Sonja Lovas of Houlihan Lawrence Real Estate in Katonah, New York is one of Propopoly’s most active bloggers. Her content is dynamic, interesting, comprehensive and a joy to read – she covers everything from buying/selling tips to local events to her listings (including excellent videos) to school reports to fine dining. She brings her heart and personality into every post and truly conveys her passion for selling real estate and living in the community she loves. She has made blogging a main focus of her marketing plan and her hard work has paid off in the form of new clients and referrals.

Be sure to learn more about Sonja and read more of her over 130 posts: GuideMeHome2Westchester.com/Sonja-Lovas

What got you into blogging?

I attended a meeting about blogging presented by Eric Bryn. He was so enthusiastic I decided to join the group and went home and wrote my first blog and signed up on Twitter. I then attended a LeadingRE function in NYC where I met Jennifer Sciortino and listened to her speak about the importance of it as well and was motivated to continue posting.

What keeps you motivated to blog?

I like to blog because I find it to be a creative outlet. I get to talk about what I do, and I love what I do. There are many aspects of Real Estate that a lot of people don’t understand and are not aware of. I have heard agents say 100 times or more when discussing their transactions, “we should write a book,” so in some ways, I am. I can write about my experiences about unusual conditions of the sale, accomplishments, activities and events I care about, places in my geographical market area and my pet peeves.

How do you keep coming up with material?

If you take any question that anyone has ever asked you about real estate and write a blog post in response to that, you’ll have 20 or more posts right there. I also look at real estate magazines such as House & Home, REALTOR® and my local board newspaper and identify the things that I as a Realtor need to know and then summarize them and make them a blog post because buyers and clients need to know the same things we do. Also, as I look around at everything I do, I try to tie it into real estate and that becomes a blog post. It’s fun to look around at the events and things around your town and community and then share that via a blog post.

Most bloggers use social media tools like Facebook or Twitter as a way to publicize themselves. Do you?

I use Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and LinkedIn. It is a great place to stay connected with people, find people and learn about the “buzzzzz.” You never know where or how someone will find you.

A lot of people are interested in blogging for the money earning potential. What are some tips for people interested in making money from blogging? What are some realistic expectations in regards to what can be made?

My realistic expectation is to be a better agent. Writing helps me become an expert. I understand and can communicate information about the process of the sale from seller and buyer points of view because I can express it in written form. It is one thing to know something, and quite something else to be able to put it in writing. When you write it, you own it. I have learned more about my geographical area and am paying closer attention to details of events because I started blogging than I would have had I not. I have a better understanding of the market because I write about it and describe my charts. Blogging and social media allow me to use technology to start interactions with people when other agents are uncomfortable. Blogging for earning potential is there but not with an occasional post and cannot be specifically defined. It’s how you use it and what you focus on that will pay dividends. The people who are watching and evaluating you to see how you work won’t find it with a couple blogs. I have been most successful by combining blogs and social networking. Writing also enables me to describe more elegantly the properties I represent as well as improved my writing communication skills through letters and email with clients. It is difficult to define exactly what the ROI is, but so is “word of mouth,” or “through the grapevine.” I look at blogging as my way of spreading the word, my word, and growing a bigger, more intertwining vine.

If you had to offer one success tip for someone who is contemplating starting a blog, what would it be?

Start by writing a minimum of 20 minutes every day, 1 hour or more works best for me. Keep a running list of blog ideas that pop into your head, and stay organized on your computer with your blogs and photos (it will save a ton of time). Don’t try to write a book with every post and read other people’s blogs about any subject you have an interest in.

Have you received business from blogging?

I’ve had a number of ways that I define results from blogging. I think it is success if someone posts a response to one of my blogs or when I find out that a client is reading my blog.

I’ve received an inter-office referral from an agent who is not a blogger but is reading the blog. I received a phone call from a person about listing her house - I returned the phone call and asked how she’d come across my name. She said that a friend of hers came to an open house that I had back in August and I’ve been sending her follow-up information. I send Just Sold and Just Listed postcards with a tagline stating “For more information on me, visit GuideMeHome2Westchester.com.” And so this new client looked me up and said she was so totally impressed by all of the blogs that I have written and by how active I am that she felt that social networking and social media was the only way homes were going to be sold and so she wanted to talk to me about listing her home.

I also received an inquiry from my listing on Trulia – he wanted to have some more information about the property sent to him. I remembered that I’d done a blog post on that condominium so I replied back and said that I had a blog post and I did a video of the entrance and the entire complex and I sent that along and scheduled an appointment and I then had a buyer client! I also I have 2 accepted offers I directly contribute to my Wildwood blogs. Propopoly is working for me.

What do you do when you’re not blogging?

My first love is for my family so any time I can spend with them is a pleasure. I also exercise daily by walking and jogging, spinning, or weight training. I’m a firm believer of 10,000 steps a day (that’s 5 miles), and while my goal is much higher, over the course of a year I actually achieve closer to 11,700 steps. Yes, it is computerized and downloaded. I love to read books, listen to books on CD and read other peoples blogs about a variety of topics. I love playing with my Golden Retrievers and watching them swim. Cooking is a passion so I test 3-5 new recipes a week and gardening is always enjoyable. Actually, all these activities are intertwined and mentioned in many of my blogs. They are in many ways, my profile and resume.

Posted By: Lauren Ake