmer colors and away from the shininess and flatness of interiors
over the last few years.

In 2008, red tones take on a decidedly soft, warm feel,
such as watermelon or a carrot orange. Black and white continues to be used,
but with unexpected combinations of yellow, lime orange and fresh green,"
she said.

Janice Simonsen of IKEA Designs said

“fruit colors such
as lime yellow, kiwi and tangerine will be very popular in 2008, especially
when used in the kitchen. But blue will continue to be the number one color
choice for homeowners. In 2008, blue will be combined with camel and tan, pale green
and yellow,” she said.

Think you’re ready to try out 2008 colors but not sure
what fits your style? CALFINDER (the source for certified remodeling contractors) has an excellent post about basic color
psychology. They say,

"All too often homeowners choose colors without
understanding basic color psychology . Color impacts our mood, appetite, and
energy level. Years of color response research have shown

that certain colors
elicit specific and often strong responses."

Check out their awesome post Color
Options-Painting for a guide to help you narrow the choices when choosing
colors for your home.

Also remember you can get FREE ESTIMATES from CALFINDER for pre-qualified
contractors in your area to do the work for you when you’re ready to add that
splash of color to your life! From painting to general remodeling, to complete home renovations, they have the expert for you.

What colors do you plan to decorate with this year? Leave us a comment, we’d love to know!

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Gift Card Solutions

by Kathy Helbig 1 Comment

Undoubtedly this holiday season, you either received or gave gift cards in lieu of purchasing or receiving an actual product. Gift cards are all the rage these days and their growth is predicted to continue to increase.
Ellen Cannon an Editor at Bankrate.com says in her article Gift Card Trends: Gift Cards Are Everywhere that

"Gift cards are booming — on the buyer and seller sides
of the market. According to Comdata, in the 2007 holiday season, the average
gift card buyer will spend $203 on cards, a $23 increase from 2006. And the
National Retail Federation’s 2007 Holiday Consumer Survey found that 54 percent
of consumers said they want to receive a gift card as a holiday gift."

That’s good news for the retailers who are hoping that Post- Christmas shopping will save the season.USA Today reports,

"Retailers are rolling out after-Christmas discounts, hoping bargain shoppers and gift-card splurgers can help salvage the season."

But what do you do with gift cards that you just don’t think you will use? I for one have a drawer full of gift cards that I never seem to have with me when I want to purchase something? Then to my horror one day, I actually took one with me and found out that the $100.00 card (from 2 years ago) had penalties for each month that it was not used and was now reduced to about a $35.00 actual cash value! since then I tend to give cash rather than cards on most occasions or buy the ones that I am sure have no expiration or penalties.

But back to what to do when you don’t shop at the stores from which the gift card was issues? Well today I checked out some sites that offer solutions to that problem. I had no idea that there were websites that allow you to manage gift card balances and to swap gift cards with other consumers. What a great idea. Swap A Gift is one such site that for just a one time fee of $1.99, you can list your gift card for swap or sale. Plastic Jungle offers a secure place to buy gift cards at reduced prices as well as sell or trade. And finally, Leverge Card another site that allows you to

Purchase gift cards from top retailers

Earn interest on gift cards you register with Leverage

Swap gift cards for free

Manage gift card balances, frequent flyer miles and
loyalty programs from one computer screen with no downloads needed

Receive targeted offers and savings from retailers based
on gift cards you have, as well as your loyalty program and calendar info.

Hallelujah! No more unused cards that sit in my drawer and collect dust. If anyone has used a card swap company before, share your experience here with your fellow Shak-ers.

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Santa Revalation

by Kathy Helbig 1 Comment

Ahhh, Christmas Eve is upon us and it’s almost time for all things Christmas to reach it’s peak. For most
self respecting mom’s I know, the shopping has all been done, and presents are wrapped and sorted for the last minute chore of hauling them out after the kiddos all hit the hay tonight. The food is all planned and prepared for the Holiday feast and the house is just about straightened before the tornado of wrapping paper and toys are strewn about in the wee hours of the morning to start the cleaning all over again.

But for the guys, the shopping season is just beginning. Today marks the BEGINNING of Christmas
shopping for most males in America. My other Shak cohort Kathylynn and I usually make this day a tradition of heading to the mall to point and laugh at all the men who are wondering around aimlessly, looking like deers caught in the headlights and hoping not to run into our own husbands in the process of their last minute shopping sprees!

Their method of gift selection is usually started by heading to the candle and bath store to choose several different smelly lotions, and then finish up with a stop at Vitoria’s Secret for ~~their~~ our last BIG gift! But I have to say, some men have gotten a little trickier throughout the years. For instance, my husband tells me his shopping strategy includes seeking out the cutest sales clerk and have her follow him around the store and pick out things she would like. Believe it or not, this strategy has actually been successful on a few occasions. It beats more lotions and underwear!

This makes me wonder how being a male, Santa Claus actually succeeds at making plans so far ahead and is so thoughtful and conscientious to be sure to deliver just the right gifts for each child in the family? Well I think I finally found my answer! I Think Santa Claus Is A Woman was sent to me from Off Beat News and Videos and I laughed all the way through it. Here is just an excerpt…

"I hate to be the one to defy sacred myth, but I believe
he’s a she. Think about it. Christmas is a big, organized, warm, fuzzy,
nurturing social deal, and I have a tough time believing a guy could possibly
pull it all off!

For starters, the vast majority of men don’t even think
about selecting gifts until Christmas Eve. It’s as if they are all frozen in
some kind of Ebenezerian Time Warp until 3 p.m. on Dec. 24th, when they — with
amazing calm — call other errant men and plan for a last-minute shopping
spree.

Once at the mall, they always seem surprised to find only
Ronco products, socket wrench sets, and mood rings left on the shelves. (You
might think this would send them into a fit of panic and guilt, but my husband
tells me it’s an enormous relief because it lessens the 11th hour
decision-making burden.) On this count alone, I’m convinced Santa is a woman.
Surely, if he were a man, everyone in the universe would wake up Christmas
morning to find a rotating musical Chia Pet under the tree, still in the bag."

Be sure to read on for more amusement. Happy Holidays!

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Happy Holidays Shak-ers!

by Kathy Helbig Leave a Comment

We here at Shakadoo would like to take this opportunity to thank you
all for your continued support and friendships. Each and every one of
you have brought us to where we are, and inspire us daily. Thank you
for all of your suggestions, comments and loyalty. It has been a
pleasure getting to know so

many of you, and we look forward to the opportunity to make even more friendships through out 2008.

We wish you a joyous and safe Holiday and of course a prosperous New Year!

Kathy, Kathylynn, and Bill