With over 35,000 members and a galaxy of stars in the Featured Posts, we all have our favorites within ActiveRain. Many Rainers have gone on to create quality blogs outside the Rain. I was curious to see how some of the best posts right here on ActiveRain compared to what the general web public considered the best real estate blogs.
The first challenge was in identifying what the "top real estate blogs" were. I began by searching Google, and here's what I found:
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- I Am Facing Foreclosure
- housingPANIC
- Freshome - Tips, Gadgets & Inspiration for Your Home
- Housing Doom Housing Bubble Blog
- Dr. Housing Bubble
- Mortgage Fraud Blog
- Real Estate Investing for Real
- Las Vegas Real Estate
- Irvine Housing Blog
- The Real Estate Bloggers
It was disappointing to see that so many 'doom and gloom' blogs were getting so much traffic. Encouragingly, The Real Estate Bloggers offered up Foreclosure Picture Not As Dire As Media Makes It Out To Be.
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"As the real estate bubble begins to fizzle, so too will most real estate bloggers. There are hundreds or even thousands of people out there blogging about real estate, and most of these blogs stink."
Joshua's list includes Mortgage Fraud Blog, Real Estate Investing for Real, and The Real Estate Bloggers from the Blogflux list, along with:
Also on the first page of the Google search results, and definitely worth a look was a post on Altos Research Real Estate Insights about the Real Estate Blog Carnival: Consumer Edition. And be sure to check out Consumer Focused Real Estate Blog Carnival, which is administered by Toby Boyce.
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- Curbed
- Bloodhound Blog
- Transparent Real Estate
- Rain City Guide
- The Real Estate Tomato
- Zillow Blog
- Brownstoner | Brooklyn Real Estate, Architecture and Renovation
- Real Estate Blogsites
- St. Paul Real Estate
- The Phoenix Real Estate Guy
So how does the best of ActiveRain compare? ... Many of the best individual posts here would fit in quite well on the top blogs. I think the biggest difference lies in our perceived audiences. While Rainers generally tend to write much more locally-based content, the 'top blogs' have more of a global news and issue-oriented focus.
Another difference is that most of the 'top blogs' are based in or write about large metropolitan areas. So even the best-written small town blog will have difficulty competing in terms of traffic and search engine awareness. In this situation, ActiveRain levels the playing field by giving each of us an equal voice within the community.
Aside from traffic and search engine stats, what makes a blog one of the best is very subjective. To paraphrase a former U.S. president "It depends on what your definition of 'top blog' is." Always remember to focus on your intended readership and be true to your beliefs and values in your blogging.
Can we still learn from the 'top blogs'? Absolutely! Look at the topics these bloggers are writing about. See how they develop their posts; encourage conversation; and use formatting, graphics and layout to improve readability. Look at their links and blogrolls to see what they're reading.
ActiveRain just turned one year old; many of us have been blogging for less than that. But those who have put in the time and effort have grown tremendously. We grow both from within and from what we learn outside. Take a look at some of the other real estate blogs 'outside of the Rain' for motivation, inspiration, or to challenge yourself. You'll be surprised how much you and your blogging grow over the next year. Blogspeed!
