{"id":2718,"date":"2008-03-07T13:58:23","date_gmt":"2008-03-07T20:58:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/?p=2718"},"modified":"2008-03-07T14:00:59","modified_gmt":"2008-03-07T21:00:59","slug":"when-the-dog-bites-the-hand-that-feeds-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/2718\/when-the-dog-bites-the-hand-that-feeds-it\/","title":{"rendered":"When The Dog Bites The Hand That Feeds It"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Race To The Bottom Is Getting Really Crowded<\/strong><\/p>\n

Some twenty-odd years ago I worked in the petrochemical engineering industry as an electrical designer – but we quit building oil refineries, so thousands of engineers, designers and draftsmen like myself were put out of work. Hey – that’s the breaks.<\/p>\n

So I started a landscaping company and became a licensed irrigation system designer… which worked out okay until the oil bust in Houston caught up with the residential construction market… but I digress.<\/p>\n

One of the local irrigation supply houses – the one that I used – decided to start installing irrigation systems… in direct competition with companies like mine<\/em>.<\/p>\n

I couldn’t compete with them on installation bids, as they bought equipment and supplies at much lower prices. So I stopped giving them my business.<\/p>\n

Fast forward to today.<\/p>\n

I was listening to talk radio and heard an ad for another flat-fee broker offering a listing in both of our listing services for $295. I went online to take a look – then logged into the Georgia Real Estate Commission’s website to research this broker.<\/p>\n

Interesting enough, this broker has been licensed for a long time… but only became a broker less than a year ago. I noticed that he had failed to renew his license from April 2001 to November 2004… which made me wonder what he was doing for a living during that period.<\/p>\n

Digging a little deeper I discover that this broker is a REAL ESTATE ATTORNEY<\/strong>. Admitted to the Bar back in 1997. Member of one of the big real estate law firms.<\/p>\n

How interesting.<\/p>\n

Virtually ALL of our real estate transactions in Georgia are conducted by attorneys, so it was unsettling to see one of them setting up shop to compete with the agents who bring him work – kind of like the irrigation supply house I mentioned above.<\/p>\n

To top it off… the name of his website is ListingDog.com<\/a><\/strong>. What a coincidence.<\/p>\n

The idea that an attorney – who is probably earning more than 98.9% of the agents in this town – is now horning on what few dollars are being spread around so thin that Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Race To The Bottom Is Getting Really Crowded Some twenty-odd years ago I worked in the petrochemical engineering industry as an electrical designer – but we quit building oil refineries, so thousands of engineers, designers and draftsmen like myself were put out of work. Hey – that’s the breaks. So I started a landscaping […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,10],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-2718","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"hentry","6":"category-real-estate","7":"category-realty-reality","9":"no-featured-image"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2814,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/2814\/listing-real-estate-the-bloodhound-way-virtual-remodeling\/","url_meta":{"origin":2718,"position":0},"title":"Listing real estate the Bloodhound way: Virtual remodeling","author":"Greg Swann","date":"March 21, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"I wrote about Obeo's virtual remodeling feature when first I discovered it (they call it Style Designer). As far as I'm concerned, this one feature is a total category killer among virtual tours. Panoramas? Check. Ken Burns zooming tricks? Check. Cheesy music loops ripped-off from CHiPs and Charlie's Angels? Check.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Marketing"","block_context":{"text":"Marketing","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/category\/marketing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":11905,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/11905\/this-oil-spill-and-the-governments-belated-response-to-it-do-not-prove-the-value-and-efficacy-of-the-government-but-precisely-the-opposite\/","url_meta":{"origin":2718,"position":1},"title":"This oil spill and the government’s belated response to it do not prove the value and efficacy of the government, but precisely the opposite.","author":"Greg Swann","date":"May 3, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"So I had a spam email from a state-worshipping zealot I've never met named Sara P. Miller. Apparently Sara P. Miller is the modern-age equivalent of those noxious creeps you used to find preaching the gospel of Jheeezuhs! on buses and subway trains, self-imprisoned in a never-silent pantomime of exhibitionism\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Big Mother"","block_context":{"text":"Big Mother","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/category\/big-mother\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7022,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/7022\/in-the-world-of-internet-marketing-realtors-and-lenders-have-to-know-how-to-solve-their-own-on-line-marketing-problems\/","url_meta":{"origin":2718,"position":2},"title":"In the world of internet marketing, Realtors and lenders have to know how to solve their own on-line marketing problems","author":"Greg Swann","date":"February 21, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Cathleen encouraged me to take exception to Jeff Brown's most recent post, and, by the time I was done, I had a whole new post. Quoting from Jeff:If you honestly believe your income is higher with you spending time changing your own hi-tech oil, then continue along that path \u2014\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Flourishing"","block_context":{"text":"Flourishing","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/category\/flourishing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6691,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/6691\/i-prefer-vera-wang\/","url_meta":{"origin":2718,"position":3},"title":"I Prefer Vera Wang","author":"Geno Petro","date":"January 25, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"I am not a gay man but I'd play one on television if I thought there was a Golden Globe in it for me.\u00a0 In fact, my wife insists that her next husband will indeed, be a gay man and I'm cool with that as long as I'm not still\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Real Estate"","block_context":{"text":"Real Estate","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/category\/real-estate\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":15940,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/15940\/lets-talk-listings-better-yet-lets-talk-gettin-em-sold\/","url_meta":{"origin":2718,"position":4},"title":"Let’s Talk Listings – Better Yet? Let’s Talk Gettin’ ’em Sold","author":"Jeff Brown","date":"May 10, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Since the beginning of last year, how long has it taken to sell your listings? I'm not talkin' about those priced at half the median value in your market. I'm talkin' about a traditional seller who simply wants you to sell his real estate. Why do a few listings in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Enduring Interest"","block_context":{"text":"Enduring Interest","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/category\/enduring-interest\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2877,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/2877\/state-mandated-licensing-of-interior-designers-is-our-only-possible-protection-from-life-threatening-color-clashes\/","url_meta":{"origin":2718,"position":5},"title":"State-mandated licensing of interior designers is our only possible protection from life-threatening color clashes","author":"Greg Swann","date":"April 1, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Via Coyote Blog, Clark Neily of the Institute for Justice argues against occupational licensing for interior designers in the Wall Street Journal:Imagine you were a state legislator and some folks asked you to pass a law making it a crime to give advice about paint colors and throw pillows without\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Disintermediation"","block_context":{"text":"Disintermediation","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/category\/disintermediation\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2718","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2718"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2718\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2718"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2718"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2718"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}