Politicians have platforms on the issues that matter to their constituents. They’ve got hecklers that show up at their events. While they are in the majority, they tend to be the ones that get heard. I’ve got this blog and, while the bubble bloggers are the most vocal, I know that they do not make up the majority of the readership. Politicians aren’t writing for the hecklers and neither am I. I’m all for the opposing view but when the debate moves from the issues to meanness for the sake of meanness (mostly through anonymity) it takes the enjoyment out of writing the blog. But that, I suppose, is the cost of having the blog. I know no matter what I say, there are those that are going to say otherwise and some have the inability or lack of desire to say it in a constructive way. I’ve never been afraid to say I am wrong when shown to be wrong. NW Ryan is an example.
On blogging:
I know this blog is a marketing tool. I would not get up and write it if I was doing another line of work.
I don’t know if Realtors should blog. Should they become more and more hyper-local. Perhaps “Portland” is too big of a market to cover. Gresham is not a reflection of what is happening in inner-southeast Portland and vice verse. We’ve got a big area that we conduct business in but what we when we sit down with clients, the answers to the same set of questions will almost certainly differ. Real estate is local and personal. A blog has a hard time capturing that.
Realtor blogs have a hard time capturing the most interesting part of real estate because it is client related. We’ve had two listings recently where the seller has received the earnest money when the buyer has terminated the transaction. We’ve had two in two months, previously we had a total of one transaction where the earnest money went to the seller, and that was only 50% of it. Writing about it while it is happening isn’t really an option.
On “Buy Now” campaigns:
They are wrong. Speaking for myself, national and even local “Now is a great time to buy” ads are mistaken. The market has clearly declined, is still declining and we will only see the bottom when looking at history. In all markets there are still opportunities to make a good purchase today but the blanket statement “buy now” campaigns are actually ass-backwards if they are promoting the use of a Realtor. If everyone should by now, why hire a professional to help you through the process? It is the professional that tells you that in your situation buying now or selling now might not be the best situation for you that you need. It’s the Realtor that can tailor their services to their individual clients that will succeed.
On the current real estate model:
It will change. The current co-op system determines what the buyer’s agent is worth with no input from either the buyer’s agent or their client. Realtors will no longer all get paid the same for their services on the buyer side. How that change will come is debatable. The increase of buyer/agent contracts is the first step. There is room for both wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am real estate and boutique real estate. They’ll charge commensurate rates for their services or go out of business (I’ve heard three Realtors a day leave RMLS membership). That also explains why we are as busy if not busier than in previous years; we’re competing with fewer Realtors in the marketplace.
That’s enough for today.
“It is the professional that tells you that in your situation buying now or selling now might not be the best situation for you that you need.”
Fannie Mae isn’t a week a way from a government take over that will dilute the the common stock to soda water because real estate “professionals” have been telling people what they really need and providing ethical, quality advice. How you can make that statement condsidering the current steaming turd pile of a market we have right now is beyond me. Real estate jobs are a magnet for people looking for large amounts of easy money, not people looking to advocate for consumers. Go to Borders and flip through books in the real estate section written for brokers or people who want to be brokers, it’ll give you a pretty good idea of how they view the consumer: as a mark that needs to be manipulated, controled and bled dry. Real estate sales people aren’t financial analysts, accountants, financial planners, or consumer advocates, they are sales people. The zeal with wich they’ve tried to embrace these other roles has diluted their value and created a dangerous situation where they can imply in statements similar to the one above, that they are the ones who tell you whats good for you. Well take a look around folks, how good a job did they do?
I read Mr. Thrifty’s comment as ‘all Realtors are the same’. There is no difference between a full time Realtor and one that keeps a license as a hobby. Experience counts for nothing. He sees the forest, not the trees in it.
I’ve said it before. Anyone can buy or sell a house without a Realtor. Many people don’t want to do that and it isn’t because they are dumb or gullible. If you don’t interview your Realtor you can’t know what you are getting.
The real estate industry created a lot of its own problems with low barriers to entry and then letting new agents on the loose with little or no additional training.
“Fannie Mae isn’t a week a way from a government take over that will dilute the the common stock to soda water”
Woohoo!
(I’m short as a height-challenged circus worker.)
You should read my commment as the vast majority of real estate sales people are the same. Part time or full time the motive is essentially the same.
Real estate sales people are the same , it’s really true Mr Thrifty.