August 2006
What a beautiful summer! Hope you all had plenty of time to enjoy our sunshine!
End of an era: After nearly 3 years I've decided to close the Seattle office. We've had fun! But my client base is changing and we weren't able to utilize the space effectively. I-5 traffic didn't help ... As has always been the case, email is the best way to reach me.
In other news, we ran into a few roadblocks in developing our interactive map search but we're closer! Not only can you search active listings, but open houses and recent sales as well. Our challenge has always been to develop the most flexible component easily incorporated into many different style websites and compatible with all browsers and platforms. We highly recommend Firefox for the best browsing experience web-wide. Use IE exclusively for Locator.

May 2006
Sold data from the NWMLS! Today several of our clients added sold data to their websites. Are your clients curious to know how much the house down the street sold for? Now they can find out, and faster than if they searched the county records for the same information. Take a look at www.GBK.com.

March 2006
Take a look at our new Interactive Map Search, still in beta at www.LakeRE.com. Your comments are welcomed! We plan to have this functionality available in late August.
On another note, we have created a few custom websites which are now available for sale. Unique designs used by no one else, these sites are live and online and ready to be about you! Here are 4 examples:
— www.OneSeattleWay.com
— www.RealEstateRow.com
— www.SeattleBellevue.com SOLD!
— www.QueenAnneForSale.com
Plus we have dozens of good domain names and even more designs. Watch here for a comprehensive list, or call!

December 2005
Happy Holidays to all!
Over the past six years, we have worked hard to create a product which is equal to or better than any other real estate website and property search options available in the Pacific Northwest. We've listened to your wants and needs and will continue to update and improve our service.**
We have avoided raising our prices for all of our six years of business, but we can no longer keep our prices at this level and continue to provide you the level of service you've come to expect and enjoy. With the increasing cost of development and our additional overhead costs, we must unfortunately raise the cost of our service to you.
The new price schedule, which goes into effect on 1 January, 2006, is posted here.
Thank you for your patronage and hopefully you will understand the necessity for this price increase.

**
The Logical Dog team is proud to offer an exclusive monthly newsletter. Composed of four regular articles - "Real Estate News," "For Buyers," "For Sellers," and "Home Improvement Tips" - and written by our regular content writer Jason Kirk, the newsletter is available, in whole or in part, at competitive subscription rates. View the current issues at www.RealEstateRow.com

As our customers know, good websites regularly offer new content. In our continuing effort to provide the best available service, we urge you to browse the back issues of our newsletter and consider this easy and affordable way to increase the value of your site's content with timely, relevant articles that your customers will surely appreciate.

September 16, 2005
Email again! I recommend GoDaddy as an efficient and inexpensive email solution to my clients. Recently a change in their spam filters caused messages to bounce with the response "The user does not accept email in non-Western (non-Latin) character sets" Huh? Apparently when sending html email from Outlook's versions older than 2003, it goes out as "windows-1250", which Godaddy does not interpret as a Latin derivative. Their solution:
You have an option set that accepts only e-mail messages written in a Western (Latin) language. You can change this setting from your Manage Email Accounts page.

• To accept e-mail messages written in other languages
  • From the Hosting & Email menu, click Email Accounts.
  • On the Manage Email Accounts page, click Manage Free Accounts or Manage Email Accounts.
  • Click the hyperlink of the account you want to modify.
    The Setup Email Account page displays.
  • From the Accept non-Western (Latin) Messages field, select Yes.

September 4, 2005
Summer's over! Time to get the kids back into school, take a breather and start thinking about your new year's resolutions. Have you done a recent review of your web presence?

In recent weeks, my clients have received numerous bogus emails generated from the forms on their websites. This is caused by Spam Robots probing our servers for vulnerabilities allowing them to use your sites to broadcast spam. Fortunately they haven't found any, but it doesn't stop them from trying. We need to reconsider the value of these website forms, and look for solutions. Any thoughts about the subject, please contact us.

July 5, 2005
Thanks to our loyal clients and their referrals, The Logical Dog Company has flourished. The NWMLS property search and real estate website hosting remains the core of our business, but our association with some great artists and photographers, writers and programmers allows us to provide the complete marketing package for the real estate agent. Call us to schedule a free hour of consulting, Wednesdays in Seattle. 360-929-1049. We'll take a look at all of your options, including the offers by our competitors, to find the right match for you.

May 17, 2005
Our transition a a new, faster and better server is complete! The NWMLS property search provided by The Logical Dog Company is arguably the fastest, most complete, and most flexible property search available. Now available, Commercial, Business Opportunities, and Rental listings. Try it out by visiting some of our client's sites. Don't forget to save your own custom search, and register for daily email updates.

March 19, 2005
The Logical Dog Company, dba LogicalDogRealty.com, is now a member of the NWMLS and licensed to sell real estate in the state of Washington. I have no intention of listing or selling homes! The purpose of joining NWMLS is simply to stay abreast of the news and trends in the real estate market, and to better monitor the accuracy of the listings data that we display on your websites. The site LogicalDogRealty.com is being developed and monitored in an effort to find the most effective tools to include in your website. Of course any leads this site may generate will be shared with my clients at no cost.
Real estate marketing is ever evolving. Classes and seminars tout the latest gimmick for generating leads. They ask for your money at every turn. As a proponent of the K.I.S.S. philosophy, it's my personal goal to streamline the systems into a concise plan, creating a website that will open the doors for your clients and invite them into a dialog. I've been listening to you!

January 30, 2005
New feature added to the King County property search! Take a look at the new maps, aerial photos and plats.

December 10, 2004
Is it really December? The new year is fast approaching and a common resolution is to step up the marketing! Does your website need a fresh look? How does your personal branding place you out front? Do you offer the latest tools associated with the NWMLS property search online? The Logical Dog Company, with our team of experts, is the place to go for advice. Call today to schedule a free consultation.

October 4, 2004
Hope you like the new look!! If you stopped by to make a payment, follow this link for now. Later this month you'll go to the Subscribers section to make your payments. Sorry for any confusion!

August 26, 2004
Yes, Windows XP Service Pack 2 is coming! Have you done your backup? Make certain you have a current backup of your data and important documents in a separate location before installing this update. To learn more, visit www.annoyances.org and look under News and Highlights.

August, 2004
Our new photos display in the NWMLS property search component requires the Macromedia's Flash Player. This is generally installed as part of Internet Explorer. If you or your customers have trouble viewing the images, try installing the latest version of Flash.

July, 2004
Notice: The Logical Dog will be taking some time off, and the Seattle office will be closed on August 4. Otherwise the Seattle office at 2727 Fairview Avenue East is open every Wednesday, 10 AM - 3 PM, for free consulting. Drop by and we'll help plan your marketing strategy!

June, 2004
Email is out of control! A very useful business tool is threatened and it's up to us to take control. Most of you are aware that I've always been opposed to using HTML to format email. Send your email in plain text whenever possible. I thoroughly enjoyed this article and learned some things I didn't know about HTML email. I also found some interesting reading here.
Enough about that. I'd like to introduce a new educational tool I've added to my website. From the resources page, the link to "viruses and hoaxes" opens a page with all the latest details. The information is kept current by the folks at Sophos, the makers of the anti-virus software that I use in my company. Are you puzzled by that email that says your message was returned -- but you don't know the recipient? It's probably an email with the Netsky virus. Look up the details here.

Beware of bagle virus disguised as e-mail account warning
The latest variation of the Bagle virus that is sweeping across the Internet disguises itself as a seemingly legitimate e-mail message from the "yourdomain".com Team — and urges recipients to click on an attachment for further details about their account. Do not open the attachment. The Logical Dog Company does not use e-mail attachments as a method of disseminating information to customers. Bogus Bagle virus warning messages include: e-mail account security warning, notify about using the e-mail account, warning about your e-mail account, important notify about your e-mail account, e-mail account utilization warning, notify about your e-mail account utilization, and e-mail account disabling warning. Opening the attachment connected with these bogus e-mail messages will unleash the Bagle virus into the recipient's computer, enabling the virus to continue distributing itself across the Internet and to disable the host computer's security programs. Users should be wary of messages they were not expecting that arrive bearing attachments. Do not click on attachments if you do not know what they contain.

March, 2004
Now providing a new and improved property search component for qualified agents and brokers! See AlliedRealtors.com. New tools are being added every month. Drop by our office in Seattle on any Wednesday to talk over your ideas.

September, 2003
We're growing! This month, we opened our Seattle office on the shores of Lake Union at the Hamlin Pier. Details here.

You'll see some new names and faces. My company name "Anacortes Helpdesk" was beginning to sound a little odd, especially since most of my clients live and work outside Anacortes! Since my dog Zeke is always with me, I was inspired to incorporate as "The Logical Dog Company." Watch this space for my new revised logo and website design! Another company name you'll see is "Agent Web Services." Steven Duarte and I are combining our talents to provide the real estate agent with distinctive, inspired, completely custom and uniquely functional websites and marketing expertise.

2004 looks to be a great year of growth, but no matter what, I hope to continue to answer my own phone and provide you, my clients and friends, with good answers to your questions. Thank you!

March, 2003
Kudos forwarded by Barbara Otterson, Coldwell Banker Bain:
"Here is a message I got this morning from a referral moving here from Arizona:
'After hanging up I did go to your website and used the MLS... it brought several of these up. I'll have to familiarize myself with the different areas. The website is easy to use and I like how you have several options for searching.'
Thank you for making me look soooooo good!"

February, 2003
Two Exclusive Offerings! Only available through Anacortes Helpdesk to clients whose brokers have exercised the broker data download agreement with NWMLS.
1. MLSplus(tm) - Based on agent requests, we have developed the ultimate website listings management tool for NWMLS agents! Avoid double-entry, reduce liability, and increase accuracy! Your listings are displayed on your website, including recent sales and pending, with information taken directly from the information you maintain in Locator! Add headlines, schedule Open Houses, add a link to a virtual tour, photo gallery, or development website. Price and status changes, updates to your marketing remarks, new photos - all are updated automatically.
2. eList - Provide clients with automatic email updates of new listings in your market niche. Daily email includes your personal information and links to your website. No other system is as personal, easy, and accurate! Try it out at Ruth Dorsey's website.

November 2, 2002
Auto-responders: We all hate SPAM! I instruct all my clients to NEVER respond to SPAM and simply delete the email. When you "unsubscribe" to one piece of junk mail, you are confirming that the email address is indeed being read, and the address is then added to dozens, or hundreds, of other lists.

So when you go on vacation and use an "auto-responder" such as that offered through the Windermere email, you're letting the spammers know that they hit a good email address. Oops ..... So my recommendation is to never use auto-responders with your email account. If you can't check your email daily while away from the office, hire someone to check it for you. It will save a lot of future headaches.

September 24, 2002
Attention Listing Agents! The single most effective way to improve your web presence is to pay attention to your listings' photos. There's no excuse to submit a listing without immediately uploading at least a primary photo. Each day hundreds of agents send out updates to their clients of new listings. If there's no photo - if you're not taking advantage of this chance for a first impression - you're doing your seller a disservice. Marketing remarks also play a key role. Your new listing appears, sometimes within hours, on hundreds of websites. Let your peers help you in your marketing efforts! Make that first impression count!

All Agents! Fully maximize the internet options already available to you. Add your profile to the corporate site. Add your bio to Locator. Make sure your email address is on all of your marketing materials. Make certain your profiles on Locator and on your corporate site include a photo, and that the quality is satisfactory. Get a domain name and redirect it to your company-provided site until you upgrade to something else. Include this domain name on all marketing. Don't forget to refer to it in your voicemail message.

Surf the web!
Be a buyer for the evening. Who would you choose to represent you in the purchase of a home in a city where you know no one?
Be a seller the next day. If you had only the internet to find a good agent, who would you choose and why?

*** Get a Domain Name! ***

August 12, 2002
Update!
Addresses for all listings are displayed, unless seller has requested otherwise.
Multi-family property search has been added.
Custom reports are available, for example, a one-line list of all homes available in a particular area. (Locator report is limited to 250 matches.)
TIP! As you know, your listings appear on hundreds of websites through broker cooperation and the NWMLS. The marketing remarks section is extremely important. Review your listings and update your remarks. The savvy buyer will recognize that remarks typed IN ALL CAPS are older listings. (entered before Compass was cut off) You are now allowed up to 500 characters, so there's no need for all those ugly abbreviations. Freshen your marketing remarks - the buyers are reading them!

July, 2002
NWMLS Property Search improvements:
1. On the main search page, at the bottom, are links to a mortgage calculator and an affordability calculator. The mortgage calculator link was also added to the bottom of every property detail page.
2. Every map page now includes the address search and the MLS# search at the bottom of the page, so no matter which map you choose as your starting page, this "quick search" is available.
3. Soon after cutover to Locator, we have permission to display the addresses of every listing. As soon as we get the go-ahead, every address will be displayed except those new listings where the seller chooses not to display his address. I recommend that you educate your sellers well - buyers want addresses!!

In the next few weeks, I need your help. With the transition to Locator, we expect some bumps along the road. Please visit your websites often, checking the property search capabilities and confirm that the listings that appear are accurate. Watch for things like old listings coming back as active, features that don't belong, or old or incorrect photos. Thanks for your support!!

May, 2002
New feature available! Automatic email updates of new listings! Once you set up a search, for example new condo listings in area 700, your website visitors can sign up to receive daily email updates - and it's all automatic! The email will include the price and remarks about the property and a link to a detail page. This feature can be added to your current property search subscription. Call for more information.

March, 2002
Are you getting the most from your web presence? When you sign up a new listing, what do you do after adding it to the MLS?

1. Upload photos to Locator - even agents are guilty of skipping over a listing without a photo, just like buyers do when searching on the web. Don't make them wait.
2. Upload photos and enhanced information to your company website. Make sure there's a link from there to your personal website.
3. Use the company "Photo Gallery" or direct listing address (for example www.cbba.com/89952) for the Virtual Tour link in Locator.
4. Add comments to your extra photos in Locator. Your competitor's website may already display your additional photos and soon may include your comments.
5. Enhance your listings at REALTOR.com if you have the iLead program. Never let a listing display as is and make sure to include links to your "Virtual Tours" and to your webpage.
6. Even vacant land deserves a photo or plat map.

Do everything you can to enhance your listing's presence on the web. Whether the buyer finds it on your own site or on your competitor's, you can make it stand out by providing good photos in Locator.

March, 2002
Outlook 2002, email merge, and security patches. I've always promoted the use of plain text in any general email, especially newsletters. With the release of Office XP and the latest security patch, the use of mail merge to send out newsletters became especially challenging. An excerpt from Microsoft Support, "When you create a mail merge to e-mail or fax by using your Contacts folder, you must eventually use Microsoft Word to complete the mail merge. After you start the actual merge, you receive a warning message which indicates that a program is trying to access your address book. You can allow access for up to 10 minutes, and you do not receive address book warning messages again for that period of time. However, a separate warning message for each e-mail message that you send appears and you must wait five seconds before you can confirm the send process. For example, if you generate a mail merge to e-mail that is being sent to 100 people, it takes over eight minutes and you must approve each of the e-mail messages every five seconds."
Merging to an HTML message avoids the prompts, but the resulting messages have none of the hyperlinks in the original document.

February, 2002
Such a flurry of activity these last few weeks!! It must be a common New Year's resolution: "This year I'll create my website!" From small beginnings to grand schemes, I've been so busy that this news brief must be short. Do you have YOUR website yet? Visit the Client Sites page to see what's new.

January, 2002
I recently spoke with an agent just breaking into real estate. She knew how important it was to have a presence on the World Wide Web as soon as possible, but was overwhelmed with the expense! She wasn't quite ready to commit to the monthly hosting fees, and development costs were surprising. However, she wanted to immediately start marketing her own personal domain name.
Because her company provides her with a personalized website, I recommended that she maximize the features of that site. We secured her domain name, and redirected it to the company site. The only expense so far is the cost of registering a domain name, but she can begin marketing a domain that can continue to grow with her business.
Her next phase will be to create a very simple one page site with a custom NWMLS property search. She will still use the benefits of her company website through links, but provide her clients with more targeted, detailed property searches.
And last, she will create a completely custom site, always using the same domain name, and always moving forward.