This partnership showcases the brand’s continued effort to reach consumers through innovative media. According to CMO Bev Thorne, “Our goal is to reach prospective customers wherever they are consuming media, and Pandora Radio certainly meets that criteria.” Pandora is the leader in personalized Internet radio, making up nearly 70% of all internet radio listening in the U.S.  In January 2011, Pandora became the #2 all-time downloaded free iPhone app and the #1 all-time downloaded free iPad app.

The branded CENTURY 21 Pandora station plays a customized selection of contemporary songs and includes on-air advertisements for the brand, giving the CENTURY 21 brand 100% share of voice during the entire listening session. The station has a custom skin so that if you’re playing it on a laptop, at an open house or in your office, the web page appears with the company’s attributes displayed. If you want to take it a step further, the station may be streamed onto an Internet-enabled television. CENTURY 21 Agents: Smarter, Bolder, Faster!

The next time you log on Pandora via a computer, search for the CENTURY 21 Station. Stream it in your office, at your open houses, at your booths at community events and of course, on your mobile devices! Click here to load the station.  The station is not searchable on mobile devices, the URL is required. You can also access the station from your smartphone QR code reader:

Take a listen and tell us what you think!

Curling And Chords

Does your baby always want to be by your side? Even while you get ready in the bathroom? One mother shared with Baby Zone that while she was styling her hair with a curling iron, her daughter yanked the chord and the iron landed on her bare foot leaving quite a burn. Remember parents, even if the plug is high above the ground, your baby can still reach the dangling chord!

A Ride To The Door Frame

What little kid doesn’t love riding on an adult’s shoulders? One who gets their head bumped by the door frame perhaps? On Baby Zone, a mother shared their her father (her son’s grandfather) was giving her little boy a ride around the room when – bonk! – his head bumped into the door frame. Careful, Grandpa.

Peek-a-boo Out The Window

The website She Knows cautions parents against putting tall furniture right up against the window. Apparently babies love to climb and aren’t afraid to poke their adorable heads right out a window!

The Doctor Is In

Before baby you could leave anything you wanted on the bathroom counter – pill bottles, creams, sunscreen, soap – but now that your little one has arrived, don’t give them the chance to play pharmacist, advises the Safe Start Baby Blog. Be sure to put all medicines and toiletries away in a locked medicine cabinet or under the sink with a baby proofed handle and door.

TV Topple

While baby proofing your house, things like a baby gate, outlet covers, a toilet seat lock and cabinet locks may seem obvious, but what about securing your television? With one good tug from a baby arm, a flat panel TV can come tumbling down, says The Stir. “These flashing light machines are especially attractive to tiny people. And the bigger TV sets get, the more damage they can cause when they topple over.”

What was your biggest baby proofing blunder?

Each Friday we share with you the must-read, real estate news of the week. We’ve got everything you need to know to stay on top of breaking industry news and trends.

Grab your coffee and get reading!

“4 Insider Tips For Getting Multiple Offers”

The market is heating up. No, really. Coast to coast, a much higher percentage of listings are (a) selling, period (b) selling, fast and (c) selling at or above the asking price than they have during any spring in recent memory. Don’t take my word for it — from Chicago to Orange County, CA, local papers have picked up and started to report on the phenomenon. Yet and still, today’s buyers hold in recent memory the real estate mountaintop and the depths of the recession; some have been waiting out the market for years, hoping for a deal, but unwilling to buy into a declining market. Others actually lost homes to foreclosure at the beginning of the housing recession and are on the comeback trail. And competition from short sale and foreclosure listings is still abundant. Long story short, the days when every home on the market got multiple offers are still a thing of the past. By and large, the listings receiving multiple offers and selling for over asking on today’s market have the following ingredients. Continue reading . . .

“Vacation Home Markets Heat Up”

If your clients are thinking of buying a second home in the next five years, this might be their best opportunity. After being battered during the housing bust, the vacation-home market is showing signs of life. Reports of bidding wars are trickling out of some of the locales that bore the brunt of the housing bust, and brokers in other markets, while not sounding the “all clear,” at least say conditions aren’t getting much worse. Near-record-low mortgage rates, bargain prices and dwindling home inventories are bringing some once-untouchable markets within reach for the first time in a decade, say housing-market experts. Continue reading . . .

“Small Business Owner Optimism At Highest Rate In Over A Year”

Hitting its highest point in over a year, small business confidence rose in April by 2.0 percentage points, according to the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), as companies stepped up plans for hiring and investing. “While the Index remains historically weak, there was good news in the details of April’s report. Job creation plans, job openings and capital spending plans all increased. Hopefully, this performance will hold in the coming months,” said NFIB Chief Economist, Dr. William Dunkelberg. Continue reading . . .

“Trulia Launches Geolocation Mobile Ads For Agents”

Trulia wants your phone to ring. That’s why they are launching a new ad platform that will enable you to place mobile ads on the site’s most highly trafficked pages, including the previously off-limits map view page. Until now, consumers could only contact an agent directly if they were on specific property’s details page. Up to five agents per zipcode can purchase the mobile ads. One agent can also purchase all five spots, meaning a single agent could own one hundred percent of a zipcode. The ads are geolocated, and appear in the Trulia iPhone app, Android app and mobile browser version of the site. Continue reading . . .

Let’s start with a little background. Instagram currently has 50 million users. That is 50 million potential prospects. Though Instagram was initially launched on the iPhone, it recently expanded to Android users. In fact, over one million Android users downloaded the app in the first 12 hours!

You may be thinking, “That’s great, good for them, but why should I use Instagram?” Well, Instagram makes beautiful photo sharing fast and easy. For example, you can take 10 photos of your new listing, add filters with Instagram and then publish a stunning, photo home tour.

Instagram is also great because, in the words of Katie, “People are connecting over photos which are much more personal and emotional.” For the Inman News Instagram account, Katie and team share behind the scenes photos as they plan and host events, shots from guest interviews and of course, photos of their picturesque Bay Area neighborhood.

Using Instagram is not about sharing photos in vacuum. If you’re thinking, “What if I have a small following, is this really worth it?” The short answer is – yes. When you take and share a photo with Instagram, you can also share that photo on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and your blog. View Instagram as a content creation app.

So now that you’re taking and publishing photos across all of your social media channels with Instagram, how can you take it to the next level? Katie offered three exceptional options.

Design Postcards With Postagram

Do you have a stunning Instagram photo of your local town center? A breathtaking shot of a house you just closed on? Take that Instagram photo and use Postagram to create postcards with that image. You can then send those postcards to clients and prospects. What a fun way to keep in touch and stay top of mind!

Create Closing Gifts With Stickygram

Though the name may conjure images of your fingers sticking together, this sticky actually refers to magnets. Use Stickygram to create magnets from your Instagram photos. These make great closing gifts for clients. Perhaps you have a great shot of the outside of their new home that you can transform into the first magnet on their new fridge. Stickygram charges $14.99 for a pack of nine magnets.

Customize a Facebook Timeline Cover Photo With Insta.Cover

With the new Facebook Timeline format you have extra photo real estate at the top of your personal and business Facebook pages. Head over to Insta.Cover to create a custom Facebook Timeline cover photo from your Instagram shots. Why settle on one image for your cover photo when you could have many?

A big thank you to Katie for her Instagram insights! Are there other sites you’re using to elevate your Instagram photos?

Since we have babies on the brain, we went on a quest to find the most original (and sometimes outrageous) home designs for baby nurseries. Thanks to TheBump.com for showing us that imaginations really can run wild!

Blast Off!

Plan to teach your baby to shoot for the stars? Why stop at advice, when you could create a celestial nursery!

Life’s A Circus!

Many people have wonderful memories of going to the circus as children with their families. The big top, the clowns, the animals, the popcorn – what’s not to love? One family brought the big top home with this baby’s room.

Monkey Around!

Often when couples want to be surprised about whether they’re having a boy or a girl, they opt for a jungle themed room. This room is ready for its newest monkey!

Hello, Kitty!

Did you have a favorite character as a child? Perhaps it was “Hello Kitty.” Certainly these parents want to share their love of the famous cat with their bundle of joy in this character themed nursery.

What is the most outrageous nursery theme you have seen?

Eddie Berenbaum, the Principal Broker and co-founder of Century 21 Redwood Real Estate, radiates energy, enthusiasm and knowledge.  A natural extrovert, he quickly engages you in conversation and makes a connection.  You immediately get the sense he makes an effort to understand your point of view.  I met Eddie a few weeks ago and recently sat down with him to talk about his company, Century 21 Redwood Realty.

Personally, I was impressed with the level of detail and sophistication that he used on his sites. It made me curious to learn why a life-long real estate broker had taken such an interest in technology.  For Eddie, technology is a tool that allows him to better connect with clients.  He understands how to use technology to bring value to clients and make their lives better.  Real estate is first and foremost a human process- technology simply facilitates the connection.

Putting the Client First

While there are companies that solely use technology for the entire process, Eddie considers Century 21 Redwood Realty to be a client-focused company that understands technology (not vice versa).  With offices specializing in Ashburn, VA homes, Arlington, VA condos & Washington DC real estate, Eddie and his business partners have created a company culture that puts people first.  Their goal is to provide clients with the tools they need to help them make an educated decision that is right for them.

Creating Niche Micro-Sites

Century 21 Redwood Realty uses three niche-oriented sites that branch off of c21redwood.com to connect with and service their clients on a hyper-local level in their three main markets.  These “micro-sites” have a rich interface that breaks down each of these areas neighborhood-by-neighborhood. This provides clients a unique local perspective that can’t be obtained elsewhere.  In designing their DC focused site, dcmapsearch.com, Eddie worked with his team of agents over the course of a year to draw (by hand) the boundaries for 52 neighborhoods that, while widely recognized by the public, do not have official boundary lines.  The Arlington oriented niche site, metroArlington.com along with the Loudoun centric site, LoudounCommunities.com are (as far as he knows) the only websites in the entire country (maybe the world?) that allow users to search for homes within specific school boundaries.

Eddie created the sites to educate his customers and take the mystery out of real estate.  He is a true expert and views technology as allowing him to share his knowledge with as many people as possible.  His websites allow him to really connect with people, answer questions and begin a strong client-broker relationship. For most people, buying and/or selling a home is one of the most important and overwhelming decisions they will ever make.

Keeping it Old School (When You Should)

Despite his focus on technology, Eddie is adamant that he is first and foremost an “old school” broker.  Real estate is an imperfect market, he says.   A house is a very emotional purchase and its value is exactly what someone is willing to pay for it.   There is no 24-hour a day ticker that shows a home’s price.  This means that there is a lot of anxiety in the process and there are many emotions at play.  Sellers must walk the emotional “Am I pricing too high? / too low?” tightrope.  The buyers are on the opposite side of the same coin and worry that they will be taken advantage of.  The difference between ten people wanting a house and eleven people wanting a house is not that much- but the difference between one person wanting a house and two people wanting a house is tremendous.  Real estate is all about timing and having accurate information.

Elevating Your Game

Eddie’s use of technology has allowed him to take his relationship with his clients to the next level.  A full-time Lead Management staff handles all online information requests seven days a week.  The goal of this staff is simple- link these prospective clients with the agent who is best suited to service their needs.  By empowering his site visitors with rich and immediate information, he has been able to establish a unique experience for them.  Once clients find the local details they need on the sites, they are paired with the proper agent to complete the unforgettable “Redwood Experience”.

1. Paint or Replace Shutters

Peeling and dilapidated windows can negatively affect a potential buyer’s first impression, even if the rest of the home’s exterior is impeccable. In addition to replacing any damaged shutters, it’s also a good idea to throw a fresh coat of paint on them. This is a quick and relatively cheap way to give the exterior a good visual boost.

2. Replace or Power-Wash Siding

Dingy and damaged siding is another curb appeal-killer; if power-washing doesn’t do the trick, it might be a good idea to look into replacing your existing siding. If there’s no room in the budget for complete replacement, repairing any damaged sections will help bolster up the appearance.

3. Paint Stucco Exteriors

If the exterior of your home is a stucco coating that’s seen better days, a coat of paint is the equivalent of a face-lift. If you’re thinking of changing the color altogether, it’s best to check with your homeowners’ association before tackling the project; some HOA’s have a list of pre-approved colors that owners are allowed to choose from, and you don’t want to paint the whole house just to have the HOA tell you that color won’t work.

4. Re-Sod Sparse Lawns

A patchy lawn can make even a well-kept home seem a bit forlorn; sowing grass seed or having the area re-sodded is certainly one of the most effective ways of enhancing the desirability of your home.

5. Repave Driveways

Cracked driveways with oil stains and other signs of disrepair will not do you any favors in helping your home sell. Resurfacing driveways can assist in making your house seem almost like a brand new one.

6. Repair or Replace Sidewalks

Just like a cracked or damaged driveway, sidewalks that have fallen into disrepair can affect the way your home is perceived in the minds of potential buyers. Replacing them or having them resurfaced can do wonders for the overall appeal of your home.

7. Plant Shrubs and Flowers

Landscaping is one of the best ways to elevate the appearance of your home, and to make it one of the most desirable ones on the block. For homeowners with a brown thumb, there are dozens of low-maintenance shrub options that look beautiful without requiring the attention that finicky flowers can demand.

8. Take Care of Existing Trees

Mature trees can increase the selling price of a home by thousands of dollars, as long as those trees are properly cared for. While well-maintained trees can be a major plus, those with precarious-looking branches can turn a buyer off. The potential for storm damage from neglected trees can be a deal-breaker.

9. Upgrade the Front Door

The entryway to your home should be as inviting as possible, especially if you’re looking to sell. Replacing or even sprucing up your existing door with a new coat of paint can add to the welcoming quality, as well as positively influence the perceptions of buyers.

10. Keep Kids’ Clutter to a Minimum

While signs of happy and active children send a great message to newlyweds or young families, it’s important to keep the toy clutter to a minimum. Fading plastic playhouses and smaller toys strewn everywhere seem chaotic, rather than charming. On the front lawn especially, homeowners should pay particular attention to keeping things as neat as possible.

This post was contributed by DoorFly.com.

• Create videos that are one to two minutes in length so that you can keep your audience’s attention

• Give your audience more than a virtual tour, they want the story beyond the front door

• Take your audience on a stroll around the block and into the town center, really show them what it will be like to live in this house

• If you haven’t already, set up your own branded YouTube channel to host your listing videos

• Give your videos extra marketing legs by promoting them on your website, blog, Facebook and Twitter pages

Watch the video to learn more:

Each Friday we share with you the must-read, real estate news of the week. We’ve got everything you need to know to stay on top of breaking industry news and trends.

Grab your coffee and get reading!

“Real Estate Market To Bloom In 2Q?”

Ah, spring. Flowers, baseball — and the prime real estate season, in which eager, young first-time buyers go in search of their dream home. But will second-quarter 2012′s housing market bring us a garden of blooms or a handful of ugly weeds? Continue reading  . . .

“How To Buy And Sell A House At The Same Time”

Affordable home prices and low interest rates have lured investors and first-time home buyers into the housing market, but move-up buyers are a tougher sell. Many homeowners are simply stuck in their current homes because of an underwater mortgage. Others are concerned about the timing of transactions so they can seamlessly move from one home to another — at a time when houses typically spend more days on market and thorough mortgage underwriting can make for unpredictable closing schedules. Continue reading . . .

“6 Elements Of A Compelling Home Seller Love Letter”

Recent reports suggest that the real estate market might be picking up. That said, sellers from coast to coast are still doing everything within their power to differentiate their home from the scads of other competitive listings.  Have you considered having a seller write a love letter about their home? A seller love letter is a note, personally written or typed up by the home’s seller. Among other things, it expresses the love the seller’s family has had for the home, and explains the facts and events underlying that sentiment. Continue reading . . .

“3 Tech Tools To Boost Your Productivity”

All of us have more or less embraced technology. We all buy iPads or tech tablets, have joined a social media site and have more or less become addicted to our smart phones. What many haven’t been doing, however, is using the technology tools available to actually boost productivity in their business. Continue reading . . .

Each Friday we share with you the must-read, real estate news of the week. We’ve got everything you need to know to stay on top of breaking industry news and trends.

Grab your coffee and get reading!

“This Spring’s Home Buying Season Could Be The Best In Years”

The spring home-selling season could be the strongest in years and may foreshadow which markets will lead a battered housing industry in an anemic recovery, economists say. “This spring will be the litmus test for housing demand,” says Steven Ricchiuto, chief economist for Mizuho Securities USA. Continue reading . . .

“Best Neighborhoods For First-Time Homebuyers In 2012”

Purchasing a house can be a daunting experience-especially in this economy. For anyone getting ready to make that initial venture into home ownership, these places offer affordable, beautifully crafted houses (like the one pictured above in Rockland, Maine) that are a good bet in a great location — just a few of the 61 vibrant neighborhoods from coast to coast where you’ll find one-of-a-kind period houses. Read on to see which ones meet the needs of a first-time homeowner. . .

“3 Easy Ways To Grow Your Web Presence”

Do you have a robust web presence? To succeed in today’s online social networking-based environment, a single page on your broker’s site is no longer sufficient. Inman News outlines three steps for pumping up the volume with your online profiles. Continue reading . . .