![\"\"](\"http:\/\/i169.photobucket.com\/albums\/u224\/SaneMadness\/Failboat.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Techie agent types have probably googled their name (or the name of a competitor) only to find a agent review website that says something like:<\/p>\n
Barbie Baker is a San Diego real estate agent. Barbie Baker has no reviews. Click here to review Barbie Baker.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
If you’re uncommonly lucky, you’ll hit an agent with a review:<\/p>\n
1 person has reviewed Barbi Baker. Phoenix Rand said the following about Barbie Baker: “Barbie was a fantastic agent to work with and helped us find the right house! Wow!”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Now, if you’re an agent, you’re saying to yourself “I wish they had a phone number at least,” but if you’re a consumer with half a brain, you’re saying to yourself “One rave review – I bet Barbie wrote it herself.<\/strong>” And, no offense to San Diego Realtors, but odds are she did. It’s easy and jeez – who’s going to catch you?<\/p>\n
Everyone likes to compare real estate to other industries (travel anyone?), and the clear direct comparison here is business \/ restaurant review – sites like City Search \/ Urban Spoon \/ Yelp \/ Menuism<\/strong>. But the comparison is only valid in the most superficial sense.<\/p>\n
How many customers will write a review?<\/strong><\/p>\n
Take one of my favorite lunch spots: Kau Kau in Seattle. Say they serve 10 people an hour from noon until 8. That’s 80 people a day or 29,200 people a year. Urban Spoon has four reviews of Kau Kau<\/a>. Menuism has two reviews of Kau Kau<\/a>. That’s one review for every 7,300 or so transactions on Urban Spoon and twice that many on Menuism.<\/p>\n
That means that the average agent should not have a single review<\/strong> – even Russell Shaw does not do that many transactions per year. And agents who have more than one review are suspect. They’re either reviewing themselves or they’re sitting down with their favorite clients and “helping” them write a review.<\/p>\n
Do you<\/strong> see value in these sites for consumers?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Techie agent types have probably googled their name (or the name of a competitor) only to find a agent review website that says something like: Barbie Baker is a San Diego real estate agent. Barbie Baker has no reviews. Click here to review Barbie Baker. If you’re uncommonly lucky, you’ll hit an agent with a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"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":[3,5,22],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-4319","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"hentry","6":"category-blogging","7":"category-real-estate","8":"category-the-cheez-whiz-prize","10":"no-featured-image"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1280,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/1280\/thanks-a-lot-glenn-kelman\/","url_meta":{"origin":4319,"position":0},"title":"Thanks a lot, Glenn Kelman.","author":"Kris Berg","date":"April 9, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Dear Industry Professional: Kris Berg will be on vacation the week of April 2nd. Accordingly, any industry news of interest or import should be released during this time. We also advise that, where appropriate, you notify her in advance of any press releases (preferably while she is enroute to the\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":1007,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/1007\/glenn-kelman-on-redfincoms-move-into-southern-california-ive-never-had-to-think-so-hard-in-an-interview-in-my-life\/","url_meta":{"origin":4319,"position":1},"title":"Glenn Kelman on Redfin.com’s move into Southern California: “I’ve never had to think so hard in an interview in my life”","author":"Greg Swann","date":"February 8, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Here's the newspaper news, and we'll come back to it in due course: Redfin.com today opens three new offices in Southern California: Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego. The company has expanded its web site to include listings from nine Southern California MLS systems. Here's the real news, which\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":[]},{"id":729,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/729\/an-uncivil-war\/","url_meta":{"origin":4319,"position":2},"title":"An Uncivil War","author":"Kris Berg","date":"December 3, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"(A Bloodhound Blog\/San Diego Home Blog simulcast). Negotiator: one who arranges for or brings about through conference, discussion, and compromise. Bully: a blustering browbeating person; especially : one habitually cruel to others who are weaker; a hired ruffian. As agents, so much of our value to our clients stems from\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/category\/general\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2955,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/2955\/there-is-no-joy-in-law-school-marty-ummel-has-struck-out\/","url_meta":{"origin":4319,"position":3},"title":"There Is No Joy In Law School; Marty Ummel Has Struck Out","author":"Brian Brady","date":"April 12, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Remember Marty Ummell? She's the lady that sued Mike Little, a REALTOR with RE\/MAX in Carlsbad, CA. Her attorney ripped a page from the ambulance attorney play book and accused Mr. Little of misrepresentation, breach of fiduciary responsibility, and fraud. From the New York Times, back in January: Ms. Ummel\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Lending"","block_context":{"text":"Lending","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/category\/lending\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":12624,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/12624\/re-entering-the-real-world-of-real-estate-brokerage\/","url_meta":{"origin":4319,"position":4},"title":"Re-Entering the Real World of Real Estate Brokerage","author":"Jeff Brown","date":"July 9, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"As many of you know, I stopped doin' business in my local market, San Diego, at the end of 2003. Since then I've done two transactions here, both as listing agent -- both gettin' the sellers Outa Dodge, so to speak. I haven't bothered to market here cuz, well cuz\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":2539,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/2539\/watch-out-here-comes-erin-brockovich\/","url_meta":{"origin":4319,"position":5},"title":"Watch Out! Here Comes Erin Brockovich!","author":"Brian Brady","date":"January 26, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Hypothetical TV advertisement (aired at 2:00 AM): Did you overpay for your home? Did your real estate agent give you bad advice? You may be entitled to damages under a class-action lawsuit if you bought your home between the dates of June 1, 2005 and September 30, 2007. 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