His presentation included an in-depth analysis of a pickle-of-the-month club vs. a $40 PDF download for a diet plan (watch for the video at Inman.com). A tool he uses for his conversion optimization work, he said, is an equation for understanding how to make things better.

One of the variables in his equation represents friction. Friction is anything that might slow down a visitor or prevent the visitor from accomplishing a site task. For example, if you have a real estate website that is built for capturing leads, anything that discourages visitors from completing the lead-generation form represents friction.

The classic example on this is the lead form that asks people to fill in many fields: first name, last name, current street address, current town name, current state, current ZIP code, phone number, evening phone number, cell number, e-mail address, etc., etc.

Every one of those fields represents an opportunity for the site visitor to say to themselves, "Nah ... I'll deal with this later."

Of course, someone in marketing will probably make a very solid case for why you can't possibly make do with just name and e-mail address. So it's a bit of a balancing act: reducing friction as much as possible while still gathering the information essential to help the customer find a house or find someone to help sell a house.

This is where testing really starts to shine. You will be able to learn whether more people fill out the form if you ask for less information.

But the hope is that getting more leads will result in more sales. So just generating a pile of e-mail addresses and names might not be enough. Here's where we run into the limits of the usual Web-based conversion optimization.

To really get through to the end you'll need to find out if the visitors who provide less information turn into customers at the same rate as those who provide a lot of information.

Common sense would suggest that people who fill out more information are likely more committed to taking action. It's the same sort of logic used for identifying useful long-tail Web searches in search engine optimization.

People who know more about what they're looking for and/or are willing to provide more information are likely much closer to taking action than those who aren't.

However, common sense is rarely enough -- especially when it comes to understanding human behavior.

Here's a rough test plan:

1. Prepare two lead-generation forms: One with lots of fields to fill in, one with just name and e-mail address. Include the ability to track leads based on which form they filled out.

2. Run an A/B test (a simple comparison test) on these two forms until you know which form gets more individuals to fill out the form.

3. Make sure the leads from both forms are sent to the same agents/sales teams (i.e., agents/sales teams should have an equal mix of leads from both forms).

4. Track how "closable" each lead is, based on which form they filled out.

5. Do the math. You'll have two "conversion" rates: one for the forms and one for the closed sales. The closed sales rate is the really important one.

If everyone who reads this column runs this test, I bet they'd all come up with different results. There are tons of reasons for this. There are different markets, different time periods, different specialties and the biggie: different organizations with different capabilities.

This is why it's better to test than to simply follow "best practices." Someone else's best practices might be a nightmare for your organization.

For example, decreasing friction by including fewer form fields might result in a deluge of lead forms filled out, which you then have to sort through and figure out what's closable.

Again, your organization's capabilities are going to be the determining factor. People, not technology.

If you saw or plan to watch Breaker's presentation, remember he's describing a way to test things. He's telling you how to do it.

He's not giving you the right answer for your organization -- he's teaching you how to find the right answer.

Gahlord Dewald is the president and janitor of Thoughtfaucet, a strategic creative services company in Burlington, Vt. He will be presenting on the main stage during the Real Estate Connect conference in San Francisco, which runs from July 13-15, and will also serve as moderator for the "Technology and Media" "Innovation Track.

30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 4.56 percent with an average 0.7 point for the week ending July 22, 2010, down from last week when it averaged 4.57 percent. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 5.20 percent.

15-year FRM this week averaged a record low of 4.03 percent with an average 0.7 point, down from last week when it averaged 4.06 percent. A year ago at this time, the 15-year FRM averaged 4.68 percent.

5-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) averaged 3.79 percent this week, with an average 0.6 point, down from last week when it averaged 3.85 percent. A year ago, the 5-year ARM averaged 4.74 percent.

1-year Treasury-indexed ARM averaged 3.70 percent this week with an average 0.7 point, down from last week when it averaged 3.74 percent. At this time last year, the 1-year ARM averaged 4.77 percent.

Frank Nothaft, vice president and chief economist, Freddie Mac, notes: "The decline in mortgages rates over the past few weeks echoes the recent signs of weakening confidence in the strength of the economy, particularly the housing and consumer sectors. For example, homebuilder confidence declined in July to lows not seen since April 2009, as measured by the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index, following the large drop in housing starts reported for June."

"Similarly, July's consumer confidence dropped to the lowest level since August 2009, based on the Reuters/University of Michigan's Consumer Sentiment index. We see these as part of the normal pattern of ebbs and flows in recovery and believe that there is sufficient momentum to carry the U.S. economy forward, albeit moderately.

It's not that you have to upgrade or completely renovate a room in order to make your home more marketable. Polishing up and tiding up a few key areas can have a remarkable impact. With that in mind, you don't have to spend a fortune to do this. In fact, you can make your home appealing even on a budget. Here's a few ways.

Whether or not your buyers cook, all seem to be interested in the kitchen. So this is where we begin. Chipped cabinets with peeling paint are unsightly. I've seen kitchens where the countertops are nice—maybe granite—but the cabinets are a shocking mess. It's a simple solution to reface them. It doesn't have to cost a lot. A new paint job for the kitchen walls and cabinets can give the whole area an updated look and make the kitchen area inviting even to those who rarely use it! You might also consider replacing the cabinet handles—you'd be amazed how much difference that makes. One last thing, don't leave dirty dishes in the sink. Remember the adage: the way you live in a home is not the way you stage it.

This next tip refers not to one particular area but instead to highly trafficked areas. Doorways, hallways, the lower part of walls, and baseboard trim—anywhere else where those nasty scuff marks, fingerprints, and dust settle in. Put a little elbow grease into washing and/or repainting those areas and notice what a difference it makes. I remember when I used to list real estate I went into a home and saw tons of pictures taped to a teenager's door. It was a nightmare. The homeowner eventually peeled off the pictures and repainted the door, so much more attractive. If you're dealing with a small space, you might try something that may seem counter-intuitive. The Star Tribune reported that moving furniture 1.5 to 2 feet away from the walls can help to make a room look larger. Pressing furniture up against the wall gives it a crammed look.

Mow your lawn and water the plants. It sounds so basic but really this is often overlooked. In the hurry, to pack boxes, shove items in closets, and get the pets out of the house before an open house, homeowners sometimes neglect to take care of the landscape. Thus flowers start to wilt, the grass browns and the overall yard has an everyone-forgot-about-me look. For more tips read my column, Simple Way to Grow Healthy Lawn.

Grout your way into buyers' hearts. Yes, the fine lines do matter. Walk into your bathroom after reading this article and look carefully at your tub and tile on the floor. Does it look grubby? Need a good scrubbing? Or does it really need to be re-grouted? That soap scum build-up and mold will really stand out to buyers. And while fixing it doesn't take much, sometimes homeowners simple opt not to take care of this before listing. Maybe they presume that it's not that big of a deal and that it's an easy fix. The first part is incorrect and the latter is absolutely correct—so roll up your sleeves and fill in the lines. It could just lead to the signing on the line on sales contract. Best advice is to see your own home the way you survey a home that you'd like to buy—that's typically with a very critical eye. Then fix it up. The changes could result in a faster sale at a higher price.