Is 2014 the year of the real estate blog in Birmingham? A look at my favorite local real estate blogs.

I’ve been writing my real estate blog since 2010 as a way to market my business, educate potential clients on the ins and outs of the real estate appraisal maze, and also to develop relationships with other real estate professionals. Blogging is time consuming and takes effort to stay on a consistent publishing calender, however I have to say that it has been one of the most rewarding and fun activities that I have ever been involved in. It has introduced me to a lot of people I probably would never have met if it were not for the blog, and I have seen an increase in my business as a result of the connections I have made. In 2013 I was pleased to see that many other Birmingham area real estate professionals are beginning to realize the benefits of blogging and have started their own blog. Today I thought I would share with you some of the blogs I follow, some that have been around awhile, as well as newer ones. I hope you find them as educational and entertaining as I do.

Real estate agent Collier Swecker- Collier is no beginner to blogging as he was already involved with it when I started in 2010. Collier’s format is more of a video blog, or vlog as he typically shoots the video when he is in his car. He provides excellent information to both buyers and sellers to help them understand about issues that can effect real estate transactions. Some of his recent topics include the importance of not forgetting to spruce up the front door of the home when selling your home, details on the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act, Home Buying Pitfalls for Unmarried Couples, and an update on the skyrocketing cost of flood insurance.  You can watch more of what he has to say on his blog, and I don’t think you will be disappointed.

Tom Brander- Like Collier, Tom has been at it a while. He is one of the best statistics guys I know and he uses his computer and real estate knowledge to produce a blog that analyzes how the Alabama real estate market is performing. Tom is on the Trustee Board of the Alabama Center for Real Estate at the University of Alabama where he provides consulting services. A brief list of statistics that he keeps up with includes new building permits, total dollar sales, number of homes sold, absorption rates, and monthly inventory. If you like to look at the numbers you should check out Tom’s blog, it will be well worth your time.

Real estate agents David and Colleen Black- Known as “The Black Team” David and Colleen’s blog not only covers what’s happening in the real estate market, but they also include other topics that readers enjoy such as local restaurant reviews, human interest stories, and community events. By covering a range of topics readers and potential real estate clients can get an idea about what the community is like before moving into the area. David’s background in journalism seems to have served him well as the blog is very well put together and looks great visually.

Real estate agent Charita Cadenhead- Charita is not only involved in blogging but is active in many other forms of social media. She understands the importance of connecting with today’s clients where they are, and usually these days that’s on various channels such as Active Rain, Twitter, and Google Plus. While Charita’s blog is for everyone she is especially fond of empowering women through real estate, hence the name of her website and blog being BhamWiire ( Birmingham Women Investing in Real Estate). Some of her topics include getting your home in shape to increase it’s sale-ability, help for FSBO (For Sale By Owner) sellers, as well as home sales statistics. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Real Estate Agent Ralph Harbison- I just started following Ralph’s blog last year and have found it to be both well put together and educational. Ralph utilizes videos to enhance his blog posts which I think can help readers and viewers relate to you. Some of Ralph’s recent blog posts have been a multi-part series he has put together to help first time home sellers where he focuses on every step of the selling process. He doesn’t leave anything out because he wants sellers to know what to expect throughout the whole process. I think Ralph has a lot of valuable advice to offer those buying and selling their home.

Real Estate Agent Tyler Davis- Tyler Davis blogs about a variety of real estate topics but they all have one thing in common: Birmingham’s urban neighborhoods. From his own description he notes that he specializes in Crestwood, Forest Park, Avondale, Highland Park, downtown Birmingham, Homewood and Mountain Brook. Some of the urban areas he focuses in on have been part of the revitalization of this area, which have put Birmingham in the news as one of the “top 10 hottest housing markets of 2014”. Some of Tyler’s topics include highlights of downtown eateries, entertainment venues, parks, and other attractions, as well as articles  describing the positive elements of Birmingham. He uses pictures and video to illustrate what urban living is like, and how Birmingham has improved it’s urban living ranking. In addition, he provides good consumer advice on buying and selling real estate. Tyler does a very good job of covering the Birmingham urban areas so check out his blog- Bham Bricks.

When I first started blogging I read the book “Content Rules” by Ann Handley and C.C. Chapman. In the book there is a chapter titled “Share or Solve; Don’t Shill”, which means that good blog content “doesn’t hawk your wares or push sales driven messages but rather it creates value by positioning you as a reliable and valuable resource”, and I think the above blogs I have told you about do just that: they provide useful content to help you make better informed decisions. Do you know of any other real estate professionals around the Birmingham area that is crushing it with great content? Leave me a message below, I am always on the lookout for more good reads.

If you found value or entertainment in this post you can subscribe by email or RSS feed. Thanks for visiting.