… is rocking right now:

If you’re in “D-Town” for The Five Star Default Servicing Conference and Expo at Fort Worth Convention Center be sure to swing through (Booth 117, Hall B) and say hello — if you can squeeze in!

The show runs from Sept. 20 to 23, 2009. We’re available to talk shop during that time.

Remember, if you’re not at Five Star in Dallas or somehow missed us, we’re always free (and eager) to chat about business during normal office hours (Monday-Friday,
8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. ET).

Give us a shout!

… at The Temple House in South Beach is underway!

Here are two quick pictures I snapped with my iPhone this morning:

Can’t wait to chat with several great industry contacts, “pick up the latest ideas” and “spend a full day of learning and networking.”

Looking forward to that genuine Bacardi Mojito at the closing event, too.

A couple of years ago, me and our senior writer, Tom Myers, talked about all the business cards we had collected over the years — tradeshows, business meetings, power lunches … you name it.

We accumulated piles and piles of business cards. And we didn’t know what to do with them after we recorded all the information we needed for future reference.

So rather than toss the cards in the garbage, we decided to make these fun little business  boxes out of them.

Download PDF instructions here: How to make a business card box

Each box recycles 12 business cards. If the outer cards are all the same, you can proudly display your company and/or brand.

The next time you have a meeting, toss a custom business card box at your guest. It makes a bigger impact for sure. It’s also a great conversation piece.

Just be careful not to hit the person in the eye. That wouldn’t make a great first impression.

… at Trulia headquarters was a great experience — chatted with several great industry contacts in the networking sessions and sat in some information-packed presentations.

Here are two quick pictures I snapped with my iPhone today:

Next up is the Inman Bloggers Connect workshop and then the “Real Estate Connect San Francisco 2009″ tradeshow from Aug. 5 through Aug. 7.

Feel free to stop by our booth (#128) to talk shop or just to say “hi.” We look forward to seeing more great people this week!

This is a “SMART” car for more than one reason.

It was spotted in a Home Depot parking lot over the weekend near our corporate headquarters in Boca Raton, Florida. As you can see, the energy-conscious vehicle stands apart from the endless sea of cars in the crowded parking lot.

And not just because of it’s unique compact design.

Leveraging a small space, this real estate agent tandem took an opportunity to promote their services within the community by wrapping the car with a clever marketing message. Without the message it’s just another SMART car driving around town.

In this tough economic climate, successful agents are going above and beyond the ordinary methods of building their businesses. What worked five years ago doesn’t necessarily cut it anymore. And since more than 70 percent of homebuyers start their real estate searches online, expensive traditional print ads just don’t have the same impact … or return on investment.

Indeed, homebuyers today are savvy — they understand what’s going on around them and are looking to save big money on home purchases. This reality is underscored with preforeclosures and foreclosures selling at a rate of 2-1 over non-distressed real estate.

So bargain shoppers are out on the Internet in full force. It’s no coincidence, therefore, that most of them end up on Foreclosure.com — the name says it all.

Many of the folks who search Foreclosure.com do not currently have agent representation. It’s the reason we launched our Community Expert Program, which provides exactly what it says — a community agent expert to help homebuyers achieve their goals of homeownership.

Many of our agents have had overwhelming success with this program. It accomplishes two things:

1. Assists homebuyers with finding incredible deals
2. Directs homebuyers to the “cream-of-the crop” agents in their communities

Homebuyers can find community experts on each property details page just under the listing address. An agents name, photo and complete contact info are displayed. So just do a quick home search on Foreclosure.com and you will be on your way toward connecting with the community expert in your area.

If you are an agent who would like to be considered as a community expert click here.