Listing Slideshows Accompany Video Reel-Tours

Click on the following links to view my new slideshows for my listings.

5793 Blendon Place Drive Columbus, OH 43230

846 Soramill Lane Worthington, OH 43085

Visit www.HamiltonHomesGroup.com to constantly check my listings, my video tours, my slideshows, read my blog, and more....

Red Carpet Buyers Program

Okay, well I am very excited about my Red Carpet Buyers Program. This is a program I have put into place for my buyer clients who have signed a buyer's agreement to allow me the honor of assisting them in their home search.

I call it them Red Carpet Buyers because you would only expect this much personal attention if you were a celebrity with a huge Hollywood presence. As part of my program, all buyers are placed on my automatic email list so whenever a property matching their search criteria is newly listed (or even just changed in any way), they are sent an automatic email for that listing where they can view the property details and photos.

Even though that's a great program, it doesn't stop there. I also create a personal website for each buyer, and I provide access to that site by clicking on a link in the above mentioned email, or by logging in from my website. From the personal website, clients can view all of the listings currently matching their search criteria, view photos, save homes as favorits, possibilities or rejected if they really don't like one of them. Also, the client and myself can both make notes about the properties for each other to read. For example, my client can make the following notes, "Dan, we really like this one. We want to see this right away." Or they could make a note like this, "Dan, this property is not want we want. We want a bigger kitchen and a larger yard. Also, the pool ni the back is too much maintenance."

What a spectacular program. My current buyer clients right now love the program. Specifically, I have some clients right now being referred to me from cities outside of Columbus. And even though we have not met face-to-face yet, they are on my Red Carpet Buyers Program and they have already had a chance to see a lot of the available properties online and let me know which ones they like and would like to tour. It is a completely beneficial program that makes the lives easier for my busy buyers.

Want to learn more? Give me a call or send me an email. I think you'll love what I have to say just as much as everyone else has. Thanks.

Dan C. Hamilton
Keller Williams Greater Columbus Realty
614-944-5936
dchamilton@kw.com
www.DanCHamilton.com
www.HamiltonHomesGroup.com

Open House Magazine

I have just finished my very first magazine ad to market my current listings. I placed the ad through Open House Magazine, and my three current listings are featured in the ad. Along with the three listings, I am also marketing my Reel-Tours service (the video tours I do to market and promote my listings).

To succeed in this business, you need to generate leads. So, not only is it important to market your business to close on different homes, but you also must market your business just for the opportunity to potentially work with clients.

My Reel-Tours are a good idea in my opinion because potential buyers have the opportunity to walk through a home currently for sale from the convenience of their own home or office. And they are beneficial for sellers because sellers love the fact that their property is in an almost movie-like format on the internet and on DVD! So, marketing the fact that I do this service, will hopefully attract leads.

It is the reason I do the Reel-Tours, this blog, spend time improving my website, focusing on my clients' needs with care and compassion, give my time freely and more... to generate leads.

Hopefully this ad in Open House Magazine will not only sell my listings, but hopefully it will sell others on me and my services. We shall see.

Dan C. Hamilton
Keller Williams Greater Columbus Realty
614-944-5936
dchamilton@kw.com
www.DanCHamilton.com
www.HamiltonHomesGroup.com

Want to see me on WebCam?

Okay, so if you know anything about me, you know that I consider myself to be a pretty innovative real estate agent. For example, I market my listings with my Reel-Tours (video tours of homes for sale with voice over and background music), I maintain this blog (not many agents are doing this yet), my website is my baby (and has been recognized nationally for its style and creativity), and even my business card is a little different than most business cards (it is a bi-fold card rather than just the normal flat 2-dimensional card). Lately, I have been tossing around the idea of setting up a WebCam in my office.

What is a WebCam? Basically, it is a WEBsite CAMera. Right now on the internet, WebCams are used for a variety of uses. For example, there are WebCams set up at beaches across the country, and you can actually watch people walking up and down the shoreline, sunbathing, swimming in the ocean, lotioning up, or whatever else they may be doing. There are WebCams set up under bridges over highways so you can login to your local news website and watch the rush hour traffic coming home or going to work. And WebCams are set up for numerous other reasons. It's almost addictive, even though you aren't watching anything too exciting.

As I mentioned, I have been thinking about starting a WebCam from my office at Keller Williams Greater Columbus Realty. This would allow you to log in to my website, click on my WebCam link, and just watch the view inside my office. You may get to see me there, writing up a contract, negotiating an offer on the phone, scheduling showings, checking my emails, or maybe you'll just seen an empty desk if I am out of the office. Exciting stuff? No, not by any means. But wouldn't you check it out? I know I would. It's like a reality show about myself and my real estate career (the only difference is that there would be no sound and it probably wouldn't be streaming video unless it became a big success that I needed to enhance).

Send me an email or post a comment to this blog post to tell me what you think of this idea. It probably won't get started for at least a month or two, if I even do it at all. But in the meantime, I would love to hear your thoughts on this. What would you like to see? Would you watch?

Talk about must see TV.

Dan C. Hamilton
Keller Williams Greater Columbus Realty
Direct (614) 944-5936
Email dchamilton@kw.com
Visit www.DanCHamilton.com
Visit www.HamiltonHomesGroup.com

Family Fun Day and Chilren's Hospital

Well, coming up in June, Keller Williams Greater Columbus Realty is hosting its second annual Family Fun Day. This year, Keller Williams Greater Columbus Realty is donating proceeds earned from the event and the sponsors to Children's Hospital - a VERY worthy organization that does so much to benefit so many lives.

I'm going to update this blog later with more information about the event, but I wanted to just get this bit on here right now. If you are reading this, and you believe you happened upon here by accident, you're wrong. That's too big of a coincidence. You need to be at our Family Fun Day this June. Send me an email at dchamilton@kw.com for more information, or check back for additional information on this blog and on my website, www.DanCHamilton.com.

Also, if you're on my mailing list, you will probably be getting mail on this event from me in the near future. Thank you.

Dan C. Hamilton
Keller Williams Greater Columbus Realty
Direct (614) 944-5936
Email dchamilton@kw.com
Visit www.DanCHamilton.com
Visit www.HamiltonHomesGroup.com

Caution: MySpace.com

You've heard the stories on the news, on CNN, and maybe even firsthand from local community members about the popular growing website www.MySpace.com and the controversy it is creating. If you haven't, the next paragraph is just for you. If you are familiar with MySpace.com and the controversy, skip ahead to the third paragraph.

Well, you're reading this paragraph, so either you don't watch a lot of news OR you're just not too technologically savvy (not that there's anything wrong with that). Basically, MySpace is an online community where people can create their own accounts and profiles, upload pictures of themselves, friends, family, etc. They can add music and videos, and they can tell the world everything about themselves if they choose to do so. The premise behind the site sounds great, but apparently, there have been too many instances where the wrong people are creating accounts and profiles to use the site to seek out underage girls and boys for improper intimate relations. See, MySpace doesn't really have a way to police itself and verify with certainty that you are who you say you are. I could create an account right now, and say that I am a 16-year-old female living in Costa Rica, and there is no way to verify that. Whatever I say, goes. Whatever Johnny Sex Offender says, goes. It can be a little scary. But again, don't get me wrong, the premise is good. And probably 99% of users are using the site with the right motives. But nonetheless, you'll have to be careful.

Okay, so now we are at paragraph three. So, you either skipped ahead here, or you just read through my summary of MySpace. Let me get in to the reason for my posting here. I didn't just post to bash MySpace. I actually created my own MySpace page for real estate and networking purposes.

As a Realtor, I am told to make sure my name is out there for the whole world to see and associate it with real estate. So, I figured, I might as well create a MySpace account and tell the whole world, "Here I am, Dan C. Hamilton, Realtor!" Ahem, okay, back to earth now, so I did it. I created a MySpace account, mentioned that I am a real estate agent servicing the Columbus, OH area, but I can also be of assistance outside of Columbus. I posted a link to my website, www.DanCHamilton.com, and to my video Reel-Tours. And guess what... it worked!

One afternoon, I checked my account mail and found an email message from a buddy I had graduated from high school with, and he said something along the lines of, "Hey Dan, I am living in (a city other than Columbus) and I was wondering if you could help me locate a good Realtor here in my area." Wow! I thought, "Oh my gosh, if MySpace can create business like this for me, I am going all out to make my MySpace page the best." And then that referal from my old high school friend turned into even another referal for me as I became acquainted with that real estate agent I referred my friend to, and the other agent referred one of their clients to me. Two clients from MySpace? I was really on to something here.

But that's when things started to get a little too out of control for my liking. I started having people posting themselves into My Friends group, many of the people I definitely wouldn't want as a friend as a married man (women looking for something a little more than friendship) and it really started stressing me out. I was getting so worked up about, "Who are these girls? Do I know this person, are they trying to contact me for real estate, or is this just a ploy to get me to fall into a trap and pay a fee for one of these girls' personal websites with explicit pictures and such?

Well, needless to say, I decided to cancel my MySpace account. My relationship with my wife is too dear to me to jeopardize at all for any reason, uncluding trying to gain a couple real estate deals out of it. I mean, in the scheme of it all, I still did get two real estate deals out of it, and that's much more than most people will ever get out of MySpace.

I'm not saying MySpace is bad. Honestly, there were a lot of nice features with it. And if there was a secure means to get rid of all the bad people on MySpace, I would definitely keep my account active and try to garner up more business and continue to market myself to the world. But right now, for me, it is too risky. And parents, your kids will get into MySpace if they aren't already. And it's just like the ads you see on TV for smoking or drugs... just talk to your children. Tell them what to be careful of. Tell them my story. Tell them the stories you see on the news, and make sure they know that it could happen to them if they aren't aware and knowledgable, and careful. MySpace is going to be around for a long long time. It might even turn in to an internet staple like www.Google.com, but it could be Pandora's Box to the right (or wrong) people.

Please be cautious of MySpace and talk to your children. Thank you.

Dan C. Hamilton
Keller Williams Greater Columbus Realty
Direct (614) 944-5936
Email dchamilton@kw.com
Visit www.HamiltonHomesGroup.com
Visit www.DanCHamilton.com

New Blog Site

Hi there, and welcome to my Blog site. A Blog is a short slang term for "web log," basically on online journal.

You may be new to blogging or maybe your a wiley veteran, but either way, I think you'll find some interesting information here on my Blog Site. If you do, please post a comment or send me an email. I don't care if it's positive or if you completely disagree with my opinion on a post. I just want to hear from you. That's why I am blogging in the firstplace.

I'm somewhat new to blogging, so bare with me as I grow and progress in my blog skills, my writing and my expertise. I'm glad you're here for the ride.

Dan C. Hamilton
Keller Williams Greater Columbus Realty
Direct (614) 944-5936
Email dchamilton@kw.com
Visit www.HamiltonHomesGroup.com
Visit www.DanCHamilton.com