If Redfin.com wants to make peace with the real estate industry, all it has to do is hold up its end. If it wants to be a cowbird bottom-feeding parasite — defaulting on its responsibilities and disbursing that default as “savings” — it has to live with the contempt fully earned and deserved by cowbird bottom-feeding parasites.
Glenn Kelman should take solace — or take a drink — or just take a nap — however. The contempt Redfin.com earns doesn’t originate in his inflammatory comments — even if these are really, truly, honestly, please-please-you-must-believe-me a real estate-specific form of Tourette Syndrome.
Did any one of us make it through middle school without understanding demagoguery? If so, here are the review notes:
The skinny kid spewing half-witted insults is a coward who is terrified of two things: That his posturing is ludicrous, and that you know it…
Technorati Tags: blogging, disintermediation, real estate, real estate marketing
Brian Brady says:
I just realized when I read that “apology” that Redfin preys upon the glaring weakness of a real estate transaction; emotion.
Good Realtors know how to keep a client from getting emotional. Clients ARE emotional, scared, hurt, or gleeful when they go through this process. It’s hard because most only own buy (or sell) a property 2-3 times in their lifetime. The xenophobia a client has is exacerbated when an under-trained, emotional wreck of an agent is involved.
We’ve made TREMENDOUS inroads these past 5-10 years by upgrading the quality of agent in the industry. The stakes are high enough to attract full-time professionals who build solid practices rather than the part-time, highly-emotional licensees.
I think Redfin wants to take us back to the old days of chaos and fear. This time, they turn the fear/anger on the Realtor for “ripping off” the consumer. They mask themselves in the cloak of “consumer advocacy” and deliberately muddy up the waters by inciting a riot.
Give your broker the finger, huh? That crap might work on a Jim Rome show when discussing who the Cardinals coach should be but that is where it should stay. An industry that is moving towards professionalism has no room for the chaos purveyors.
February 24, 2007 — 1:11 pm