Sep
02
2010

RE Bar Camp Orlando

As the Social Media Manager for Obeo, I love anything and everything to do with technology and social media.  And I have been a faithful RE Bar Camp attendee for sometime now. But it’s amazing to me how many Realtors have no idea what  RE Bar Camp is.  So let me give you a quick explanation.  On the National RE Bar Camp website, they describe it like this: “RE Bar Camp is an ad-hoc gathering born from the desire for people to share and learn in an open environment. It is an intense event with discussions, demos, and interaction from attendees.”

I love that RE Bar Camp is the open environment.  Even though each session has a speaker/leader, this person’s job is to be the moderator.  Everyone in the session is invited to participate, to share ideas and opinions.  The result is tons of great ideas, loads of interaction, and plenty of fun!  But what I love BEST about RE Bar Camp is that it is usually  FREE.  It’s always hard to believe that something so wonderful and educational can be free. But thanks to hard working event planners, and fabulous sponsors, these events are almost always free.

This past week I had the pleasure to attend RE Bar Camp Orlando, and it was by far the best RE Bar Camp experience I have had yet!  I am happy to publicly thank Debbie Kirkland and Chris Brown for putting this event together. You both did an amazing job!  Speakers/moderators from all over the country, most of whom are social media Rock Stars,  lead fascinating sessions on a great menu of topics.

During RE Bar Camp Orlando, there were 5 session time slots throughout the day, and 5 sessions to choose from during each time slot.  The topics included blogging, geo-location, Facebook, Twitter, SEO, Tech Tools, iPad for Real Estate, and much much more.  It was hard to decide which session to attend, because they all sounded so good! Here are some some of my favorite sessions.   Todd Carpenter, the Social Media Manager for the National Association of Realtors lead a terrific session on technology. Lesley Lambert lead a session on 20 Social Media Tips, that turned out to be my favorite session of the day! Bobby Carroll lead an interesting session on Photo Blogging.  Bill Lublin lead sessions on Facebook ethics and on using the iPad for Real Estate.

In spite of all the great learning that took place, the best thing about RE Bar Camp Orlando was the networking!  I got to meet IN PERSON some of my best Twitter and Facebook friends.  And of course they were even more fabulous in person.

RE Bar Camps are going on across the country. Be sure to check out the National RE Bar Camp website to find a camp near you!

View the Memory Site we put together for RE Bar Camp Orlando here.

For more information on Obeo, visit our website at http://www.obeo.com

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By marci.james | Posted in social media | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (0)
Aug
31
2010

Putting a Face on Obeo: Glade Jones

As the chief executive officer and president of Obeo, Glade Jones is the company visionary who sets its strategic direction. He is also chairman of the board and chief liaison with outside board members, overseeing leadership accountability and partner relationship building.

Glade has been actively working and leading out in the real estate industry for the last 18 years. He has served as president of Calute Homes, a homebuilding and land development company in Salt Lake City, Utah, as well as the vice president of Blackburn Jones Real Estate and Development.

A lifelong entrepreneur, Glade started a company in 2000 that, after a merger with Andy Evan’s company, became what is now Obeo Inc. Both saw an opportunity to make the process of finding and personalizing a home a more rewarding and exciting experience.

Glade has an undergraduate degree and an MBA from Brigham Young University where he graduated magna cum laude with distinction.

Glade has an awesome wife Tonya and 4 incredible kids: Aubree-Freshman in College, Baylee-9th grade, Ethan-7th Grade, Camden-5th grade. He spends his weekends at kids little league games, doing yard work and playing with the family. Glade and Tonya and the kids love to travel and have had some breathtaking experiences around the world. Glade loves to be at Lake Powell enjoying watersports, camping, fishing and family. He is a big Scouter and heads up a scout troop in his neighborhood. He is found at scout camp every summer helping his troop get their Eagles. He is active in athletics and his kids sports as well as his faith and community.

Glade likes to think that the inspiration that drives his thinking within Obeo revolves around the ideal that ” home” is an important metaphor for family, growing, learning, loving and enjoying life…therefore the experience of buying, owning and personalizing a home should be looked at as part of a much more important  picture.

You can connect with Glade here:

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By marci.james | Posted in From the Top | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (0)
Aug
24
2010

Putting a Face on Obeo: Michelle Sharpe

Obeo is proud to introduce  Michelle Sharpe, Director of Strategic Alliances for North America.  Michelle has been part of the Obeo Executive team for close to 9 years!

With 25 years of Real Estate experience, Michelle has been an innovative leader in the Real Estate Realm.  Back in the late 80’s she assisted in the creation of the very first software for real estate offices, back when everyone was still using typewriters to create offers.  After several years of Office Administration and Management in Real Estate offices in the Greater Toronto Area, she moved back to her hometown in Peterborough, ON.  Michelle has been married now for 21 years with two gorgeous teenage girls.

Over the years Michelle’s greatest working pleasure has been mentoring and supporting our Obeo Team, our local area consultants, photographers and staff,  showing dedication and quality.  In our Canadian Market areas, Obeo is known as the ‘Crème de le Crème’, with the Obeo solutions platform and team being unique and powerful in the success of realtors marketing their homes.  She is still opening new markets in Canada, and hopes to have the entire country covered with great representation by early 2011.

For the past two years at Obeo, Michelle’s expertise has been flowing into our US division where she works as our Director of Strategic Alliances.  She is responsible for our Syndication partnerships, National RE firm preferred / approved supplier programs and our National Events.

During the years Michelle has been with Obeo, and we have seen many different hair styles!   We’re sure many of you have seen her at tradeshow events over the years, and noticed the variety of – dare we say – Big Hair Styles.  Chime in with your favourite ‘Michelle Hair Do’ !  Our favourite pick is the “Obeo Green Super Hero” photo, an anime rendering created by her daughter.  Michelle has been doing realtor seminars to showcase realtors the power of going green with their marketing efforts.

“There are great things in the horizons at Obeo, and I am proud to be part of such a great team!”  said Michelle Sharpe.   “Oh and by the way, curly big 80’s hair ROCKS in my book!”

To reach out to Michelle connect with her here:

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By marci.james | Posted in From the Top | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments (1)
Aug
16
2010

Announcing Obeo’s First Ever Testimonial Event!

Here at Obeo, we want to feel the love. So we are asking for your testimonials, so we can use them in some of our marketing efforts.  I’m so excited I can hardly sit still, this is going to be fun!  As a “thank you” for your short testimonial, Obeo is giving away a few random prizes. I can’t wait to tell you what the prizes are, but first, let me explain how this will work:

We are looking for two types of testimonials: written and video.

Written testimonials can be submitted in two ways:

  1. Go to Obeo’s Fan Page and click on the “Reviews” tab at the top.  Then type in your written testimonial.
  2. If you prefer not to use Facebook, simply email your written testimonial to socialmedia@obeo.com.

Video testimonials don’t have to be fancy…just shoot it with your phone or computer!  These video files can be submitted in two ways:

  1. If the file size permits, email to socialmedia@obeo.com
  2. Or, upload the file to Obeo’s YouSendit Dropbox: https://dropbox.yousendit.com/VideoTestimonials

Here’s the rules:

  • You have from now till September 30th to submit your written and video testimonials.
  • Winners will be drawn randomly, and will be announced on Monday, October 4th.
  • All testimonial submitters, written and video will be pooled together to draw winners for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place.
  • The Grand Prize Winner will be drawn only from the Video Testimonial submitters.

Drum Roll Please…………..  The Prizes are:

Third Place Winner: an Obeo Property URL  ($20 value)

Second Place Winner: an Obeo Style Designer ($39.95 value)

First Place Winner: an Obeo Bronze Homesite package with URL and Style Designer ( Approx $180 value, varies by region)

Grand Prize Winner: an Apple iPad!  That’s right, an iPad ($499 value). But you have to submit a VIDEO testimonial to be eligible for this prize.

We thank you for being a loyal Obeo customer and we look forward to receiving your testimonial on why you use Obeo. Thanks!

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By marci.james | Posted in Testimonials, social media | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)
Aug
13
2010

Putting a Face on Obeo: Joe Gaeta

This post  is the first in a series I will be doing, called Putting a Face on Obeo. I want you to know Obeo not only as THE coolest way to market your listing on-line, but also as a group of amazing individuals who came together and created a really special company.

So it’s my pleasure to introduce to you Joe Gaeta,  VP of Sales at Obeo.  Joe has more than 20 years of Sales Management experience, and has been working in the Virtual Tour industry since its inception, in 1999. Do you remember a “little” company called Bamboo? If you were working in the Real Estate  industry back in the late 1990’s, then I’m sure you do.  As SE Regional Director, Joe helped Bamboo.com become the fastest IPO in NASDAQ history!

Here at Obeo, we like to call Joe our Speaker Extraordinaire. One of Joe’s strongest assests is his ability to capture a room and entertain his audience, while at the same time helping people see what it is that is slowing them down. He shares proven strategies and solutions. Joe has taught on the power of technology in Real Estate all the way to the powers of one’s personal brand. He’s a pro at custom fitting a companies needs around his message.

Throughout his career, Joe’s most important position has been that of husband and father.  Joe has been happily married to Stacey for 25 years.  Stacey just happens to work with Obeo as a customer service rep, so you may have already spoken with her!  Joe and Stacey  have 4 wonderful children, 3 of whom are proudly serving in our military, and 1 darling baby granddaughter.

Joe is currently living in Houston, where he is opening up the market for Obeo.  If you’re a Houston Broker or Realtor, contact Joe now to find out he can help you and your company be the best that you can be!  Email Joe at Joe.Gaeta@Obeo.com.

Connect with Joe here:

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By marci.james | Posted in From the Top | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments (2)
Aug
11
2010

Are You Selling the FHA 203k Home Loan Program?

Even though the FHA 203k Loan Program has been in existence since the 1970’s, many of us have never heard of it!  Let me tell you a little about it, because there’s never been a better time to use it.

So just what is an FHA 203k Home Loan?  Some call it the “Green” loan because the FHA 203k Loan was created to encourage the renovation of older homes.  In order to qualify, a home must 20 years or older.  In the US today, 80% of all homes are 20 years old or older!  That’s potentially 100 million qualifying homes.

But wait, there’s more! The 203k is a purchase loan and rehab loan in one.  With only 3 1/2 % down, homeowners can benefit from having a single loan. Not only does this loan have flexible qualification requirements for those with less than perfect credit, but it is assumable and it can be gifted to family members.

So now you know a little about the 203k loan, but why is this such a great time to use it?  There are two great reasons.

  1. Because there are so many foreclosures and short sales on the market. Unfortunately, many of these homes have been poorly maintained, and potential buyers don’t have the necessary funds for renovations.  The 203k is a perfect solution.
  2. Renovating is “green”. Need I say more?

If you’d like to become a 203k Specialist, there is a fabulous certification program available to you. You can learn all about this program at the REBuild USA website. Once you are a certified 203k Specialist, you have access to use the REBuild USA  partner programs.  REBuild USA partners include big names like Lowes, Pillar to Post, Wells Farogo and (of course) Obeo.

Well Fargo has FHA 203k certified loan reps in most markets nationwide. They have worked closely with the REBuild USA program, and they know what it takes to get an FHA 203k loan approved.

Pillar to Post inspectors are experts in FHA  qualifications. They will work with the buyer to insure the buyer know what must be done in order to meet FHA guidlines.

Nationwide, Lowes has trained their management and staff to know what it takes to meet the 203k requirement. Instead of just setting your potential home buyer loose to find their own licensed, insured, bonded contractor, simply help your home buyer fill out a simple form on the REBuild USA website, and Lowes will do the rest. They will take care of the estimates and work with the loan officer to make sure all requirements are met.

And of course Obeo will be there, every step of the way with a very very cool new product.  But I’m not letting the “cat out of the bag” yet!  Stay tuned to learn more about how Obeo is going to revolutionize the way you work with home buyers!

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By marci.james | Posted in Product Punch | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (3)
Aug
05
2010

Obeo Becomes STAR POWER Systems Recommended Supplier

The STAR POWER Recommended Suppliers program presents Obeo as a leading supplier of marketing products for real estate agents,providing verifiable results and quality service.

SALT LAKE CITY (Utah), July 20, 2010 – Obeo, a leading provider of full-service real estate online marketing products in North America, and STAR POWER Systems, a leader in real estate education for top agents, are pleased to announce Obeo has been accepted as a STAR POWER Recommended Supplier. STAR POWER evaluates applicants for its STAR POWER Recommended Suppliers program regarding their ethics, viability and the verifiable results they provide to agents.

“Our supplier endorsement with STAR POWER Systems will allow its members to connect with our leading edge technologies and services,” said (Joe Gaeta, VP Sales, Obeo Inc.). “We are proud to partner with one of real estate’s most influential organizations and continue to build success stories.”

STAR POWER Recommended Suppliers have submitted to a rigorous evaluation process, which includes the recommendation of STAR POWER Stars. STAR POWER Star is the most exclusive distinction in the real estate industry, reserved for professionals typically averaging in excess of $35 million in sales volume and more than 200 transactions each yearly.

“Having met our high standards of excellence, we are pleased to welcome Obeo to the STAR POWER Recommended Suppliers program,” Cadey Charfen, COO of STAR POWER, said. “The addition of Obeo to our program provides our members with more options for their businesses, helping them become leaders in their marketplaces.”

Due to this partnership, top real estate agents and brokers across North America now have greater access to Obeo’s marketing systems while trusting STAR POWER has completed the due-diligence of the program.

About STARPOWER Systems

STAR POWER is the #1 brand in real estate education, sharing proven strategies to build successful businesses and rewarding careers. STAR POWER Stars and Club Members represent some of the best agents in the industry, and account for a large portion of market share and sales volume. STAR POWER Club is a monthly program delivering career-changing information from the best in the industry on topics such as marketing, scripts and dialogues, tech tips, office management, motivation, and more. STAR POWER Club is also the nation’s longest-running interview series developed specifically for the success and growth of REALTORS® nationwide. To learn more, visit www.starpower.com.

About Obeo

With over ten years of cutting-edge technology and experience, Obeo offers strategic solutions to real estate professionals looking to stand out from the rest. Obeo’s Marketing engine provides beautiful photography, 360° virtual tours, detailed listing information, and traffic driving marketing and syndication. Advanced technology also allows the online consumer the ability to change the color of walls and cabinets, change flooring and virtually stage the home with a click of the mouse. Obeo delivers what the consumer demanded, a very good reason their tag line is “The experts in buyer behavior”. To find out more, go to www.obeo.com

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By marci.james | Posted in Press Releases | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)
Aug
03
2010

Learn with Obeo Webinars!

Once every month Obeo hosts a free Webinar Training class on our member’s area.  This phenomenal training class is open to all Obeo Clients and will show you how to maximize your Obeo Homesite.   Learn how to:

  1. Set up auto posting to Facebook, Twitter, & YouTube
  2. Add links to your Facebook & Twitter accounts to your Homesite
  3. Create your Free HD Video
  4. Add Music to your Homesite
  5. Download your High Resolution Photos
  6. Add detailed information
  7. Make price changes
  8. Mark a Homesite “SOLD”
  9. Auto email Homesite statistics to your seller
  10. Create and print free brochures
  11. Embed Homesite into your Blog!
  12. And so much more!

We would love for you to join us on our next training Webinar,  Thursday, August 5th, at 3pm Eastern Time.  You can view our complete Webinar Calendar Here. If you can’t participate in the Webinar, visit our amazing Training Center, Obeology101, for training manuals, videos, and step by step graphic directions on how to do most anything and everything Obeo!

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By marci.james | Posted in Upcoming Events | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (0)
Jul
29
2010

Introducing the Obeo Mobile Tour

Obeo is excited to introduce our new Obeo Mobile Tour!

As potential buyers view your Obeo listings with their mobile phones, the tours will load in a special viewer built for mobile devices. This new viewer is designed for a smaller screen size, optimized for cell phone bandwidth and is supported on dozens of mobile phone browsers like the iPhone.

Interested buyers can now view beautiful photos, property details and contact information on any Obeo listing from their phones. Obeo Tours also look great on the Apple iPad. This FREE upgrade to all your Obeo listings is just one more way we are putting your listings in the hands of as many potential buyers as possible. Enjoy!

PS – As a reminder, you can also download a free property video of your listings and play these on your video enabled phone. Learn how.

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By Andy Evans | Posted in Product Punch | Tagged , , , | Comments (2)
Jul
28
2010

Obeo & Star Power 2010

Obeo is having a fantastic week at Star Power 2010!  If you are in Nashville, participating in this amazing event, be sure to stop by the Obeo Booth.  We are offering some amazing event pricing and giveaways.  Star Power really knows how to put on a great conference!

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By marci.james | Posted in Upcoming Events | Tagged , | Comments (0)