Spoken Gently's Blog: For Realtors

In Alejandre v. Bull the Washington Supreme Court (March, 2007) sided with the seller and did not allow the buyer to sue for damages for the seller's misrepresentation of the seller's disclosure statement. In this case, the seller knowingly gave the buyer a faulty septic tank. To read more about the case, Attorney Russell G. Cofano does a great job of summarizing Alejandre v. Bull. What I want to do is discuss the implication of Alejandre v. Bull on the new forms coming out in October for Washington REALTORS®.

In the August 2007 edition of Washington REALTOR® News, I quote from page 11:

...there will be a provision in the new form to address the significant changes to law caused by the case of Alejandre v. Bull, decided by our state Supreme Court on…

This how-to blog is a sequel to the how-to blog I did a few days ago on How To Insert An Image. This blog will provide a little instruction on how to hyperlink an image. I am not an expert in html, so I will cover the basics of hyperlinking images, then provide resources for further study/reading.

I will follow the same format as the How To Insert Images blog by analyzing the code of a hyperlinked image. I will only write about the variables as they relate to hyperlinking. To learn more about the other variables, consider checking out the blog on Inserting Images.

Let us start by inserting a hyperlinked pretty lady (for real, the caricature doesn't do Colleen justice) into some Loren ipsum text:

Cras et quam id risus ultricies vulputate. Vestibulum…

I enjoy inserting images into my blog entries (as well as web pages) to break up text, hyperlink to other sources, and just plain, it looks cool! As a consequence, I am often asked how image insertion is accomplished. I am no expert, but know enough to pass along a rudimentary understanding of how image insertion works, plus I can recommend a few resources for further study. We also have a how-to on hyperlinking images, as well.

The easiest way for me to show you how to insert an image is by analyzing the code of an inserted image. You would then simply duplicate the code in your own text using your own variables. Let us start by inserting a handsome bald dude into some Loren ipsum text:

Cras et quam id risus ultricies vulputate. Vestibulum ante ipsum…

This fall, the current Washington residential purchase agreement form will not be available. The new Washington REALTORS forms will be taking the place of the current standard. Classes are available (and for the most part, a requirement) in the use of the new forms. One notable change is the requirement to attach a legal description to the purchase and sale agreement, as opposed to merely writing the description in to the listing agreement. To acquire a hard copy of the legal description my necessitate opening title or contacting a title company for the latest recorded legal description. These are the facts, now for an opinion.

I understand the Washington Association of REALTORS® desire to unify the forms all Washington real estate agents use, however,…

I read this article yesterday and thought about posting a blog entry about it. Well, the article came across my desk today, this time from another source, so I thought it best to suggest it. The article is Search Engine Land's Top Ten Organic SEO Myths. At first, the myths seem fairly straight forward bringing no new news with them, however, as I thought about the myths, I find myself guilty of subtly subscribing to some of them. For instance, I find myself updating pages for the sake of search engine optimization. My pages certainly need work, however, the motive should be for the visitor, not the search engine. Another point I toiled with was the point regarding sitemaps. Sitemaps are helpful, however, I am guilty of relying on them too much for the…

In light of Rand Fishkin's blog about Wiki Jacking, I thought I would provide a great resource on how to use Wikipedia ethically and for what Wikipedia's intended purpose is. Search Engine Roundtable did a service to Wikipedia by posting an article on appropriate ways to utilize Wikipedia's influence for search engine marketing. In the article a few recommendations are made. Among several points, a point on Wikipedia as a link building resource stands out to me. The article suggests not using Wikipedia as a link building resource, however, when garnering links, the article notes, and I quote from the article:

How to add links:
- Develop a reputation as an editor.
- Add information first, links second.
- Follow the Notability rule.

If you are…

Microsoft launches experimental search site Tafiti (you will need to download and install Silverlight). I find this interesting in light of the rumors behind Microsoft acquiring Yahoo. Let's look at an analogy here. IBM slept, and Microsoft took over IBM's share of he PC market. Now let us compare Google to IBM. Google, at the top of the market and resting on it's laurels, all the while Microsoft has Microsoft Live, Yahoo (let's imagine for a moment), now Tafiti. As real estate agents staying the next step ahead on the tech path, we might consider keeping an eye on what Microsoft is up to these days.

The point here is Microsoft is not simply focusing it's attention on areas other than the search engine market. While Google appears to be content with their…

We cite other resources when blogging for the visitor's benefit, right? Certainly we do. However, co-citation has a SEO benefit. I have recommended this article many times in support of co-citation. It is a classic among the resources I recommend for citing other sources when blogging. Essentially, the author makes the point that citing other authority sources strengthens your content relative to search engine positioning. The author Jim Boyken, is well respected in the SEO community. Consider reading some of his posts. Perhaps upon finding this blog entry, Jim will cite me for citing him! Yeah, right!