Fri
Ironic Real Estate
Posted by Marlow Harris under Real Estate
[3] Comments
There is a great conversation going on over at RainCityGuide today. 37 comments and counting on Dustin Luther’s “Paying for the Privilege of Marginalization“. He’s right-on, as usual, and discussing a topic I find fascinating.
His premise is that real estate agents and brokers are foolish to continue to support industries that are planning to horn in on and destroy traditional real estate firms. New business models such as Craigslist and Google present a competition for brokers advertising dollars, but so do old-school newspapers . I wrote about Tribune Interactive recently purchasing ForSaleByOwner.com, and can extrapolate that move out to it’s logical end run of direct competition to the traditional real estate model. I can see where this is going and I completely agree with his post.
Dustin feels that it is ironic that I am moderating a real estate blog for the Seattle P.I. newspaper, as I am creating content for what could turn out to be my competitor. I completely agree, it is ironic.
However, the newspapers already accept ads from my competitors (my competitors being anyone who isn’t actually me!) and I even blog with a few of those competitors. If it gets obvious, obnoxious or self-defeating, I’ll quit.
There’s something else I find ironic. It’s ironic that an employee of Move.com, owner of Realtor.com (the official site of the National Association of Realtors) is selling their home without using a Realtor. Wasn’t there a guy who worked for Miller Distributing who was fired for drinking a Bud Light? There was also a guy who worked for Coca-Cola who was supposedly fired for drinking a Pepsi.
Dustin has a big ol’ list of how he’s going to sell his home himself, without listing it for sale, by a Realtor, on the NWMLS. One thing he is going to do is purchase an enhanced listing on Realtor.com.
His home is For Sale by Owner. But he can advertise it on Realtor.com. So the official website of the National Association of Realtors is now accepting “For Sale by Owner” ads?
Dustin, I love ya, Baby. But that is ironic!
Well said Marlow!
Isn’t irony fun???
Actually, I have no real plans to go the FSBO route… The idea that I was doing a FSBO came up when I mentioned that I would probably give a deal to someone if they made a good enough offer before I had to go through all the hassle of fixing up and marketing my home.
Alas, we’re definitely planning on listing the home with the NWMLS, and I’m pretty sure there is no other way we could get on Realtor.com.
Dustin,
I know a GREAT real estate agent you should hire to help you. She’s a traditional full-service agent who does not discount her fees nor does she sell “discount homes”. Actually, she specializes in dream homes. Seattle Dream Homes.(Wink!)