The Internet is more than the Web. Mail Lists provide for in-depth discussions with individuals having common interests. For Real Estate Professionals, specialized Mail Lists provide opportunities to network with peers and receive valuable input on daily challenges and industry changes. Most Real Estate Mail Lists are targeted to the practitioner, not the consumer.
Getting involved in a mail list can be a very rewarding experience. Give one or two a try, at least you'll have mail every day!
Mail Lists (or maillists or forums) allow discussions, via e-mail,
between everyone who "subscribes" to a particular mail
list. There is no usually no charge for subscribing to Mail Lists. Any exceptions will be noted in the included mail list description.
Several mail lists are available that feature topics of interest to the Real Estate Professional. (These lists are described later in this chapter.)
Mail Lists happen because someone sponsors a program, running on an Internet Server, that receives e-mail messages and automatically forwards copies to everyone subscribed to the list. These programs, called List Servers, also handle the administrative duties of subscribing & unsubscribing members.
As a subscriber you don't need a List Server, but you may want to consider a specialized Mail Reader. The e-mail capability contained in most browsers and integrated suites (AOL, Prodigy, NetCruiser, etc.) are not really suited to high volume mail users. Eudora, a shareware & commercial product for MAC and Windows, offers convenience and greater mail management power.
Several different discussions (called "threads") can be occurring simultaneously within a mail list. The Subject in the header of the message indicates the thread a message belongs to. "RE" at the beginning of the Subject indicate that a message is a reply to a previous message(s).
A Mail List has a "culture" all it's own. Some have strict rules, others are a free for all. Reading a list for several days will help you learn the tone of the list.
To subscribe to a Mail List, you must send a message to the List Processor, often called Majordomo, Listserv, or Listproc. Each list processor requires a slightly different message format. Specific instructions for subscribing to each Mail List is included in the Descriptions of Mail Lists section.
If your subscription request is accepted you may receive a message acknowledging
your subscription and explaining more about the mail list and
how to use it. SAVE THAT MESSAGE! You may need to refer to it
later.
To UNSUBSCRIBE from a mail list, follow the same instructions as
subscribing, except use the word "Unsubscribe" instead of "subscribe"
in the body of the message. Unsubscribing must usually be done from the same e-mail address used when subscribing.
To send a messages to all subscribers you address your e-mail to the mail list address,
not the list processor address you used to subscribe. Messages sent to the mail list are
forwarded to ALL members of the Mailing List.
If you want to reply or carry on a private conversation with just one member of the list, be sure to use their personal e-mail address, not the list address!
Forgetting to do this results in your "personal" mail being read by everyone on the list. This could also result in a "flame" or two.
Hitting REPLY does not insure your reply is going the right place! Some mail list messages have the reply set to the e-mail address of the mail list, others have it set to e-mail address of the message sender.
It's a good idea to get into the habit of re-reading your message/reply to ensure it will be interpreted as you meant, and checking the TO: address, BEFORE clicking on send.
A WORD ABOUT NETIQUETTE
Mail lists and news groups may be read by people all over the
world. Large lists can have thousands of readers. It is
considered a good idea to "Lurk" within a group for awhile to
get a feel for what is acceptable within the list or group. (Lurking is the act of
reading all the messages, but not responding).
Some lists or groups will have a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) that
pertains to the "rules" of the group in reference to
appropriate subject matter, advertising, and such. If you see
a FAQ among the messages, be sure to read it.
Newsletters and informational broadcast mail lists, as opposed to
discussion lists, do not allow messages to be received from
subscribers. You just periodically receive mail from them.
by Kat Nagel KatNagel@eznet.net (Presented with permission of the author)
Every list seems to go through the same cycle:
Strong initial enthusiasm (people introduce themselves,
and gush a lot about how wonderful it is to find kindred souls).
Evangelism (people moan about how few folks are posting to the list,
and brainstorm recruitment strategies).
Growth (more and more people join, more and more lengthy threads
develop, occasional off-topic threads pop up).
Community (lots of threads, some more relevant than others; lots of
information and advice is exchanged; experts help other experts as
well as less experienced colleagues; friendships develop; people tease
each other; newcomers are welcomed with generosity and patience;
everyone -- newbie and expert alike -- feels comfortable asking
questions, suggesting answers, and sharing opinions).
Discomfort with diversity (the number of messages increases
dramatically; not every thread is fascinating to every reader; people
start complaining about the signal-to-noise ratio; person 1 threatens
to quit if *other* people don't limit discussion to person 1's pet
topic; person 2 agrees with person 1; person 3 tells 1 & 2 to lighten
up; more bandwidth is wasted complaining about off-topic threads than
is used for the threads themselves; everyone gets annoyed).
Finally:
Smug complacency and stagnation (the purists flame everyone who asks
an 'old' question or responds with humor to a serious post; newbies
are rebuffed; traffic drops to a doze-producing level of a few minor
issues; all interesting discussions happen by private email and are
limited to a few participants; the purists spend lots of time
self-righteously congratulating each other on keeping off-topic
threads off the list).
Maturity (a few people quit in a huff; the rest of the participants
stay near stage 4, with stage 5 popping up briefly every few weeks;
many people wear out their second or third 'delete' key, but the list
lives contentedly ever after).
When typing a subscription message, as noted below, DO NOT INCLUDE the [ ]
THE DEALMAKERS MAIL LISTS
Specialized lists for discussing all aspects of real estate. Purpose is to assist subscribers in networking and dealmaking. Subscribers include real estate agents, brokers, developers, investors, appraisers, management companies and lenders. These lists are NOT consumer oriented.
For postings of "Have & Wants" relating to office buildings, Industrial Parks, Shopping Centers, Commercial land and NNN properties. This is a "dealmaking" forum This forum is for buyers, sellers, brokers, developers of retail, office, industrial and commercial property. This list is NOT consumer oriented.
To send messages to COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE subscribers, send E-mail to:
commercial-realestate@dealmakers.net
Dealmakers RESIDENTIAL-(Investment) REAL ESTATE Mail List
For postings of "Have & Wants" relating to apartment buildings, Hotel/motels, residential land for development and golf courses. This forum is for buyers, sellers, brokers, developers of apartment buildings, hotels/motels, golf courses and residential land developments. Investor of major apartment complexes and single family homes as an investment are welcomed. This list is NOT consumer oriented.
To send messages to RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE subscribers, send E-mail to:
residential-realestate@dealmakers.net
Dealmakers RESIDENTIAL (Real Estate)-SALES Mail List
This is NOT a dealmaking forum, it's a discussion and referral forum. Don't post haves and wants here. This forum is for discussions relating to being a residential real estate broker/salesperson: the good, the bad and the ugly. There is usually a lot of discussions about how to market better.
This list is NOT consumer oriented.
To send messages to RESIDENTIAL SALES subscribers, send E-mail to:
residential-sales@dealmakers.net
Dealmakers REAL ESTATE FINANCE Mail List
For postings of "Have & Wants" relating to financing of real estate. Posting are for financing needs and sources. This forum is for people/companies that either need financing or can provide it. Also notes/mortgages for sale or wanted is allowed This list is NOT consumer oriented.
To send messages to REAL ESTATE FINANCE subscribers, send E-mail to:
RealEstate-Finance@dealmakers.net
Dealmakers REAL ESTATE APPRAISERS Mail List
This is NOT a dealmaking forum, it's a discussion and a referral forum. Don't post haves and wants here. This forum is for discussions on being a residential real estate appraiser: the good, the bad and the ugly. Topics of interest to those involved in the appraisal of Real Estate. This list is NOT consumer oriented.
To send messages to REAL ESTATE APPRAISERS subscribers, send E-mail to:
realestate-appriasers@dealmakers.net
Dealmakers INTERNET & REAL ESTATE Mail List
This is NOT a dealmaking forum, it's a discussion forum. Don't post haves and wants here. This forum is for discussions on using the internet in your real estate business. This list is NOT consumer oriented.
To send messages to REAL ESTATE APPRAISERS subscribers, send E-mail to:
realestate-appriasers@dealmakers.net
TEN31 MARKETPLACE INTERNET EXCHANGE Forum
For the Professional Real Estate Investor, his agents, and counselors who want
to maximize real estate portfolios and defer taxes. Topics include techniques of real estate exchanges under section 1031 and notice of properties available for exchange.
In the body of the message write
digest pc4realestate [Your E-mail Address]
To send messages to PC4REALESTATE subscribers, send E-mail to:
Pc4realestate@lists.sanctum.com
In the body of the message write
leave pc4realestate
or
leave mac4realestate
AUTOMATED AGENT (tm) DISCUSSION GROUP
A list dedicated to conversation, tips, techniques and general information about the use of technology as a real estate professional. Currently a non-moderated group. Will change to moderated if the advertising gets out of hand.
In the body of the message write
subscribe autoagent [your name]
PowerPak 21 Software Group
Geared toward networking of PowerPak 21 Software users. This is a
moderated list for users only. No advertising is allowed. A great
place to network and get tips from users.
In the body of the message write
subscribe ppkagent [your name]
Agent 2000 Software Group
Geared toward networking of Agent 2000 Software users. This is a
moderated list for users only. No advertising is allowed. A great
place to network and get tips from users.
In the body of the message write
subscribe home-buying [your e-mail address]
You CAN NOT Send messages to this Newsletter type Mail list.
GOVSALES
Government sales and auction announcements from
FinanceNet, established by V.P. Al Gore's National Performance
Review. Information on the sale of public assets from real
property and loans to cars, boats, planes and just about
anything that any government agency - federal, state, local or
international - will be offering for sale to the general public
electronically.
In the first line of the body of the message write
subscribe govsales your_first_name your_last_name
To send messages to GOVSALES subscribers send E-mail to:
govsales@financenet.gov
MORTGAGES IN CANADA MAILING LIST (MORTGAGE-CA)
For the discussion of mortgages in Canada. Canadians
discuss topics such as current mortgage rates & trends, first
time home buyer questions, mortgage renewals and how to
negotiate better interest rates. NOTE: This is NOT a list for discussing Mortgages in the United States.
Discussions of issues related to Home Owners
Associations including the rights of individuals versus the
right of the association, funding reserves, accounting,
taxation, law and the problems that HOA boards encounter in
dealing with people, parking and pets.
In the body of the message write
subscribe HOA-LIST
To send messages to HOA-LIST subscribers send E-mail to:
hoa-list@northwest.com
RE-FORUM
General interest discussions of real estate topics. Discussions concerning Housing Market Analysis, research problems, data needs, working paper distribution, etc. are highly acceptable.
Advertisements for Property, Web Sites, Funds, & Services are acceptable and prevalent.
Several sources exist on the Internet to find E-Mail Lists relating to any subject. A review of Real Estate subjects referred to by these lists in May of 1996 found that none of them were complete, and many had out-of-date / incorrect information, but you may find these resources useful for other subjects.
Thanks for stopping by. I hope you found something of interest.
I am always on the lookout for information about Internet Web Sites that will be of interest to Real Estate Professionals. Your comments and suggestions are alway welcome, or just say "Hi" to let me know you were here.
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