realweenie

Daily Mugshot

I don't get it, so I thought I would try it and I still don't get it. Why do people like taking pictures of themselves?  I looked at other peoples mugshots and hate to sound like I am bragging but most are even scarier than mine.

Daily Mugshot

Akismet Hates Me

Ah yes I love it when I have time to write on my bad old blog cleverly disguised as a hot dog stand.

If you have not been seeing my comments on your blog it is becasue you have a WordPress blog and have installed "akismet" to block the large volume of spam that goes to WordPress bloggers.  Akismet is smarter than most and has decided that I am bad and I am banned from commenting on all WordPress blogs.

I have been commenting in recent days, I just leave my domain name off and sometimes just use one of the 10 or 12 other domain names that go to my blog.  On the one hand there is such an easy work around that I think akismet is not so smart.  On the other hand I have freinds out there who  like to see my  comments on their blogs, but they never will.    They can't control akismet.

Typepad works differently.  I get little spam and I have a lot more control.  People have gotten banned by the software, but I can fix it or have it fixed so they can comment again.  So I say to akismet users, do you have that kind of control?  If so I would like to leave comments on your blogs using my regular domain name. 

If you don't have that kind of control, which other domain names are being blocked?  Are you ticking someone off without knowing it?  Isn't web 2.0 about having a two way conversation?  When software makes decisions about who to include and who to exclude does it always make the same decision a human would?

It would be easy for me to ban all wordpress bloggers from commenting on my blogs, but I would never do that.  I leave comments on blogs becasue I have something to say, not for a link back to my own blog, so I will keep commenting.  It will affect my ratings to have fewer links to my blog but it will be gradual and I won't feel the impact for many months, and who knows by then maybe I won't be banned any more. . . but maybe I will be. Who knows, it is in the hands of a machine somewhere and I am just a bunch of 1's and 0's.

Questions

There really is such a thing as a dumb question.  The one I am thinking of is not really a dumb question but it is one that I can't answer.

It goes like this:  "I am starting a blog, can you give me some advice?"

Sometimes they ask for pointers but you get the idea.  How can I answer such a question?  I have written tons of posts on the subject on Active Rain, the Real Estate Tomato and even some on Agent Genius.  My blogging peers have done the same.

I can answer specific questions that go beyond, "what kind of camera do you use?"  I have even written posts about what kind of camera I use. LOL

Have a great day, don't bug me. Don't expect advice.  I can answer specific questions, and could write and entire book on the subject of blogs,  but can not give advice.  What do I look like?  Dear Abbey?  I am a Realtor dammit!

What were you thinking?

Yes this is a rant.  What is the point of having a blog cleverly disguised as a hot dog stand if I can't rant once in a while? 

These days I have been spending a fair amount of time with clients who are looking for fixer uppers.  We have plenty of them.  Most are vacant homes that are bank owned.

Here in Minnesota smart property owners "winterize" vacant homes so that there is no danger of pipes freezing, breaking and flooding the home.  Winterizing involves turning off the water and draining the system.

So I go out to show these properties with my clients who are often accompanied by an entourage which consists of fathers, brothers, sisters, minor children of the same, and occasionally someone who knows something abut real estate or about home repairs.

Usually by the time we get to the third house, someone needs a potty break.  It is most often an adult, but occasionally a child.

None of the homes have usable facilities.  I know the drill, and often have to wait somewhere while the entourage takes a potty break.

When I was a child, back a very long time ago, my parents would advise us to drain ourselves before we got into the car.  Great advice.   I go one step further and limit the amount of caffeinated beverages that I consume before showing houses.  While I may fall asleep behind the wheel, at least I won't have to have everyone wait while I take a potty break.

If I could be paid minumum wage for every hour I have spent waiting for the entourage to take a potty break I could probably retire.  I do advise my clients on how to dress for seeing vacant unheated properties in subzero weather.  I am going to be adding some verbiage so that they know there won't be any working facilities in the homes that they will be seeing.  If that isn't enough I will tell them that they need to go potty before touring homes.

Don't be a weenie

By Jonathan Dalton

Last night, someone trying to generate links and traffic for a new website suggested the idea of a blogging Kangaroo Court, where we could light-heartedly critique each other’s blogs and point out violations and omissions. It sounded like a really cute idea (so did Pandora’s Box, actually) but it doesn’t make sense for most of us. We’re not writing to be chummy, even if we tend to comment on each other’s blogs. We’re generally writing to generate business. If you’re self-employed and dedicating time talking about your business without trying to gain business, you’re probably doing something wrong.

I ended up pointing him toward Active Rain. Someone else did the same thing. That seems to be the best place for something like this, and it’s not too far different from the weekly weeks in review and Active Rain carnivals and “hey let’s get some points” contests that take place over there all the time as it is. Some may get hurt feelings over being the target of the Kangaroo Court, but that’s part of the cost of playing. Don’t think the public isn’t doing the same mental gymnastics when they read your blog.

So how do you get traffic and links and all that good stuff when you’re a new blog? Write something compelling. Comment on other people’s blogs; maybe they’ll come read yours and link to you at some stage. If it’s compelling then they probably will. Find local blogs and do the same there, unless you’re in Phoenix and the only bloggers are real estate agents.

There’s no shortcut to getting some readership. And readership’s not even the real goal most of the time. It’s actual closed business.

News Media

I can't think of a single single industry that deserves to be mentioned on this blog of mass destruction cleverly disguised as a hot dog stand.

The news media seems to control the economy and of course the housing market.  They like to take little bits and turn them into great big dramatic stories.

They call when I am in my car, or on an appointment.  They never ask if I have a second, like everyone else does, they just start talking.  I think most people will just drop what they are doing and talk to the news media.  It is after all free publicity.

Me I have to be difficult and have passed on some opportunities that I am sure most people would get excited about.  I just can't see helping the media spread half truths and even lies just so I can tell everyone to watch me on TV.

They often know what their story is before they call.  They spend quite a bit of time trying to get me to agree with what they are saying and get me to give an example.  When it comes to buying and selling homes they like to take one small part of the process and turn it into a big story. 

Sometimes the media wants access to my  clients.  It doesn't work that way.  I have contracts with them and part of that contract includes confidentiality.  I can of course call a client and ask if they are interested in being on the local or national news.  I have called clients with just such a request.  Most are not interested in sharing their story with the world even if it does mean they get to be on TV.

Most people who know me know that I can be difficult.  I argue with just about every reporter who calls.  Over the last couple of days I have been trying to convince one reporter that the story they are working on really doesn't make sense.  I guess it is up to them to decide what their viewers want to see.   They will be able to find another Realtor in the metro area who will back them up on the ridiculous story they are working on.  Most would be thrilled with the publicity and not even consider that they are hurting their own industry by  helping spread stories.

The news media don't know much about real estate or the housing market but they like to tell stories about it because that is what people are interested in right now.  The "spin" that they put on it becomes a kind of reality for many people and might even change consumer behavior.  What is reported by the news media does not always reflect reality but I think some times reality becomes what the news media reports.

When you watch the national news, local news or read the paper please keep in mind that what you are seeing is not the news.  It is some ones idea of what viewers are interested in seeing, reading or listening too.  It is mostly stories and make believe.

The Man Who Has Something To Say

I would like to make an important announcement here on the hot dog stand cleverly disguised as a blog.  I think I may have gotten that backward but it really doesn't matter.

If you don't know Jeff Turner . . . . I have no idea how to complete that sentence.  The purpose of this post, which I am publishing at 10:40 CST (that is the current time in fly over land where all the really boring people live) is to share with you Jeff's thoughts over the last 22 hours.  Follow the links and you can see more of Jeff and hear what he has to say about some of his many thoughts:

  Here is my cup, put some kool aid in it:
Overdressed for Seesmic
Re: Re: Re: Overdressed for Seesmic
. . an another
And More . .  

There is a gap in the broadcasts, we recently learned that Jeff sleeps for part of each 24 hour broadcast period.  He is working on recording his thoughts as he sleeps and looking for some technology that will broadcast them to the Internet so that we can stay updated at all times.

Here at the Real Estate Weenie, we are such fans of Jeff's that  we are working on turning Jeff's thoughts into a full length movie, or possibly an ebook.

A Video

This isn't really my style but I do love this video and have to share.  I think there are some interesting points in it about how we use the internet.

16 Min

By Point2NLS

There is room in the real estate industry for new business models.  Internet technology has changed the rules in the real estate industry.  Home buyers benefit from technology in that they can now look at homes on the internet and screen some out instead of having to take the time to go see them all or to have to spend a lovely Sunday afternoon driving around and traipsing through open houses.

I recently had a buyer call on one of my listings.  When I met him at the property he gave me a business card for a local real estate agent who has a discount brokerage.  The buyer told me that his agent told him to go look at homes until he finds one that he likes.  Once the buyer identifies the home he is to call the agent who will write an offer on it.  The agent will then refund most of the commission to the buyer.

If the buyer would have made an offer on my listing I would have kept most of the buyer's agent commission.  I can do that because I spent time with the buyer, showed the property and followed up with a phone call with answers to his questions. I have done it before. I almost can't wait until an agent tries to extract a full commission from one of my listings just for writing an offer, after I have shown the property to the buyer and answered all of his or her questions.  There won't be anything left to refund from the buyer.

Giving the buyer or seller a discount is a great idea but if it is done by getting some one else to do all of the work I don't believe that it is a viable business model.

Talking to the news media

Sharing some of the lessons I have learned talking to the news media.

1.  Reporters call and they have a story idea.  They have their own theory and know how they want it to go.  They ask questions a certain way to try and get the spin they want.  They put words in my mouth and argue if my experience does not back up their theory.  Real estate news as published in our local newspapers is about three months out of date.  Even with the stories that are helpful to consumers the information would have been more helpful if it were published sooner.

2.  Reporters are looking for a sensational story when there is none.  They put a spin on their story to make it look better.

3.  Magazines and newspapers don't check their facts.  They do an interview and then tack on some additional information.  They never mentioned it during the interview, I read the story and am amazed.  I have read some things about myself that are not at all true.  I have had to explain things to some of my friends in cyberspace that I was not planning on talking about at all.

4.  Some reporters don't have the background needed to write the story.  One reporter had never read a blog and had little awareness of them.  He was writing a story for the real estate industry. After we talked for five minutes or so I sent him on his way.  He did write a story and after reading it I was relieved that my blog was not mentioned in it.

5.  Companies use names of bloggers to promote their product or idea.  These companies belong on my weenie roll.  They never asked for a product endorsement and I find my name attached to something I don't believe in or in some cases don't even know about.

Talking to the media is free publicity.  Yet they rarely seem get it right.  It is pretty much the same with the news I see on television these days.  News has become entertainment and nothing more. Information on what is going on in the world is available but it is becoming harder to find.  Isn't this the information age?

The recent story on 60 minutes about Redfin was biased.  Nationwide Realtors were insulted as we all learned that we charge too much.  60 minutes is no different from any other media outlet.  They tell the story that will make the biggest splash.  They succeeded.

My blogs are opinion and the posts are based on my actual experiences.  They may not be news but at least they are honest.  There are facts and numbers in some of the posts that  the news media does uses for story ideas. 

Don't get too excited when a reporter calls.