Zillow, Active Rain and other boards are discussing my alleged spamming. The point of my original post under Buyers on the Zillow board was meant for the Waunakee WI area hence is why I placed that in my sentence. Because I misplaced the thread; someone could have showed me the door to the correct area instead I was showered with insults and such. Fine, so be it. I’m responding here as me posting there will only feed the flames.

I received this from Zillow: “…there are a number of ways to market yourself on Zillow, but Zillow Discussions is not a place to advertise one’s services. It is meant as a place for users to get helpful advice.” My thinking was that a discussion board wasn’t of course meant to spread my name all over the place but, to offer up news, information, and such things of Value to possible consumers and those just skimming through. This way I can only respond to questions not initiate real estate news on a real estate board?

My article post was considered SPAM. Understood and point adultly taken; but the purpose wasn’t to break the rules or bring my personal services into it; it was meant to bring a relevant article to the attention of the Town of Waunakee/surrounding neighboring area residents, not the U.S. discussion board.

No, no one had ever brought up my tag line being of a sexual or sensual nature before this. My tag line, “Have you been to China” came about due to reviews a couple of my Buyers gave me when speaking of me at company party. “Have you been to China? She worked with us through relocation for a couple months and asked questions I didn’t even know to ask.” (This is what I was told and is not verbatim)

Any who, it stuck and many others began to use it when they happened to hear of me. Thus name recognition from that breaks the ice and get people to smile and speak.

So, as I stated I’ve requested to be removed from the Zillow site altogether; don’t think they want me to leave…

Emails:

• From: China Moon

12/12/2007 12:37:14 PM Central Standard Time (GMT – 6:00 )

Subject: Please remove my profile from your site

I joined Zillow and was immediately bombarded with threats, derogatory language, accused of being a prostitute, and just overall high school B.S. Per your Good Neighbor Policy under Bottom line (and I for one am in favor of the 1st Amendment); no one is heeding and there’s nothing ‘good neighbor’ about this environment.

Please remove my name, profile and headings from your site as soon as possible. Per the participants on it it isn’t one I want to be affiliated with.

Thank you.

• Subject: Re: Please remove my profile from your site <<#50579-251384#>>
  Wed, December 12, 2007 4:34 pm
  To:  China Moon

  Dear China Moon,

  Thanks for contacting us.

  I do apologize for the inconvenience this may have caused you. We certainly appreciate your desire to get involved in the Zillow community and welcome your participation. In Zillow.com, we are very strict when in comes to rules and/or etiquette in the Discussion Forums. It is meant as a place for users to get helpful advice.

  However, you have the option of reporting a particular user to us if you think he or she has not adhered to our policies. Just go to the user’s reply and click “Flag Content”. We will review it and will decide on the next step.

  Thank you for making Zillow.com a one-stop-site he or she can have when it comes to getting information about real estate. We sincerely appreciate your patience and understanding on this matter.

  Best regards,

  Zillow.com Customer Service

• From: China Moon
• Received: 12/12/2007 5:30:34 PM Central Standard Time (GMT – 6:00 )
• To: Zillow Support 018
• Subject: Re: Please remove my profile from your site

Apparently you misunderstood me; it’s not one person alone, it’s over seven (7). I want to be removed ASAP per this type of behavior: http://www.zillow.com/forum/site/ViewThread.htm?tid=14400

• Subject: Re: Please remove my profile from your site
• From: Zillow Support 018 <accessibility@zillow.com
• Date: Thu, December 13, 2007 1:16 p
• To: China Moon

Dear China Moon,

Thanks for the reply.

Please go ahead and flag these users or you can reply to this email with their screen names and we’ll take it from here. Thank you for providing us the link of the thread and we’ll review it.

We do not tolerate this kind of behavior. Thus, we will do the necessary precaution to stop this.

Best regards,

Zillow.com Customer Service

I’ll keep you posted how things go..

It’s been quite awhile since I’ve been back here. I had some family things to attend to and what not.

I had a rude awakening on my way back; earlier this week I received an email pertaining to Zillow dot com. After registering and looking around I went in and posted an article under the Buyers section. I gave a couple of quotes, supplied the author and cited the necessities.

Surely I’m the new kid on the block within these waters; I presented an article I thought was interesting and relevant to the Buyers Forum and placed my professional opinion not a sales pitch.

The next thing I know, I’m a Chinese hooker with a name for heroin who doesn’t have sense God gave a fleas ass.

Hmmm, go figure.

NOTE:

I would appreciate your comments (if you have any) to be posted here on this WordPress blog. Thanks…

So… here is what was posted. And then there are the comments that followed: http://www.zillow.com/forum/site/ViewThread.htm?tid=14400

I responded to one male who said, and I quote, “Your “profession” doesn’t even require a high school diploma. It is utterly ridiculous to pretend otherwise and align yourselves with those who spend years attaining an education!”

After that I figured it was a lost cause and they kept rolling in, I mean wave after wave baby. WHOOOO! It reminded me of those Monster.com commercials about people surviving the workweek. Calling it a battlefield would be placing it lightly.

After all the lawyer jokes I’ve heard over the years, I have a small hunch how an attorney feels; at first. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got a thick skin like any inner city NYer but who would have thought being over 30 I would hear stuff like this from people my age and older?

Some fellow participants from ActiveRain dropped me an email and told me how appalled they were. Wow, that was nice. I wasn’t expecting that.
Melissa Sieg of PA wrote a blog (don’t forget to come back here) herself of the events, feel free to view the comments there as well.

Bottom line is this (as I stated in Melissa’s blog) “my job as a Realtor and agent is to ask the hard questions get customers and clients where they need to be, on time.”

Glad to be back among the living.

From my daughter & I to you, Happy Holidays All.

How to Prepare for an Open House

You’ve vacuumed, dusted, scrubbed and straightened. However, there are some other easy-to-accomplish things you can do to make sure your home makes a good impression during your up-coming open house.

1. Study your home from the curb. This is the first glimpse potential buyers will have and you want to make it a positive experience. Would some flowers perk up the landscaping? Is the entryway clean and welcoming? Is the doormat worn or new? Some simple changes can really help.

2. Open up your closets. If your closets are stuffed full, homebuyers will feel like there’s not enough storage in your home. Pack away as much as you can in suitcases or storage boxes and make sure everything that remains is neat and orderly.

3. Check the grout. When the bathroom grout is clean, it sends shoppers the message that your home is well-maintained and loved. Clean, fresh-smelling bathrooms and kitchens are a real plus.

4. De-clutter the backyard. Toys, yard tools, grills and other items, need to be stored. Remove any planters or pots that don’t contain attractive plants.

5. Make it impersonal. Remove family photos from shelves and furniture along with any trophies, plaques, and other personal items. You want home shoppers to visualize themselves living there, not you.

6. Secure valuables. Of course, most home shoppers are honest, but there’s no reason to put temptation in anyone’s path. Jewelry, cash, and other small valuables need to be put in a safe place.

7. Be pet free. Remove signs of the family cat and dog (i.e. litter boxes, water dishes and chew toys). Then, remove the animals themselves when it’s time for the open house to take place.

8. Set the stage. Put centerpieces and place settings on dining tables; they will add color and ambiance to the room. Also, leave a plate of cookies in the kitchen – give store-bought chocolate chip cookies a quick turn in the microwave for just-baked softness. Leave closet doors slightly ajar to invite shoppers to see how spacious and organized they are. Make sure the temperature is set at a comfortable level and play some soft background music. However, don’t display scented candles or potpourri; they could make visitors think you have some less appealing scent to hide.

9. Brighten things up. Open all the curtains and shades (and make sure windows are clean). Turn on lights. The brighter the interior of your home, the more spacious it seems.

10. Have fun. Take your family on an outing while the open house is taking place. Having owners at home can make shoppers feel uncomfortable. You know you’ve made your home look practically irresistible, so take advantage of this time to do something fun and relaxing.

Thank you to Michael & Lynette from AmeriSpec Home Inspection Service for this list!

“If your clothes, shoes and car look better and cost more than where you rest your head at night, please make a visit to China…”

Just a note on what I’m seeing out here in the Dane County with the young folks, and yes I’m one of you to an extent…

The process of getting the keys to your own personal crib may seem stressful in the beginning but it is so awesome people. To see your son(s) or daughter(s) play in your own yard, have family over to your own place and know that when and if you decide to move in 5-7 years, your home would have appreciated in value AT LEAST 5.5-6% EACH YEAR since you bought it. Making it possible to make your next home purchase bigger and better. When you rent you fatten the pockets of your landlord. Did you know you can even acquire YOUR OWN income property so that OTHERS can pay you rent for a change?!

Am I preaching? No. Am I bragging? No. What am I doing? I’m trying to enlighten my friends and neighbors with knowledge. Your first home may not be your dream home, if you haven’t made the best choices, you can change things financial wise.

If your credit needs work, FIX IT and STOP waiting. There are over 200 programs available for low income people, 1st time home owners, etc. Yes, you can ask me for help. Anything we discuss is confidential.

When you’re sick & tired of being sick and tired, you will make the needed changes. When coming home to a nice place that is yours is more important to you than that pack of cigarettes, new Baby Phat jeans, or that new overpriced ride, you’ll know. Not everyone can afford or even wants that MTV type crib they saw on cable. It doesn’t have to be big, it just has to be YOURS.

Make yourselves and your children proud of you. It takes one to know one and that is why I made this statement.

Enjoy the sun today people…

Respectfully Yours,

~China Moon, Realtor®
http://www.SmokeSignalHomes.com

China Moon & her daughter Rain