I can’t think of any argument against oral presentations better than the stuff that comes out of the mouths of the people making them.
From InmanBlog, NAR CEO Dale Stinton says:
“If there ever was a case study for banks staying out of real estate it’s the subprime market.” He also said that the subprime situation is an example of the “inevitability of an open society,” “of going too far, too fast,” and “of liquidity in the marketplaces.”
See, it was the lenders who caused these problems, not the sacrosanct tax giveaways to homeowners and real estate investors. And god spare us all from an “an open society” (that is to say, not a police state) and “liquidity in the marketplaces” (money, that is). I’m thinking Stinton had to borrow extra feet from Glenn Kelman to put in his mouth.
Joel Singer, “president of real estate business services for the California Association of Realtors,” was not to be outdone:
“The brokerage industry to a large degree has ceded too much power to the agents. Once you have entrenched power … more importantly, once you have entrenched economic power — the economics are that the MLSs actually have more funding than the organized real estate itself — it becomes very difficult to overcome that.”
I think that says that the obstacle to MLS reform is posed by the MLS systems themselves, which leads me to expect a radical legislative intervention. If you’re a real estate licensee but not an brokerage owner or designated broker, hide your wallet.
But: The prize would seem to go to Zillow.com founder Rich Barton, who summoned forth this vision:
“I see an old-style marketplace formed, a city market like Pike Place Market. I actually dug up an old photo — Pike Place Market at the turn of the last century. People were gesticulating. People were buying things. People were gossiping. Negotiations were happening. Big billboards were advertising things above the marketplace. That’s the picture I have in my head.”
I think this is meant to be poetry — except poetry rhymes, scans and makes sense.
I’m sure Stinton is not an actual Commissar, despite his derision of Read more
After spending a lot of time this week following up on various ads, trying to track down Realtors to ask quick questions about their listings and spending time on “competitors'” websites and blogs, I have determined that there is a formula to how to SUCK as a Realtor. Part of my appeal as a contributor is that I’m not a Realtor. I don’t practice Real Estate, but I’m involved just enough to witness why people have a poor perception of the industry. If you want to SUCK as a Realtor, be sure to follow these tips in acronym form:
I had posted 
In a move that is either inspired or incredibly stoopid, Zillow.com will this afternoon launch a brand new group weblog devoted to real estate technology issues. This of course is a large part of the content of 
Okay, here’s a Black Pearl made from sandy irritants we picked up at 
