If you noticed a lot more coupons in your inbox yesterday, you're not alone. Forty-two percent of etailers had some kind of online promotion from discounts to free shipping, according to the National Retail Foundation's annual survey.

Many retailers are finding that Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving and known as the biggest shopping day of the year, doesn't have to end.

etailers like eBay and Shopping.com are saying that more consumers are cruising websites over the Thanksgiving Day weekend, and waiting to buy on Cyber Monday.

Internet research firm comScore Inc. says online sales may exceed $700 million online on Monday, the biggest shopping day on record. Total online holiday sales are expected to leap 20 percent, to more than $39 billion, over last year, says JupiterResearch.

Don't get frustrated if you were one of hundreds of thousands of shoppers who shopped on Friday, only to find out that what you bought is 25 percent cheaper. Most retailers are willing to make adjustments. The point is that retailers are offering big incentives to get you to come in the stores or to shop online.

Now, what does all this have to do with real estate? Well, nothing really, except that online behavior foreshadows future results. Consumers may be feeling more confident, and willing to buy bigger ticket items. For example, traffic to electronic sites increased 235 percent on Friday. Buyers could be getting mentally ready to spend on homes.

We already know that sites like Realtor.com have about 4 million unique visitors a month. If their traffic increases in December and January, it could be a harbinger of bigger housing sales for spring.

Published: November 27, 2007

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Blanche is a renowned author of five real estate books. Her newest, Bubbles, Booms and Busts: Make Money In Any Real Estate Market, McGraw-Hill, was rave-reviewed by The New York Times. She was also selected from hundreds of real estate experts to contribute to Donald Trump's book, Trump: The Best Real Estate Advice I Ever Received: 100 Top Experts Share Their Strategies, Rutledge Hill Press, and is featured on page 68. Order Now Review - Honors In 2006, Blanche was selected among scores of candidates to author two consumer real estate guidebooks for the National Association of Realtors: The NAR Guide to Home Buying, and The NAR Guide to Home Selling, Wiley & Sons. She is currently planning two new books for the NAR and its members.       Known for her keen insight into real estate industry issues and for her ability to make complex subjects easy to understand, Blanche is a sought-after keynote and continuing education speaker. Real estate organizations from MLSs, to brokerages, to franchisors, to associations hire her to provide up-to-the-minute analysis of real estate industry news and advice on how to improve revenues. Her passionate delivery, peppered with stinging wit, is a huge hit with audiences and fans. Don Klein, CEO Greater Nashville Association of Realtors, Blanche Evans, Richard Courtney, president 2007, GRAR "The GNAR membership meeting last week featured Blanche Evans as the keynote speaker. Her comments and insights resonated extremely well with those in attendance and we have had many requests for copies of her PowerPoint Presentation. She was a terrific part of the membership meeting and convention program!" - Don Klein, CEO Greater Nashville Association of Realtors Coverage from WSMV, Nashville - 8-14-2007 That Interview Guy - Get Inside The Head Of Today's Generation 2007 AE Institute Session - To purchase 2006 AE Institute Session - Parts 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 HouseValues Mastermind call - Parts 1 2 Blanche's fireside chat with Jeremy Conaway, HAR - Click here. For more articles by Blanche, click here.