Like the other Roost momblogger, Kim Tracy Prince, I’m a strong believer in the power of Twitter. As a momblogger and social media consultant, I spend more time on Twitter than a typical person can—or perhaps should—but I believe if you’re willing to put in a few hours each week on Twitter, you can build connections. Twitter can help grow a personal or professional network like nothing else.

When I first put my house on the market (FSBO), I started a blog showing off the house and its neighborhood. Like any ambitious blogger, I also started a Twitter account. Once you’ve got a network, that is, people (I affectionately call them Tweeps), with whom you listen and respond to, you can use Twitter to drive traffic to a blog (or house listing, for that matter).

On its own @SkokieHouse never made it big, but I have enough personal social media cred that I was able to get attention. You see the power of Twitter is not broadcasting, it’s engagement. When you engage others, by sending @replies or retweeting (RTing), you get people’s attention and over time you form relationships with those people.

When I asked a few friends to help me share the message of my Skokie House for Sale they stepped up to the plate spreading my message, in theory, to more than 7,000 people.

These actions didn’t sell my house, but they did drive traffic to the blog. One step at a time; right?

Clearly, I didn’t sell my house on Twitter, but in the right market, I’m convinced my Twitter strategy will work. Maybe you’ve noticed? This is a tough market.

Still, if you start on Twitter now and build your network in a meaningful and organic way (and heaven forbid, don’t pay for followers!), when the market bounces back, you’ll have a powerful new resource in your online marketing toolkit.

If you haven’t made up your mind about Twitter, check out these videos to gauge your readiness. If you like this one, then real estate 2.0 and Twitter are for you. But if this video leaves you nodding in agreement, then perhaps you’re not quite Twitter-ready.

And by all means, if you have a “Tweal Estate” success story, please share it in the comments.