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How much is gas again? Calculate fuel cost for my trip, Gas widgets for your website, and more!

Gas costs more when you’re not having fun

I don’t like to waste money. Yesterday, I was driving to show four properties–the first was about 30 minutes away. I got about 2 minutes from the first when I realized I left my Display Key (the electronic key that opens our lockboxes) at home. It threw off my and my buyers’ smartly-planned trip (thankfully it wasn’t an inconvenience to the sellers). I was bummed, but, thank God, it turned out very well. I was frustrated with myself about forgetting the key and changing the course of events, but I was also frustrated that I wasted gas, since it’s around $3.29/gallon right now (one of the lowest prices in the USA). I realized that I wasted about 2 or more gallons of gas–about $10. I wasn’t having fun when I was thinking about that… But I stopped crying over spilt gas and was very thankful that it wasn’t a problem for anyone but me.

Then, this morning, I was trying to figure out how long of a drive (and, thus, how much cost in gas) a trip to Lake Ozarks, Missouri would be–to bid on a job up there for http://TourKick.com/. Neither Google Maps nor Bing Maps had a gas cost calculator natively built-in so I tried some fuel cost calculators I found via Google Search: http://fuelcostcalculator.aaa.com/, http://www.roadtripamerica.com/fuel-cost-calculator.php, http://gasprices.mapquest.com/, http://www.carprice.com/fuel-cost-calculator, http://www.travelmath.com/fuel-cost/, and http://www.automotive.com/gas-prices/index.html. Then I rediscovered (it’s been quite a while since I consciously considered gas prices before driving, since I have to drive anyways for work) GasBuddy.com. It’s the best because it maps your trip, tells you when you’ll need to fill-up (finding the best prices along the way), and shows how much it’ll cost in dollars, gallons used, and your carbon footprint!

Homebuyers

When you drive to 100 houses before finding “the one”, how much did that cost out of both your pocket and your REALTOR’s® pocket? And then you don’t want to spend $500+ on a home inspection? Or you want to cut your REALTOR® out of the deal, especially with new home construction? In the words of Chris Rock in Head of State, “That ain’t right.”

Note: some language in the video

Homesellers / FSBOs

The higher gas prices go, the less showings you might get because more buyers may choose to shop online. You’re not alone–same goes for Wal-Mart, Best Buy, and the rest. Do you have professional photos and video? Do you or your REALTOR® display your property online with High Definition (HD) photos and video? We’ve heard of out-of-town buyers buying houses sight-unseen, other than the property photos and videos, and then showing up only if the offer is accepted. Is your house presented well online? Do you have a video commercial for your house? Why not? Hire me as your listing agent!

REALTORS®

REALTORS® and other property marketers: If you’re not maximizing your listing’s exposure online and utilizing professional quality photos and video, you’re not doing the best you can. Are you charging a full price (whatever that may be) to your Sellers? Then why aren’t you doing a full job? We already knew that 90% of buyers utilize the Internet in their home search. I would expect that number to increase as more people get online, get mobile devices, and as gas prices increase (and other factors too; cause and effect aren’t always black and white obvious).

TourKick.com

TourKick does photos, video, and video syndication for real estate listings for sale. We’re in the Tulsa, Oklahoma area but are willing to travel for the right job. We also do custom media and technology work as requested. Video for real estate is and will be more important. High quality photos will always be important. We do both photos and video, but we also optimize them for gaining search engine results online and on YouTube.com. We also post to Facebook.com/TourKick. In other words, we have an MLS/unbranded video for you, but we also deliver and promote your branded video–with the REALTOR’s® contact information.

I started TourKick.com in 2010, with my buddy Marshall Baker. I know real estate, technology, and some media. He knows media and some technology. We’re a good pair, and we do good work. It’s a great way to prove to your sellers that you really are utilizing the best quality media for their property, and it can help you get more listings–extra money for gas! ;)

Cool Gas/Fuel Stuff

Gas Prices Heat Map:

Top 10 Fuel Saving Tips:

Historical Price Chart:

Great GasBuddy.com features:

• Trip cost calculator: http://www.gasbuddy.com/Trip_Calculator.aspx
• Add widgets to your website or Windows sidebar: http://www.gasbuddy.com/GB_MediaFeed.aspx
• Google Gadgets: http://www.gasbuddy.com/Google_Gadgets.aspx
• State and City current gas prices and gas price trends: http://www.gasbuddy.com/GB_Price_List.aspx
• Mobile apps: http://www.gasbuddy.com/gb_mobile_instructions.aspx

Another neat website, from Uncle Sam, is http://www.fueleconomy.gov/:

• Most fuel-efficient new vehicles: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/choosing.shtml
• Compare vehicles’ fuel economy rates side-by-side: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/sbs.htm and http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/savemoney.shtml
• Gas mileage tips: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/drive.shtml
• Links to local gas price information: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/gasprices/states/index.shtml

Another good source of Current and Highest Recorded Average Price information: http://fuelgaugereport.opisnet.com/OKmetro.asp

Older: Create an “Add to Google Calendar” button for a single event — Eventbrite & Facebook Too!

Newer: Why should I blog? I’m just a REALTOR…