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Real Estate Reputation – Online Superfund Cleanup Project?

June 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The real estate industry has done a terrible job in the reputation management department.

I know that statement will spark a wave of protest. Before we commence a debate about the matter, visit Google+ Local and search for “Realtors” or “real estate” in your city or in any city in the United States.

Then search for your own company name and see what happens in the search results.

If you can find a metro with different results overall, please share your findings here in the comments section.

I have researched real estate in 20 metro areas and real estate search results are downright dismal.

A major real estate player in Tucson that changed brands two years ago is still wearing its old franchise name at its Google geolocal website.

Numerous agents and brokers who move to new companies and new addresses never bother to change their contact information on Google, the most trafficked site on the Web!

There are thousands of live websites on Google for real estate companies that contain nothing more than consumer complaints and rants. Brokers and agents who have time to play daily on Twitter and Facebook have not bothered to claim their websites on Google to commence a cleanup operation.

It’s no wonder real estate agents have such a terrible reputation.

EXAMPLE: Casa Bonita Rentals in Tucson, AZ

Sadly, this is very common example of real estate reputation mismanagement.

DISCLOSURE: I do not know the broker or any of the agents associated with Casa Bonita Realty. I’m sharing this to demonstrate what can happen when you fail to claim your Google+ Local presence. The consumer comments appear exactly as they are shown on Google, without any editing. (I did not make any changes to the comments.)

9 Reviews from everyone and 1 score without a review

A Google User reviewed 5 months ago
Overall 0 / 3
Beware of Casa Bonita Rentals! I rented from Casa Bonita for a school year and it was a horrible experience! They are greedy and unprofessional. They do anything to get you to sign the lease then totally screw you over. My roommates and I kept our house in good condition, no damages were done, always paid our rent on time and not one of the us received a penny back from our 2-month-rent deposit. On top of that, the house had a disgusting mold problem. I actually can’t believe the house has not been shut down by the health department! I have yet to meet any student at the u of a who has anything good to say about this rental company..stay away!

A Google User reviewed 4 months ago
Overall 0 / 3
Rented from these people for two years and they are horrible. Scummy management who will do anything in their power to screw over tenants. Renter beware.
Helpful? Yes No

A Google User reviewed 2 months ago
Overall 0 / 3
Casa Bonita rarely answers their phones, and while showing the house to prospective renters for next year they let them wander around freely. During one of their tours someone stole my ipod, and Casa Bonita refuses to take any responsibility for keeping resident’s personal property safe. I absolutely do not recommend renting with this company!

A Google User reviewed 11 months ago
Overall 0 / 3
Giving this place one star to indicate my hatred for its terrible existence pains me, if you want to have an enjoyable rental experience absolutely do not rent from these greedy disgusting people. They will rob from you, they will LIE, they will try and manipulate any situation to their own benefit regardless of how it impacts its own PAYING RENTERS, they have a complete and total disregard for human life. The houses are made from the cheapest materials possible and was put together by toddlers….it is run by overweight money hunger leeches who feast on poor college students misery. SO DO NOT RENT FROM THEM!

A Google User reviewed a year ago

Overall 0 / 3
Terrible company with terrible owners. Typical college-town slumlord who builds cracker box houses, upcharges the rent by 5 times more than the value of the property, and then they will scam, manipulate, and lie until they get their money. DO NOT RENT FROM THEM! I promise you, if you drive up and down the side streets around campus, you will find much much nicer homes, for much cheaper.

A Google User reviewed 2 years ago (This is the ONLY positive review)
Overall 3 / 3
My daugher got into a rental agreement with three other girls. they paid their deposit and signed the lease. Right after break one of the girls decided not to come back next year. Right away they contacted Laura at Casa Bonita Rentals. Laura could not have been nicer. She will refund their deposti once they re-rent the house. She was willing to help the girls find another place and worked with them throughout this process. I have every faith that the house will be rerented and that I will get my deposit back. Laura was awsome!!

A Google User reviewed 2 years ago
Overall 0 / 3
My boyfriend lives in a four bedroom house with 4 girls. He took a walkthrough room since the house was added onto in the back. Problems starting arising when two of the roommates were very disrespectful and started walking through. Then one of them got a dog and refused to train it. It would pee and poop in the room often. She was orally asked to keep the dog out of the room and provided with a written statement. We called Casa Bonita to see if we could change the locks. They didn’t back to us for almost a week. By that point we had already changed the locks and they said we couldn’t. We pointed out that there was property damage going on and there was a separate door to the girls room they could use. They refused to budge and said that the house is a 3 bedroom and he chose to turn the walkthrough into a bedroom and it’s his fault. The lease even says 4 bedroom. They are not willing to work with us at all. They don’t care if people are being disrespected or how their tenants feel. As long as they get their rent they aren’t willing to do a thing. Stay far far away!

A Google User reviewed 2 years ago
Overall 0 / 3
I have never dealt with a more unethical and disorganized company as Casa Bonita Rentals. The women in the office are rude and disrespectful, especially the office manager Laura, who was extraordinarily condescending, defensive and rude the entire year (except the first meeting where we signed, she was surprisingly nice then). Throughout the year, we were nickel and dimed for every little thing other rental companies are happy to oblige with. The quality of the house is shoddy at best. Things will break, and go wrong just about every week, but you better learn to live with it and then PAY for it at the end of your lease. PLEASE please please do not give them the satisfaction of your business. No matter how much you believe you’re in need of a house ASAP, there are other things available.

A Google User reviewed a year ago
Overall 0 / 3
Casa Bonita was one of the worst companies that I have ever worked with and completely takes advantage of college kids and their money in bad situations. I would tell anyone and everyone to never sign with casa bonita because they rip you off and try anything to try to get as much money out of you as possible.

(Get a free copy of the Google+ Local Field Guide today.)

Filed Under: Real Estate Tagged With: , ,

Blogmother Fran’s Google+ Local Field Guide

June 25, 2012 By 1 Comment
Blogmother Fran’s Google+ Local Field Guide

Filed Under: SEO - Search Engine Optimization Tagged With: ,

Why Does Your Business Need a Google+ Local Page?

June 25, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Why should your business bother using Google+ Local at all? Small and mid-sized businesses typically have few extra resources, so they are very protective over them. What’s more, people have become cynical (justifiably) about over-hyped, fly-by-night marketing gimmicks.

For that reason, I want to take a moment to explain why I think it’s worthwhile for your business to set up a Google+ Local page, and further, why Google+ is a platform that will deliver sustainable results for your organization.

The answer to the “why” question is pretty straightforward. There are several statistics that matter here …

  •  97 percent of consumers search for local businesses online,
  • With 65.9 percent market share, the clear majority of local searches are done using Google, which is still the undisputed king of Web search (Bing has 15.1 percent market share).
  • 72 percent research companies through social channels before making purchases.
  • 71 percent claim reviews from family members or friends exert a “great deal” or “fair amount” of influence on their purchase decisions.

Moreover, Google has clearly decided to place a lot of value on local listings in their search results. What’s more, as Google pushes into mobile, the company will feature local listings through their mobile apps for Android (currently available) and iPhone (in the works), helping nearby customers discover your business.

So, if you take all of these things together, it’s easy to see that Google+ Local is an incredible opportunity to get in front of your target market, right at the moment they’re looking for what you sell. And we don’t expect this to change in the foreseeable future.

Benefits? Check.

I’d be remiss if we didn’t take a moment to list the basic business benefits of using Google+ Local. Here’s a quick list—it’s not exhaustive by any means, but it’s a good start:

Pay nothing (it’s free).

It won’t cost you a penny to list your business on Google. (That said, it will take you some time to set up your page.)

Get found on Google, increase Website/store traffic.

This is probably the most compelling benefit. In the digital age, Google is virtually everyone’s first stop when looking for any kind of information—including local vendors. By increasing your visibility in search, you open your business to an *enormous* and constantly growing audience of people who need and want what YOU sell.

Get found on mobile devices (!!!)

Most local businesses struggle to maintain a Web presence at all, let alone a “responsive” Web presence that is fully optimized for mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. The fact is, the Web is becoming increasingly mobile. Morgan Stanley predicts that mobile Web browsing will outpace desktop browsing within just a few years.

Businesses ignore this trend at their own peril!

By optimizing your Google+ Local page, your business can effectively outsource its mobile marketing to Google, which offers consumers several mobile apps that facilitate local business discovery. These mobile apps help buyers find you!

Help differentiate yourself from your competition.

Get this: according to a recent count, only 20 percent of eligible small businesses have claimed their listing on Google+ Local! By claiming your listing you greatly increase your ability to stand out in your industry or niche. Why leave this low- hanging fruit for your competitors to snatch up?

Learn more about your customers.

It’s no shocker: Google, a company founded and run by coders, is all about analytics. And thus, their business tools, Google+ Local included, come with excellent tools for mining data and gathering market intelligence you can use to improve your offering, keep customers happy, and collect bigger profits.

Boost engagement with images and updates.

In the past 10 years, the Web has become a social place. Google is no exception.

The king of search has made it easier for businesses to engage with their customers and build relationships.

Your customers *expect* you to be active on social networks like Google+. Think I’m just making that up? On the contrary: according to a Cone Business Study:

  • 93 percent of customers expect companies to have a presence on social channels.
  • 85 percent expect companies to interact with them on those social channels.

Pocket bigger profits than the competition.

As you can see, Google+ Local is a free resource that helps you get found online, drive more traffic to your website, stand out in a crowded marketplace, acquire insight into your customer base, engage with your customers using a variety of media types, increase sales with promos and special offers, and ultimately, boost your overall profitability.

(This blog post is an excerpt from Blogmother Fran’s Google+ Local Field Guide. It is available for free for a limited time.)

Filed Under: SEO - Search Engine Optimization Tagged With: ,