Blogging has hit the real estate industry…and it just may upend a marketplace known for inefficiency and restricted information.
There are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of blogs covering real estate and they shine unfiltered lights on their subjects, reporting market gossip, innuendo, facts, opinion, virutally anything.
”Blogs are telling like it is at the street level,” said Bran Inman of Inman News, a large real estate news service, Inman said real estate blogging began in the Bay Area, took hold in New York and has now spread nationally.
For example, bloggers may expose defects at new developments or buildings such as roof leaks or heating system inadequacies or shoddy workmanship of maintenance. They may warn buyers away from dishonest or incompetent brokers or overpriced new housing. They can let buyers know that a neighborhood may not be safe, that an area floods every spring, or that jets fly directly overhead when the west wind blows.
It’s not all negative though. “Comments on our posts often talk about how great a neighborhood is or praise brokers or landlords,” said Jake Dobkin, a publisher of sites covering 15 cities.
Blogs also help even the playing field for consumers. Traditionally, only professionals could get full access to comparable prices and property conditions. “Blogs add information – they level the playing field for consumers” says Dobkin.
Alexis Palmer operations head for Curbed.com, which covers New York and Los Angeles, says the strength of these sites is that they tell people more about the areas they may be considering moving into. “You can find out about the neighborhood’s character,” she said, “what kinds of restarurants, stores, and clubs are there.”
The info comes from people like you. “Normally, in real estate, most of the information available comes from those representing the sale of properties,”said Palmer. “They have a different agenda than the consumer.”
And, even though on many blogs anyone can post and there is little fact checking or test for accuracy, that doesn’t mean the information is too untrustworthy. “You get robust corrections from the community of readers,”said Palmer.
It’s not just local real estate or neighborhood conditions that the bloggosphere highlights. Some, like real estate research provider Jonathan Miller, take on different national issues.
Insiders believe that blog sites empower consumers, enabling them to make better choices, obtain services at a better price, and find better service providers.
1 response so far ↓
Kare Anderson // January 30, 2009 at 11:58 pm |
Beautifully-designed blog. As a former WSj reporter now speaker (spoke at NAR and 38 other real estate conferences) living in Sausalito I look forward to seeing more blogs. have on here
http://sausalitolovesyou.ning.com/profile/KareAnderson