Check it out here.

Some thoughts for people who apply:

You’re welcome to ask me for a recommendation. I might even say yes. But understand that a bunch of other people have asked and are asking. It’s not going to set you apart from the crowd.

You wouldn’t be effective if you needed to work remotely. The job is all about communication with the staff and leadership. You can’t build the relationships you need from the phone. NAR knows this. You’re better off not applying if you can’t be in their office.

Don’t send them your Klout score. The job is about NAR’s communication channels, not your own. Most of what you do will be invisible to the general public.

Don’t try to be me. What NAR needs today is very different than what they needed three years ago. I’m not too proud to admit that someone with a different skill-set could be better equipped to move them forward. Be yourself.

What is responsive web design? To quote StudioPress:

When a website is responsive, the layout and/or content responds or adapts based on the size of screen they are presented on.

It means the site looks great on a desktop, and changes to look great on an iPad, and again on a smart phone.

There’s a massive shift emerging in the way consumers are searching for real estate online. There are times when Trulia’s traffic is higher on mobile than it is on the web. For this reason, building sites that look great on mobile is becoming more and more important for real estate agents. If you have a WordPress based site, there’s already some options for you. I went with the Balance Theme from StudioPress to update this site over the weekend. You can learn more about there responsive theme’s here.

My first week in the Chicago office, NAR CEO Dale Stinton invited me to his office to talk about my future. He told me I was hired to change NAR and not the other way around. I was hired because of my instincts and that I should trust them. I was given a license to drive fast and take chances, but I wondered how long would it last. I definitely pushed buttons and boundaries. Sometimes, I pushed too far. To upper management’s credit, I never received less than 100% support. When we made mistakes, we learned from them and we moved on.

The organization is engaging directly with members in an unprecedented way. While there is much work still to do, I’m proud of the part I played in changing the course.

Now it’s time for a new challenge.

For family and career reasons, I’m moving on. I’m taking the love of my life back to the place I love (Colorado) and starting a new job as Sr. Manager of Industry Engagement at Trulia. It’s a new adventure with a new set of challenges. I can’t wait to get started. But that’s a story for another blog post.

Let me take this final opportunity to thank NAR for a wonderful opportunity. I have an appreciation for the staff and member-volunteers that will never fade. What an awesome ride.

@tcar can you link me to the # of buyers who started their search online in 2006? Thanks!

— Chris Smith (@Chris_Smth) February 1, 2012

NAR creates a yearly Profile of Homebuyers & Sellers with this information. If you’ve ever heard an industry pundit saying something to the effect of “90% of all homebuyers use the Internet in their home search” it’s thanks to this question asked in the report:

So Chris, in 2006, the number was 80%. Now it’s closer to 90%. However, I think this is a more interesting stat:

2011 is the first year where those surveyed did not choose the real estate agent as the source for where they found the home they purchased. The Internet is now the top spot.

Via: Online MBA Guide

Joshua Dorkin – @jrdorkin
@tcar Your Twitter account is going insane posting old blog posts . . .

Chad Huck  – @ChadHuck
.@tcar is blowing up the timeline!

Drew Meyers – @drewmeyers
@tcar what is going on with your feed?

Bob Wilson – @bob_wilson
@tcar polluting my stream with ancient posts

innahamedia – @innahamedia
@tcar holy cow you are prolific today:-) Jacked?

Maya figured it out…

Maya Sabot Paveza – @mayaREguru
Guessing @tcar is moving his wordpress blog… Lol someones gonna be locked outta twitter #igotthetshirt

Yep. I was moving a bunch of old posts from a site I created way back in 2007. Unfortunately, I had a plugin activated called Twitter Tools that autotweets all my new posts. My Twitter stream blew up. for a couple minutes, then Twitter locked me out. I’m very sorry about that folks. My bad.

Meanwhile, my  friend Mary Pope Handy reminded me how great a lot of those old posts were. There’s more than 50 interviews with some of the best real estate bloggers around. Check them out. Most  of their advice and perspectives still apply today.

Ric Dizon – @RicDizon
@nik_nik What hashtag is being used for NAR? #NAR #Narpediem #NARAnnual #NARAnaheim #NAR2011

I’ve also heard #aNARheim, but that’s a good list.

Nicole Nicolay – @nik_nik
@RicDizon I believe the hashtag is #NARannual…but we could check with @tcar and see what he prefers.

@nik_nik is correct! Follow the conference on Twitter by searching for #narannual. Or better yet, stay tuned to narconferencelive.com for more.

During my trip to DC this month, I was lucky enough to meet with the FTC and discuss proper disclosure practices in social media with several Fortune 1000 companies. Simply enough, if there’s a quid pro quo between two parties, it’s perfectly fine, as long as it is disclosed.

These rules don’t apply to a single entity’s quid pro quo with it’s own agenda. Not legally anyway. And maybe not even morally. But I’ve always believed in showing people where you sit before you tell them where you stand. If you have a bias, disclose it.

If you’re a real estate agent, and find an online discussion abut the housing market, disclose it. It makes your argument stronger, not weaker. It makes you genuine. It’s the first step to regaining our credibility as an industry. People that don’t agree with you will still respect you for being frank.

In conversations about real estate, I feel it’s important to disclose my bias. I work for NAR. That doesn’t mean I speak for NAR, or agree with everything NAR does. It means I have a bias, and I’m disclosing it. Now let’s talk about the issues.

One of the best parts about my job at NAR is getting to work in the “Publications” department. For most of my career, I have worked with other sales professionals. It’s been great to work with people that have completely different skill sets. The folks at REALTOR@ Magazine approched me to write the cover story for March after reading my post on unfriending people on their birthday. Of course I accepted and it’s been an awesome experiance. The team really made my story come to life. 

I also got the opportunity to work with Ginger Wilcox and Jeff Turner on the project. They both put together a pair of excellent side columns for the article. If you’re a member, the magazine should be at your door soon. If not, here are links to the story online. 

Less is Definitely More

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Manage Facebook with Selective Transparency