BloodhoundBlog

There’s always something to howl about.

Month: December 2007 (page 6 of 9)

December 13, 2007

Are Zillow’s forums the dive bars of the real estate conversation?

by

Suburban Phoenix Real Estate Broker

Author website

I admit that I haven’t paid much attention to Zillow.com’s forums feature since it was announced. I argued then that forums were a mistake, and that the design paradigm should be the weblog. There are many good reasons for this, but a very important reason is that weblogs are defensible redoubts — “for each one spot should prove beloved over all.” Internet forums, by contrast, frequently devolve into free-for-alls, Kilkenny cats’ battles survived only by the rudest, most vulgar, most odious participants.

Is this going on at Zillow.com? Ask China Moon Crowell, a Wisconsin Realtor. She posted something innocuous to a Zillow buyer’s forum and found out that she is crispy flame-bait. She has had the most vitriolic scorn heaped upon her, and she has been called a variety of incendiary names. Her initial purpose was self-promotion, surely, and this might in fact be a violation of Zillow’s rules. But if it is, her slap on the wrist was delivered with a cat o’ nine tails. At this point, China just wants to kiss Zillow goodbye, but her parting seems to be delayed by an email loop.

But, what the hey, that’s free speech, right?

Wrong.

No one has a right to free speech on another person’s property. Zillow has decent rules on bad behavior, but, from a spot check I did this morning, they’re not being enforced. This again is a curse of a forum as opposed to a more-proprietary kind of salon: The ratio of crooks to cops can be unworkably high. If the discussions on Zillow were broken up in weblogs, then each weblog “owner” could establish his or her own tolerance levels — just as I do here.

The way to think of social spaces on the web is to analogize them to social spaces in the real world. (C’mon! You can make the leap!) When you go out for a drink with friends, you go to a place where you feel comfortable. If you’re gentle, smart and prosperous, you’re not going to pick a place where Fight Club wannabes are welcome. And if Fight Club really is your favorite movie, you’re Read more

December 13, 2007

Raking and blowing

by

Realtor, Real Estate Ethicist

Author website

I was raking leaves at my mother’s house last weekend, lamenting the dichotomy of the beauty of oak trees and work to clean up what they produce. As I am wont to do, I thought of how that exercise could be tied to real estate – a difficult task when also trying to corral a little one intent on diffusing my collections.

My aha! moment was this – It is crucial to be able to discern which tool is appropriate for the task at hand. I tried the blower – it was fun and good for gathering the strays, but I needed to move piles and piles of leaves. This year, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pownce, Seesmic, et cetara have all gained popularity and have all served to add value to the interwebs as well as further fragment audiences.

It’s important to be proficient at many tasks – core tasks above all. Recognizing which tool is best for which task is crucial. Figuring out which one of the above (and of the myriad others unmentioned and those yet-to-be-created) is becoming more and more challenging.

What do you think will be next year’s rake or blower? I chose the wide, sturdy rake.

Of course, maybe I just needed a bigger blower, or a team with bigger blowers.

December 12, 2007

Unchained melodies: Disorder in the house

by

Suburban Phoenix Real Estate Broker

Author website

Warren Zevon again, this time with the Boss on vocals and banging on a blistering Telecaster. I forget who suggested this, but I’m playing it tonight for the Hatfields and McCoys at Point2 Agent. The song is Disorder in the house:

Zevon was in the process of dying when that video was made. “You lose your grip and then you slip into the masterpiece.” I’m willing to cut Leonard Cohen a lot of slack, and A thousand kisses deep seems like the proper requiem for the excitable boy:


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December 12, 2007

Unchained for Christmas: Get yourself a limited-issue BloodhoundBlog Unchained cloisonne lapel pin and let the world hear your howl

by

Suburban Phoenix Real Estate Broker

Author website

Like this:

I had cloisonne lapel pins custom-made to celebrate the forthcoming BloodhoundBlog Unchained real estate marketing conference. I made a total of 35 pins, 31 of which are being distributed to BloodhoundBlog contributors.

I have four of these lapel pins left. I’m offering them for sale, one at a time, on Ebay. If they bring a decent price, Odysseus Claus can spread a little Christmas joy — possibly drool-dampened — a welcome delight.

This is a very small fish in a very small pond, and the market value of these lapel pins, for now at least, is purely emotional or sentimental. But there are no more of these to be had, nor will there ever be any others. If you want one, these auctions are the only way you can obtain one.

The photo was taken in yellowish light. The artwork is white against a gold metal mount. It’s reduced from the BloodhoundBlog Unchained promotional graphic:

Size is approximately 1″ x 3/4″. All of the pins are new in poly-bags. No returns, of course, but I’ll pay the shipping.

These are the auctions and deadlines:

I can think of a number of fun places to wear a pin like this — which is why I had them made. If you’ve been wanting to tell the world where you stand on real estate issues, I’ll bet you can, too…

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December 12, 2007

They Were Wrong About The Bubble And They’re Wrong About This, Too

by

Mortgage Planner

Author website

In 2002, Business Week talked about “Real Estate’s Bubble Cities“.

Barron’s said it’s a better time to be “a seller rather than a buyer”.

But, 2002 wasn’t the bursting of a bubble. Prices didn’t start to fall until three years had passed from those piece’s respective publication dates. And when they did, prices fell for reasons not even named in the articles.

Being right isn’t what earns a person credibility — it’s about being right at the right time and for the right reasons.

December 12, 2007

We’re All Sub-Prime Borrowers (Who Consume Oil)

by

Commercial Real Estate Finance Expert
Structured Debt and Equity
Licensed Real Estate Broker in AL, CA, and FL

Author website

Residential lending is in a pretty tough spot. Mounting losses, from former white-picket fence owners, are putting a dent in the country club sets’ wallets. The problem is not unlike the one we faced 20 years ago; bankers turned into riverboat gamblers.

That’s all changed. Today, sobriety is the buzzword in residential lending as the conduit lenders act as if borrowers were trying to pry the money for a home loan out of their children’s piggy bank. If it weren’t so serious it would be comical.

The bankers think that every American is a sub-prime borrower. Until they can reach a consensus on an economic model, Wall Street securitizers will drive this culture of paranoia into the hearts of the newest of mortgage company employees.

Who will save us from this madness? The oil merchants, of course. It’s in their best interest to jump start the little economic engines we call “our neighbors”. If the old lending model was based upon undervalued real estate, the new one will be based upon the nature of the little pink house owners, to buy pimped-out Sherman tanks for their driveways. As long as the American consumer can continue to expand his consumption of gasoline, the oil merchants will finance our homes.

Mark my words, the oil barons will be the new round of fresh residential lending capital. It makes perfect business sense. If your key account is slowing down the orders, give them a little credit to get the through the tough times. That’s EXACTLY what the sheiks will do and they’ll make a killing doing it.

The average American is NOT a sub-prime borrower. Hell, even the sub-prime borrowers aren’t really sub-prime borrowers. Americans really are honorable and most believe in a brighter future. As long as we continue to put men on the moon, develop new communication technologies, and cure otherwise incurable diseases, Americans are the best long-term bet in the world. Debt is an affirmation of that belief. Our biggest vendors believe in us because without us, Read more

December 11, 2007

Unchained melodies: Mohammed’s radio

by

Suburban Phoenix Real Estate Broker

Author website

Warren Zevon’s Mohammed’s radio for Russell Shaw, recovering pirate broadcaster:

Patty Loveless has one of the richest high lonesome voices in newgrass. This video, You’ll never leave Harlan alive, is all but nothing visually, but that’s really not a defect: The sound is so rich that just about anything would get in its way. This is very nice exposition of people who are chained everywhere they look.

To close, Enid, because there’s never enough BNL:


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December 11, 2007

Is the Goal is to Have a Big Team?

by

Mega-Producing Realtor

Author website

“My goal is to have a big team”. I actually had a Realtor say exactly that to me. Why? Is there some special reason someone, who wasn’t deranged, would have the goal of having a big overhead and loads of people to manage and be responsible for and to? Is it possible that a sane and rational person would ever have such a goal? The answer is, yes, if they are stupid enough. He was, too. One of the lowest responsibility, most intellectually lazy people I’ve ever known. He later, as part of his program to build a large team opened his own office and after being open for business about 90 days sent me an email asking the name of a good book on how to recruit agents. He discovered that agents weren’t lining up to come to work for his little shoestring operation and then thought he might want to learn a little about that. If it wasn’t too much trouble, of course. He never did. He then shut that down and went back to being an agent with someone to help him with buyers. He is still working on “having a big team”.

Please understand I am not against someone (say for example, me) having a large team. No no. It is just that isn’t the goal. No good reason for anyone to have that for a goal.

The goal is (or at least should be) something along the lines of I want more money after all expenses and I want more free time. Having a team (other personal) teamworkcan help to make that possible. Most real estate “teams” are
not teams at all. More a group of people all sort of working together in the same building. They may have a helpful attitude towards each other and be quite happy when they see each other but that doesn’t make them a team. I get asked often by other agents who “have a team if my buyer agents are allowed to list property (no, never) or if my listers are allowed to work a buyer (almost never). They are usually surprised, Read more

December 10, 2007

Unchained melodies: “Gotta find me a future, move out of my way”

by

Suburban Phoenix Real Estate Broker

Author website

Jay Thompson’s pick, Queen doing I want it all:

Adventure seeker on an empty street,
Just an alley creeper, light on his feet
A young fighter screaming, with no time for doubt
With the pain and anger can’t see a way out,
It ain’t much I’m asking, I heard him say,
Gotta find me a future, move out of my way,
I want it all, I want it all, I want it all, and I want it now,
I want it all, I want it all, I want it all, and I want it now.

Listen all you people, come gather round
I gotta get me a game plan, gotta shake you to the ground
Just give me what I know is mine,
People do you hear me, just give me the sign,
It ain’t much I’m asking, if you want the truth
Here’s to the future for the dreams of youth,
I want it all, I want it all, I want it all, and I want it now,
I want it all, I want it all, I want it all, and I want it now.

I’m a man with a one track mind,
So much to do in one life time (people do you hear me)
Not a man for compromise and where’s and why’s and living lies
So I’m living it all, yes I’m living it all,
And I’m giving it all, and I’m giving it all,
It ain’t much I’m asking, if you want the truth,
Here’s to the future, hear the cry of youth,
I want it all, I want it all, I want it all, and I want it now,
I want it all, I want it all, I want it all, and I want it now.

Next is Bruce Cockburn’s Lovers in a dangerous time covered by Barenaked Ladies: Brutal winter, a cover that’s better than the original and the extreme liberation of that stand-up bass.

To finish the day, we have to rank on the mainstream media: REM and LL Cool J KRS-One with Radio song. “Now our children grow up prisoners/all their lives, radio listeners!”


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December 10, 2007

The Odysseus Medal: “Something is going on up in Saskatoon…”

by

Suburban Phoenix Real Estate Broker

Author website

I love this thing that we’re doing — the Web 2.0 thing, the social media thing, but especially the weblogging thing. The world is awash in expertise, and we have wasted ten millennia, at least, trying to effect our concentration, our innovation, through filters — would-be gatekeepers on the human mind. The smartest of the bunch of them have torn down their gates and used the iron to build bridges. The rest stoutly defend what’s left of their ravaged redoubts in a world increasingly devoid of walls. How stupid is that?

Witness:

I swear to god these dinks think their value comes from wearing Oxford shirts or trading secret fraternity handshakes.

Here’s a sniggling little clue: If you know something worth knowing and you can communicate it in a timely and useful fashion, you’re our friend. If you decide to sneer your way into our hearts and minds, things might not work out as you’ve planned.

In fact, there is work that professional journalists can do that we cannot do as well for ourselves. But if they’re not willing to actually do that work, then what good are they?

Take careful note: Jay Thompson has been all over the management crisis at Point2 Agent. Since Friday, he has been the nexus of communications on the subject, reporting what he could discover and eliciting amazing anonymous comments from surviving Point2 employees. If you read Jay’s posts and the comments threads, you’ll be more richly informed than you could ever be by a news account.

How much more richly informed? At least 100%, since there haven’t been any news accounts about the Point2 diaspora. Where are the supposed “professionals”? Polishing their pince nez and Read more

December 10, 2007

Marketing Firms — Any Chance of Ever Hitting Above the Mendoza Line?

by

Real Estate Investments Broker

Author website

First, for those of you now wondering what the heck the Medoza Line is, here’s the short version.

I come from the Mario Mendoza school, not Minnie Mendoza, as Mario was actually a major leaguer for nine years. Anyway, all it refers to is Mendoza’s consistently inept performance at the plate. His career batting average was a miniscule .215 — which included the year that produced The Mendoza Line — 1979 — in which he hit .198. Using sports hyperbole, Greg Swan could hit .198 — and I’m not positive he knows which end of the bat to hold. 🙂

Seth Godin wrote a piece Sunday morning letting the cat out of the bag.

Marketing people worship at the altar of The Mendoza Line.

Quoting Seth:

Marketers have lots of ‘bullets’ and they don’t notice the ones they miss (I usually miss 99.5% of the time online, and more than 99.999% of the time selling books). We just reload and blithely continue on.

Surely, he’s being overly modest — yet, even discounting his humility, he speaks basic truth.

Yep, that’s my experience with marketers. They aspire to the Mendoza Line.

My opinion of most marketing people is about the same as it is for most real estate agents or mortgage brokers — most of them couldn’t find their asses with both hands, a map, two helpers, and a GPS.

Yet, hypocritically, I’m using two of ’em to make my point. Guys like Seth and Richard Riccelli, stick out like sore thumbs because in my opinion, they actually produce results. Go figure.

Let’s pause here to be clear and forthright about my understanding of marketing.

My definition: It’s their job to generate more chances for their client to succeed. Put another way — if their ideas work, the agent/client finds himself in front of far more prospects. In baseball-ese, those are at-bats. The agent who gets 20 more opportunities a month, and hits at The Mendoza Line, makes a ton more money each year.

That’s how I define marketing.

Let’s quantify those additional 20 opportunities in today’s terms. If your market’s median home price is $200,000 and Read more

December 9, 2007

Unchained melodies: Makin’ whoopee

by

Suburban Phoenix Real Estate Broker

Author website

I was going to rank on the mainstream media, but I’ll save that for tomorrow. This is more Michelle Pfeiffer, singing Makin’ whoopee from The Fabulous Baker Boys.

Another bride, another June
Another sunny honeymoon
Another season, another reason
For makin’ whoopee

A lot of shoes, a lot of rice
The groom is nervous, he answers twice
It’s so killin’ that he’s so willin’
To make whoopee

Picture a little love nest
Down where the roses cling
Picture the same sweet love nest
See what a year can bring

He’s washing dishes and baby clothes
He’s so ambitious, he even sews
But don’t forget, folks, thats what you get, folks
For makin’ whoopee

Another year, or maybe less
What’s this I hear? Well can’t you guess?
She feels neglected and he’s suspected
Of makin’ whoopee

She sits alone most every night
He doesn’t phone, he doesn’t write
He says he’s busy, but she says “Is he
Out makin’ whoopee?”

He doesn’t make much money
Only five thousand per
And some judge who thinks he’s funny
Says he’s paying six to her

He says, “Now, judge, suppose I fail?”
The judge says, “Son, right into jail
You might just keep her, I’d say it’s cheaper
Than makin’ whoopee”

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December 9, 2007

The Odysseus Medal competition — Voting for the People’s Choice Award is open

by

Suburban Phoenix Real Estate Broker

Author website

Fifteen nominees this week, mostly about big ideas. Vote for the People’s Choice Award here. You can use the voting interface to see each nominated post, so comparison is easy.

Voting runs through to 12 Noon MST Monday. I’ll announce the winners of this week’s awards soon thereafter.

Here is this week’s short-list of Odysseus Medal nominees:

< ?PHP $AltEntries = array ( "Jay Thompson -- Point2 Is Something Shaking at Point2 Agent?”,
“Michael Wurzer — MLS access The Nail In The Coffin?“,
“Kevin Boer — Real estate disclosures How Silly Real Estate Disclosures Get Created“,
“Wade Young — Sex sells Sex sells: how I use it to sell mortgages“,
“Bonnie Erickson — Let it snow! Snow in St. Paul“,
“Dan Melson — Buying unrepresented Buying Without An Agent – My Own Experience“,
“Kris Berg — December heroes December Heroes“,
“Diane Cipa — Title fees The consumer should pay the abstractor and/or notary signing agent when the transaction doesn’t close“,
“Alex Stenback — Foreclosure causes It Ain’t the ARM’s: What Really Causes Foreclosures“,
“Brian Boero — On-line farming Let’s call it Zulia“,
“Kris Berg — Niche marketing Niche Marketing – What a concept!“,
“Russell Shaw — Success More On Success“,
“Cathleen Collins — Social media Noodlin’ around with Social Media“,
“Eric Blackwell — SMM search Are Bloggers and Social Media getting too much credit in Search Engines?“,
“Brian Brady — Happy homeowners Happy Homeowners Act of 2008”
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    Deadline for next week’s competition is Sunday at 12 Noon MST. You can nominate your own weblog entry or any post you admire here.

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    • December 8, 2007

    Unchained melodies: Unchained impulses

    by

    Suburban Phoenix Real Estate Broker

    Author website

    This one is from Brad Coy, who wanted to tip his hat to pseudonymous commenter Joe Strummer with a Joe Strummer cover of Bob Marley’s Redemption Song.

    If I have a favorite Clash tune it’s This is Radio Clash, simply because I like the idea of a pirate satellite. As with pirate radio, the actual capital outlay per independent broadcaster (or publisher) turned out to be much smaller. Ecce sum vivens in saecula saeculorum et habeo claves mortis et inferni. Take that, Dan Rather!

    But: Don’t let’s forget that these are the same knuckleheads who brought us Sandanista, so we should close with a more rational kind of psychotic violence, Coolio’s Gangster’s Paradise.

    Not all rap sucks, and I’ll watch Michelle Pfeiffer in anything.

    You say you want a revolution? What does it sound like?

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