Celebrating Independence Day


From all of us at NDG, we wish you a happy and safe 4th of July Holiday. Celebrate our freedom, enjoy time with family and friends, and please remember, if you’re drinking, don’t drive, and if you’re driving, don’t drink.

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Making Your Website Searchable and Social Media Friendly


There is an increasing demand for fresh, live web content as well as an increasingly high expectation of consumers to be able to interact with what they find in search results. This naturally requires that website owners and content publishers make their websites both search and social media friendly. Here are 5 ways to do just that from Lee Odden at Mashable.

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“5 Reasons a New Home Beats the Foreclosure Every Time”


Widely regarded as the authority on new home sales, best-selling author Myers Barnes is the among the building industry’s most requested advisors and speakers. In this guest column, Myers gives us 5 smart reasons to opt for the new home instead of the foreclosure.

Foreclosure. In the new homes market, it’s the “F” word. The number of foreclosure filings in the U.S. rose by 81 percent in 2008 and by a whopping 225 percent from 2006. The housing market is flooded with the tsunami of perceived bargains. The key word here is “perceived.” There are several reasons that the “buyer beware” rule should be in effect when considering a foreclosed property:

1. Poor maintenance. If the owner wasn’t paying the mortgage, what makes you think he/she was investing in even the most basic upkeep?

2. As is. The “As Is” caveat could be costly for the buyer. A new home and its contents have warranties that protect the buyer. When buying a foreclosure, you get exactly what you pay for.

3. The angry owner. In the wake of a foreclosure, many former owners feel victimized by their situation. There are countless tales of homes being stripped of appliances, lighting fixtures, and even plumbing—all of which are removed in haste, and with no concern for the incoming dweller.

4. Hidden cost-cutters. If the foreclosed property is a new home, the builder was likely cutting many corners to avoid mounting more debt. What’s hidden under the drywall? “New” doesn’t necessarily mean a home is in excellent condition; it could mean that no one has yet discovered the creeping shortcuts.

5. Wasted time. Purchasing a foreclosure requires a mountain of paperwork and it can take months before you discover whether the bank accepts the deal. And what happens if your offer fails to make the cut? You begin the lengthy process again.

When your prospective buyer tosses down the “F” word like a gauntlet, pick it up and present the reasons why the foreclosed property is a questionable investment, at best. Then bestow upon them the many reasons that the new home you’re selling will deliver long-term value, satisfaction, comfort, and peace of mind.

Keep Selling,

Myers

Read more at the Myers Barnes Blog.

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First-Time Buyers to the Rescue


With everyone wondering when we’ll “hit bottom,” and when inventory will begin to tighten, The Baltimore Sun published an article today that indicates buyers may be beginning to finally feel competition again:

“April Longest had a lot of reasons to move from an apartment in Hampden to a house of her own: low interest rates, a first-time-buyer credit and a monthly payment not much higher than her rent. But one of the biggest motivators of all for buying a semi-detached rancher in Medfield last month came from her competition - other buyers.”

“Stephanie Yungman, a real estate agent with Zip Realty, said business began picking up in mid-March. She said buyers appear to be more motivated than they have been in months, and it’s become more common for the more aggressively priced homes to get multiple offers. ‘There were even a couple of times I was saying I feel like we’re in the boom again,’ Yungman said.”

Read the entire article here.

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Red-Hot New Home Sales And Marketing Solutions


What’s hotter than hot? The e-marketing strategies that are getting new homes sold. Come and learn the New, New Fundamentals with New Homes Sales Training Expert and Best-Selling Author Myers Barnes and Real Estate E-Marketing Expert Tom Nelson of NDG Communications at the 2010 International Builders’ Show.

This year’s show will be January 19-22, 2010 in Las Vegas. Myers and Tom will share the latest and greatest strategies and tactics of online real estate marketing used by some of the most successful companies in North America. Don’t miss your chance to ask the experts—get more information on the 2010 International Builders’  Show here.

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This is ARGENT


NDG Communications proudly announces the new website and multi-channel launch campaign for Argent Condominiums, a multi-story condominium project in downtown Silver Spring, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C.

In addition to the launch campaign, and even with a critically urgent schedule, NDG developed a pre-launch teaser campaign that used strategically placed print to create curiosity and lead consumers to a clever landing page that captured qualified preview registrants weeks before the website or building was ready to receive visitors.

“NDG worked very hard to craft a very compelling multi-channel campaign for Argent,” said NDG President Tom Nelson, “one that fully leverages new media to make meaningful connections with qualified prospects.”

NDG Communications is an award-winning, nationally recognized advertising and interactive marketing agency just outside Washington, D.C.

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Introducing the New Fulton Research Website


NDG Communications is proud to announce the launch of the new Fulton Research website www.FultonResearch.com, where you can:

•    Register to receive a free subscription to Residential Market Trends, which provides key market statistics and important indicators every month. With your free subscription, you will also gain access to the complete archive of past editions.

•    Stay up to date with ON TARGET, the Fulton Research blog, which comments on current market events, and gives you early notice of big news on the horizon that affects your business.

•    Learn more about Fulton Research’s project profiles and how their comprehensive services can give you the competitive edge you need to make smart, informed decisions about everything from marketing and sales to investing tactics and long-term business strategies.

We’re very proud of the work we’ve created for Fulton Research and encourage everyone in the builder, real estate, development, and housing industries to visit their new website for some of the most up-to-date insights and analysis available.

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NDG Receives Multiple Awards for New Civista Health Website


As the advertising industry’s largest competition, the ADDY® Awards are important benchmarks of quality. This year, NDG Communications has been recognized with a Silver Addy Award for the new Civista Health website, www.Civista.org.

In addition to the Addy Award, NDG was honored to receive a Silver Award for the Civista website from the Aster Awards, a medical marketing awards program that allows healthcare organizations and advertising agencies to compete against similarly sized competitors from across the nation and world, now in its 16th year.

And finally, has NDG also earned an Award of Merit for the Civista website from The Healthcare Advertising Awards, the oldest and largest healthcare advertising awards competition, now in its 26th year.

We’re honored to share all of this important recognition with Civista, and are very proud of the new website we created to help the organization serve the community.

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A Wide World of Web Commercials


We’re big believers in the power of new media to transform relationships. And we’re big on Seth Godin. Over at his blog, Seth points out that “TV advertisers are finally discovering that YouTube + viral imagination = free media.” And while the cost of providing and “broadcasting” content is now phenomenally lower, “the rules are different, as they always are online.” For starters, you’re going to have more companies to compete with. And, once you set your idea free into the digital world, you lose control over it. The biggest change? The guys with the best ideas will win; not necessarily the guys with the most money. Read the whole artice here.

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