Top 10 Articles from December

Happy New Year! Before we turn our full attention to 2014, let's take a moment to look back on the year and month that just ended. Below is a list of our most popular articles from December. This list excludes articles that ran as part of our special "Best of 2013" series. (You can read that list here.)

Enjoy!

1. 14 Apps You Need to Succeed in 2014 - by Jared Daniel
From tools to optimize your inbox, measure your email campaigns' performance, consolidate project tasks and more, these apps are a must-have for organizing your business and enhancing your clients' experiences!

2. 5 Facebook Tips and 51 Status Updates For Real Estate Professionals - by Nathan Froelich
Most real estate agents have a love-hate relationship with Facebook, meaning they love to hate it. It's easier to hate Facebook than admit we don't understand how to make it work for our business. The reality is that when used effectively, Facebook can put you in front of hundreds or even thousands of people for little to no cost.

3. An Appraiser's Perspective on RPR® - by Emily Williams
Francois "Frank" Gregoire is a REALTOR®, broker, and full-time real estate appraiser. As a member of RPR's® Appraiser Task Force from the very beginning, Frank has had a unique opportunity to observe and shape the growth of the tool. His insights can aid agents and appraisers in growing their business.

4. Hot Tip: Help Sellers Prepare for Marketing Their Home - by Tanya Spilchak
The first launch into inventory is the hottest point in the marketplace for a listing. As the weeks pass, with new inventory entering the marketplace daily, the possibilities of a property going "stale" can occur.

5. Three Simple Steps to Boost Your SEO - by Doug Breaker
Improving your SEO means that you are taking specific steps to help get your website and listings ranked high on Google, which means potential clients can easily find you and your listings.

6. Pictures Sell Houses - by Tim Denbo
Initially, the title of this article was intended to be a question: "Do Pictures Sell Houses?" We made the change in title for emphasis, because nothing can be truer or more important for an agent's success.

7. Google Plus and Pinterest: Real Estate Marketing Powerhouses - by Bill Gassett
Pinterest and Google+ are goldmines of website traffic because their target audiences (home décor fanatics and web-savvy professionals) are more likely to enjoy and interact with real estate-related posts.

8. Michelle Obama, a Gown, and Blog Comments Gone Bad - by Emily Williams
A few weeks ago, I was checking my Yahoo! email and spotted a headline about Michelle Obama's outfit at a Kennedy Center function. After glancing through it, I made the mistake of scrolling down to the comments section. I have rarely ever seen such hateful, racist, awful language – even in fiction.

9. Using VOW to Generate Leads - by Emily Williams
If you're a real estate professional, no matter how successful you may be, you're always looking for ways to generate leads. Finding new tools to do so isn't always easy. Here's one thing you can try: VOW. As we'll explain, VOW offers a unique lead generation opportunity, as well as myriad benefits to your existing clients.

10. Some Brokers Really Suck - by Victor Lund
I asked her to log into the broker back office to show me where her leads come in. My fear was that she had been kicked out of rotation for not responding to leads. This fear was unfounded. As it turns out, she was fine – but her broker sucks. He takes all of her leads. She burst into tears.