My name is Dave Woodson, and I am coming back home. Well, sorta. I left the mortgage industry 2 years ago. I was frustrated with always being the bad guy and with banks that always seemed to change guidelines at the worst possible moment. So I walked away, but I always felt an urge to get back into the industry, back into real estate. While consulting with real estate and mortgage companies, I had also been working with small to mid-size businesses on online lead generation with a Pay-Per-Call platform. I, also, started speaking at more than a few REBarCamps across the Midwest including a few other non-industry specific social media and local marketing events. To wrap it up, I host a weekly marketing and business podcast called the #DaveCast.

Late last summer, I decided to get back into real estate, but it took me a little longer to get my house in order that I had planned. A few weeks ago I finally made the move and activated my real estate license. I joined a local NW Indiana independent real estate brokerage called Prime Real Estate. They are opening a second office much closer to my home and they have really made me feel welcome there.

For Geek Build 2012, I am going to be focusing on five cities across two counties where I have been able to establish a brand as a mortgage and real estate professional versed in social media. They are Valparaiso, Chesterton, Portage, Michigan City and LaPorte (where I currently reside and grew up). I am currently building 5 sites from scratch representing each of the five cities. I am doing a fair amount of the work myself with the help of a professional web designer I am hiring from Elance. What will set me apart, I believe, from other agents in the area are my skills in video marketing, social media, SEO and few other online and offline skills that I have learned over the last few years.

My first site is going to be Chesterton Homes, which is merely a shell as we work behind the scenes to get it off of the ground. This is a ground up project, I am creating systems with the help of the good people here on Geek Estate and I am documenting every little thing that I do or will do on the site. My goal is not simply being #1 on Google or Bing, but to dominate the entire first page for each of my sites (tall order, I know). 

My sites are being built on the Genesis Platform with AgentPress child-theme overlay that features an easy to navigate site featuring recent “just listed” home websites complete with videos (not slide-shows).

I look forward to working with the Geek Estate community on my sites. Once my content is up and running, it will be a matter of time before I pop up in local searches and soon all over Google and Bing.  I will be looking forward to the many discussions and master mind sessions that I am sure to come during the course of GeekBuild 2012.

Summary:

• New Build or Redesign – New
• Geographical Location – NW Indiana

Note from the Editor: Not sure what Geek Build 2012 is? It’s building a few real estate websites from scratch publicly with the help of the Geek Estate Community and overseen by an experienced steering committee. Read more about Geek Build 2012 here, or view all posts related to Geek Build 2012 here.

**Geek Build logo designed by Dominic Morrocco at M Squared Real Estate.