Okay, so it’s not the 100th Carnival of Real Estate, it’s the unglamorous 64th, but let’s pretend it’s some important number like 100!  I gave a cheat sheet for what I would be looking for in submissions and I gave a list of bribes I would be willing to offer (seeing as how it’s my birthday as I sit here reading all 40 articles) in exchange for the blue ribbon!  Apparently, no one took me seriously because no bribes showed up…  I simply had to resort to judging based on merit, so let’s get started!  For those new to this site, I have this fascination with the movie Nacho Libre- if you haven’t seen it, the awards may not make sense, but let’s get on with it anyhow:

In honor of Ramses being “Number Whan,” we award this week’s top spot to DANIEL ROTHAMEL with his article, “How Your Business Can Benefit From Social Media Right Now.”  Daniel not only dissects social media applications’ functions, he relates the dos and donts of each application.  I won’t admit to which of his tips, but there was one that gave me an “aha!” moment- I’m sure you too will experience this upon reading.  Every so often an article comes along with a solution, but rarely do they call us to action that we can take immediately!

In no particular order are the rest of this week’s Top 10:

If anyone has to play the role of the gorgeous nun (who is the only female in the entire movie, much like the blogiverse), it has to be KRIS BERG who brings us “Face Time or Facebook?”  If you’re still trying to figure out how to balance technology with old school methods, Kris leads the way in reminding us all that you can’t go to one extreme or the other- be sure to tailor your business practices according to each independent client!

Because he makes numerous direct and indirect references to urine that are innocently funny (the way Chancho makes us laugh), KEVIN BOER takes home the Chancho comedy medal for “Three Reasons Why Dogs Pee on Fire Hydrants and Realtors Advertise in Newspapers.”  I bet you didn’t know your face marketing is equatable to hydrant marking!!

Esqueleto is so honest when he says things like “I hate all the orphans in the world.”  Because of TOBY BOYCE’s honesty in “Q&A: Is Today A Great Time To Buy?“he is awarded the Esqueleto medal of honor. There is a fine line between telling clients NOW is the time to buy- Toby breaks down WHO is in the best shoes to buy NOW.

Nacho Libre in his public life is a priest living in a monastery and tells Incarnacion (the nun) “they don’t think I know a butt load of crap about the Bible, but I dooo.”  In the spirit of deep knowledge, JIM CRONIN enlightens us with “Looking for Ready to Act Buyers? Blog These Proven to Succeed Real Estate Topics.”  Jim has always been a great leader in the blogosphere and gives Real Estate bloggers direction that so many need!

Nacho seeks to impress Incarnacion by picking an unsolicited street fight (note his “street clothes” because his robes were “e-stinky”).  Likewise, with e-stinky robes, JEFF BROWN gives the best unsolicited advice to house agents in his article “House Agents- Wanna Start the New Year Kickin’ Ass? Here’s How.”  This carnival wouldn’t be complete without Jeff in his “street clothes!”

Like the little wrestlers who look like miniature werewolves, WEB HOME USA attacks Google and Zillow in “The Future of the Ad Model For Online Real Estate.”  The strongest argument made is against Google and it’s surprising inability to adapt.  I’m confident that Zillow with their deep pockets are already cooking up ways to evolve their media portal while Google has a wide enough base that they don’t have to adapt as quickly.

I absolutely love the way DENNY OH summons his eagle powers with his article “Home…What’s in a Name?“  If you’re not sure what power Generation X has in the buying market, Denny talks to readers about the change in purpose of buying real estate- it’s not just a home anymore!

The adorable orphan Juan Pablo asks (after years of beans for every meal), “can’t we have like a salath or someting?” Likewise confessing frustration (and probably a deserved pouty face), AARON DICKINSON brings us ”Real Estate Clients- Breaking Up Is Hard To Do.”    Aaron, don’t worry- if you’ve seen the movie, Juan Pablo DOES get his salad or something!

My favorite scene in the movie is Nacho singing “at the parrtee” and although it’s off key, I still have the song stuck in my  head because it struck a chord with me the same way SHAILESH GHIMIRE struck a chord with “Best Time for Canadians to Purchase Real Estate in the US.” I won’t refer to any South Park movies here, rather I’ll say that Shailesh is always a great teacher and with as many calls as we’ve gotten from Canadians these last weeks, this article couldn’t have come at a better time!

CONGRATS, Y’ALL- THAT ROUNDS OUT THE TOP 10!!!  So, why is there a picture of a big lady who says “I lub yoo” in a deep voice?  Because three articles remain that must be given “lub”:  (1) vFlyer’s “Top Women Bloggers” clearly took a lot of effort to put together so they shouldn’t go unmentioned, (2) Jonathan Dalton’s “The Dog Ate My Office” made me want to drop kick his mascot (UPDATE: Morgan is Dalton’s SECONDARY mascot but I’d drop kick him anyhow), and (3) Nicole Nicolay’s “Calling All Realtors: ‘Bob’s Your Uncle’” because I knew before I clicked the link what they were talking about and I have actually ordered from SeeJaneWork!

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So, folks, that’s all she wrote!  40 articles were submitted this week and will all be linked to on the Carnival of Real Estate homepage later today for your viewing pleasure.  Go ahead and start submitting your articles (by clicking here) from this past week or this upcoming week- be sure to overwhelm next week’s host!!!