Dear Entrepreneur, your friends should like your Facebook business page

Dear Entrepreneur,

You have a FaceBook Business page for good reasons (that we won't get into here). Maybe you're a Realtor® like me, or maybe you have an etsy shop, or a photo studio, sell Avon, etc.

You also have friends. My definition of friend in this case is: people who think you are a quality human. 

They should like your FB Biz page.

Yes all of them. If they have a FB account they should like your Biz page.

Why?

1. Because they like YOU!

If you're an entrepreneur, you are what you do! Your business is so much more than a job to you. It's your income, sure, but its also your heart and dreams. Your friends should support that.

2. Because they WANT to help you.

If they are your friends they are excited to see you succeed. Having likes on your Biz page helps your business in so many ways - most importantly providing legitimacy to your potential customers through their likes ("Oh, this is a real business, not some random thing on the internet.") and helping convince the FB algorithms to actually SHOW your content to real people.

3. Because it is FREE and EASY to like your Biz page. This is a very simple way for your friends to help your business. They don't have to sign up for notifications. They don't have to engage (like posts, comment, share) if they don't want to, they simply need to click like.

If your friends are afraid to like your page because they are not planning on patronizing your business for some reason assure them that its OK! It is VERY NORMAL to like a page just because they like the business (you) and want to support it somehow.

According to a study done by consulting agency Syncapse last year, almost 50% of Fans Liked a Page because they simply wanted to support their brand – that’s awesome! However, 42% of fans Liked a page in order to get a coupon or discount while 35% Liked a page to participate in contests. Read more: http://blog.heyo.com/like-gate-is-dead/#ixzz3Hdy5W0CY

So go ahead and ask your friends to like your business page. There's no reason not to - your friends want you to succeed, they may just not know how to help - and your, like my FB Biz page is a great place to start! 

When should I talk to a Realtor?

You're thinking about the future.

There are thousands of reasons people buy and sell homes.

    Maybe your last child graduating from high school soon.
    Maybe you're getting married next spring.
    Maybe you're growing your family and know that you'll need more space.
    Maybe your dreams are coming true, or your heart is getting broken.

Trust me, as Realtors we have heard it all, and we are honored to be a part of your family's journey no matter where in your story you are.

When should you talk to someone about buying or selling? Even if you think you are years away from sitting at the closing table, if you have any questions about how to get there, there is no reason to not have them answered today. It doesn't hurt to ask.

You may find there are things you can start doing now to set yourself up for success.

Just drop me a line.

Nicole

September 2014 Northern Virginia Housing Market Update

DC Metro home prices are overall pretty flat and holding close to what they were this time last year.
Nothing dramatic to report this month.

What that means is a balanced stable market. However, inventory is on the rise and has been increasing since the lows of the recession. Good news as more homeowners find their property values sufficient to pay off their mortgages, and more houses for sale means more choices for buyers.

The median sales price of a home in Fairfax County was down 1.3% in September from last year.
September 2013   $456,000
September 2014   $450,000

If you've not been tracking the housing market since the recession (and who could blame you) we are back to a stable and more "normal" market. The foreclosures, short sales and bank owned properties are more or less gone (back down to pre-recession levels) and so the inventory we have is mostly healthy "normal" home owners selling and buying. The balancing has caused some investors to back out of the market for now, which is great news for more traditional home buyers who won't be as likely to compete with cash offers from investors.

Monthly Reminder: Real Estate is always a LOCAL thing. Just because your home (or your dream home) is in the DC Metro area doesn't mean that this analysis will apply to that property in particular. If you'd like a detailed analysis of a particular neighborhood because you're thinking of buying or selling than give me a call or send me an email - I'm happy to help. 

If you want more data RBI has tons of numbers HERE.

Welcome

Hi!
Thank you for checking out my blog!

As a Realtor® in Northern Virginia (metro Washington DC) I have a lot to say about the real estate business, the local and national housing market, the ups and downs of home ownership, entrepreneurial/soloprenurial endeavors, how I am loving life in NOVA and most importantly, what its like to buy and/or sell a home here!

I plan to use this space to collect my ideas and anecdotes regarding a wide set of topics pertaining to real estate, NOVA life, online marketing, becoming a real estate agent, what my work life is like as a Realtor® and of course: home-ownership in general.

If you have anything you'd like to see me address please feel free to email me nicole.duffey@gmail.com

And finally - if reading blogs isn't your thing check me out on these other social media sites:

Twitter
Pinterest
Instagram
LinkedIn
FaceBook

And if you are searching for a new home in the Northern Virginia area there are lots of great resources or you here www.buyandsellnovahomes.com

Thanks for stopping by!