Part I: Top 9 Real Estate Social Media Sites

I've recently been reading a bunch of Peter Kolat's blog posts on social networking. He has a wealth of knowledge on real estate marketing and offers some insightful tips on his blog. For those of you who do not know who Peter is, he is the founder of the Real Estate Black Book.

Here are his "Top Real Estate Social Media Sites" for real estate professionals, with an additional 2 bonus sites from SIREN (SIBOR and StreetEasy). Come Back tomorrow for Part II and see the other 4 social media sites Peter recommends.

1. ActiveRain ActiveRain is a Real Estate Networking site for real estate professionals. As of me writing this post, there are over 98,000 members there. You can signup for a free membership, create your profile, and start interacting with the community.
Action Tip: Make sure you use their unique referral program. As of right now, the service is free. You can use the referral service to find the best real estate professionals, real estate leads and form local real estate relationships. One of the best parts of the referral service is the ability to search on a local level, right in your county.

2. Facebook One of my favorite social media sites. I use Facebook on regular basis. Unlike Myspace, Facebook has developed a platform that prevents spam. It is a very professional network that is growing at an unprecedantant rate. Everyone on Facebook is real. Their identities are real and because of their profiles, you can form great relationships in a much better way.
Action Tip: This tip was one of the tips I was going to share on my July 22 Brain Dump Webinar But I decided to share it here. (If you are going to be on the webinar, don’t worry because I have more tips to share with you).

Unlike other Ad services around the internet, you can target your EXACT audience on a much deeper level by using Facebook Ads These ads, when properly configured, will be displayed to the right person at the right time. You can target your audience by age, location, keywords and their relationship. Also, I will be sharing some more real estate marketing secrets with my Real Estate Internet Marketing Domination Facebook Group in the near future.

3. FlippingPad All real estate, all real estate investing. Flipping pad is designed specifically for real estate investors. It’s a great site for creating relationships with other real estate investors in your area and around the country. You can list your Pads (flips) there very easily. If you are a rehabber or a wholesaler, this site is a great opportunity to network and get new leads.
Action Tip: Interact with other investors in the forums section of the site. Ask and answer questions that provide valuable information. More you interact, more visible you become among flipping pad members.

4. LinkedIn Linked in is one of my favorite sites I use to form relationship among real estate professionals and other industries. This one site has provided me with many leads, different relationships and outsourcing opportunities. Sign up is free as well. Once you signup you can start networking and building relationships with others.
Action Tip: Make sure to build out your profile. When people search for you, they can find you by your keywords, places, employment, and experience you have in your resume. When searching for people, never spam others. When asking people to be added to your network, it is best to ask people you know first.

Just like Facebook, LinkedIn is very protective of their members and can cancel your membership if they suspect you are spamming other members. If you would like to join my network, send me a message from my LinkedIn profile , tell me you saw me on my blog and I’ll be more than happy to network with you.

5. Localism How would you like to own your neighborhood? The entire neighborhood! Well, here’s your chance. Join this site and whenever someone goes over to their city on Localism, you’ll be right there in front of them. So, become a neighbor at Localism and you are well on your way.
Action Tip: To become the Top Neighbor, make sure you provide quality information on your blog there. I’ve noticed that top neighbors are the ones who are most active.

SIREN's Bonus Sites:

1. SIBOR The Staten Island Board of REALTORS® (SIBOR) is a 2,400+ member, not-for-profit trade association that serves real estate professionals throughout the borough of Staten Island and surrounding areas. Its purpose is to enhance the ability and opportunity of its members to conduct their business successfully and ethically; and to promote the preservation of the public’s right to own, transfer and use real property. All members belong to the New York State Association of REALTORS® and the National Association of REALTORS®.

2. StreetEasy StreetEasy, Inc. operates an online community for the real estate industry. It provides information for home shoppers, such as public school information, market data, mortgage rates, stats and trends, rentals, details about neighbors and neighborhoods, and building and neighborhood photos. The company helps the shoppers, sellers, and brokers to discuss things related to neighborhood and real estate.

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