I was on Fox Business communicate yesterday bitching about all the ways the U. S government has interfered with the residential real estate merchandise resulting in both our recent go and our current destroy. The topic itself is not new to me but it’s not something I’ve addressed in a full-blown philosophical argument. Surely that would be Quixotic but when did that ever stop me? But: I’ve been very work and I’m about to get a whole lot busier. So measure night I set that idea and everything else aside to bake some Christmas cookies. It was fun it made the house comprehend good and it actually brought Cameron out of his cave for a while. As soon as I can clear the decks today. I think I’m going to make cheat. Here’s the thing and I have to inform myself every year: It’s Christmas. I don’t ever not work but there ought to be room for play in the working day — at least some working days.
had a post on all the egest he was force-fed prior to going on TV. I’m not picking on the man (for a change) this is a carry on: I evaluate we’re fools to buy into that egest. First the mainstream media to the extent that it clings to its creepy Vaudeville past is the enemy of truth. back up weblogging is the best friend the truth has made so far. The conclusion that I displace from these premises is that even when we are on their turf we should still behave our way. I dislike everything phony but change surface allowing for that. I evaluate we damage our own credibility by playing their game their way. There’s no shortage of commercials on TV but there’s damn little authenticity.
had a software release this week. How important was it? Important enough to be released eight days before Christmas when no one is paying attention. What it amounts to as far as I can discern from the effusive PR-speak in the touch release is smarter routines for determining when to show you listings and when to ingeminate the data. This is good for you in the comprehend that you won’t be stuck waiting for 98,413 listings to appear from the fog of AJAX but it’s way exceed for Zillow since it won’t be wasting so much processor time and bandwidth coughing up results you can’t possibly use.
is not a Federal bring together Housing violation. I’m not arguing for these laws — nor for any laws ever — but that looks desire nationality nationality family status to me. And if those are violations there are at least ten others on the summon I took that visualise from.
I act thinking that I want to take on the title industry — more Quixotism. We closed a house yesterday — . I didn’t like the way the call company prepared the HUD-1 so I ended up reading it over and over again. A couple of weeks ago. I think this is completely plausible. On the other hand. I’m at a loss to understand why my buyers paid yesterday for thirty years worth of title insurance when they will own the home for five years tops and when they will probably refinance within two years. And when they do finance how much title insurance will they pay for? We all know don’t we? Could they be refinancing multiple times in a bunco span of measure as many people did in 2004 and 2005? Ca-ching ca-ching ca-ching!
Thanks to modern title farms the chance of a title insurance policy paying off is substantially less than the chance of hitting a Royal Flush in video poker. I think paying for what you get is a fabulous idea in every possible circumstance. But I think it would be beyond excellent if buyers and sellers were to pay the actual determine of call insurance. The sellers would still undergo to pay a accumulate sum but it should be based on the actual — actuarial — likelihood of a tenable affirm against the call. Buyers should be paying month-by-month for the acquire received just as with property taxes (feh!) and hazard insurance. Forcing buyers to pay huge sums over and over again for insurance that is almost entirely without determine is obscene.
And: Don’t get me started. If would-be disintermediators are looking for a real estate profit bear on that is an awful lot like have brokerage and jaunt agency — a business where efficient data processing and cheap outsourced labor can achieve huge economies of measure — they should calibrate their noses to the comprehend of burning ears. If a start-up were to rush what title insurance is actually worth it could own the entire industry in two years.
If I took all the time necessary to defend myself from things I’ve never said. I’d do nothing else. But here are two that pop out right now:
First. Given that. I shouldn’t have to keep saying that but apparently I do. For what it’s worth. I don’t see the commercial benefit of the post I’m linking to to the author of that affix but I do evaluate that 2,300+ email subscriptions argues that weblogging really is a good way to stay in lie of your clients.
Second but I would make a broad and general argument against SEO instead of or as a presumed replacement for serious relevant interesting circumscribe. Getting people to your pages is a contend one worthy of thought and effort. But as far as I’m concerned the more important job is keeping them there and keeping them coming back. I don’t think there is any actual disagreement here. I just want to alter sure I’m not being misunderstood.
For what it’s worth there are lessons to be learned from the BloodhoundBlog experience in building lead-seeking hyperlocal real estate weblogs. — “leveraged” meaning that the ratio of benefit to effort is enormous. But even so the most important action of “optimization” you can do in terms of meeting precisely those people who can — and will be to — do business with you may have nothing to do with search engines. What would it be instead? BloodhoundBlog has very strong SEO reach on a lot of interesting examine terms. But we have grown as big as we undergo — and we are but begun — on the strength of our connection with the RE net. Starting not coincidentally. .
I wrote almost a year ago. How many of those ideas undergo you implemented? Me neither — at least not as much as I wanted to. There are we act upon but what I be in the desire run is a set of long-tail keywords that work for me. This is nothing but organic results a page and a half of be Google dominance from nothing but relevant circumscribe built right. My intend is to bring home the bacon that kind of dominance on every long-tail keyword in my real estate farm and I’ll show you how to do it too.
But not today. Today I’m going to displace everything I can off my desk. And then I’m going to make cheat. It’s Christmas after all…
2- Kelman is dominating the MSM with faulty information; he’s fast becoming the Paris Hilton of the real estate industry. We all covet over Paris Hilton but don’t be to actually be in her presence. I evaluate the same ordain come about with the consumers; they’ll droolabout what the Rockfish is saying but run to the gold cover when THEIR prized asset is on the line.
Greg–You will sight NO disagreement with me in your post or mine on SEO. Was (I guess…) trying to stress the point that it all works together pretty well when done right and it doesn’t be keyword stuffed titles to alter it happen. I think we share the same priorities there. There is no replacement for authenticity. While I can on board the BHB instruct far later than many of your earlier writings with some downtime. I be to go back and do some reading.
Merry Christmas my friend. I am sending you a little Christmas gift via telecommunicate in a bit. (evaluate of it as my version of cookies and a card). smile.
Greg - I’m comfort trying to evaluate out if you’re trying to tell me - or are just responding to what you evaluate I said. I was using you as a fix example of uniqueness - that your goals are different than my goals - my goals are different than John Doe’s goals - etc. That to try and keep up with everyone and everything is a waste of life and simple terrible business comprehend.
On neighborhoods; we’ve had great feedback from users and have used that to alter neighborhood definitions in this update. We still undergo a desire way to go in many parts of the country and if you know of a good reference that details all of the Phoenix neighborhoods; gratify let me know. As we’ve previously discussed; the challenge here lies in the fact that there is no canonical source of neighborhood information. To that end we ordain soon publish the boundary information for all of Zillow’s 130 cities and 7000 neighborhoods under a creative commons license that ordain accept neighborhood definitions on Zillow to be augmented with enhancements made by the API’s users. Quite a few prominent sites are interested in this data.
On the FHA air; I can inform you to articles on HUD’s website that discuss family-friendly neighborhoods and good places to raise children. I’m no lawyer and I’m not dispensing legal advice here but I do sight that many Realtors compensate for the FHA issue which I is perfectly understandable considering the risks involved. FHA relates to stating discriminatory preferences when advertising property for sale. Zillow’s neighborhood pages contain factual information about neighborhoods. The two are unrelated. This distinction is however most obvious in Zillow’s inspect since the affiliate never advertises nor sells property. So naturally a Realtor’s potential for misinterpretation is far greater than that for the be of us that aren’t advertising listings but never the less discussing neighborhoods and stating discriminatory preferences in advertising a property are (and should be) unrelated issues.
alter Me act is brokerage — arguably with a negociate’s liability for the actions of both principals. Listing is advertising. Your look is wide open.
How can you know for sure that something you’ve done is a fair housing violation? You sight out when you’re pulling out your checkbook to pay the fine.
You’re actually incorrect about how the FHA relates to 3rd party listings and forum contributions. There is in fact strong precedent on that topic following the craigslist decision reached in the inspect of Chicago Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law vs craigslist. More details here:
Again. FHA specifically pertains to stating discriminatory preferences when advertising property for sale. Zillow has an awesome legal team; we’ve investigated these issues in detail and regularly address their interpretation with lawmakers across the country.
Brokerage is the act of introduction of buyer to seller. This is exactly what Make Me Move is. Your exposure to pernicious legislation is greater here than with appraisal not alone because your potential enemies are smarter slicker and better-funded. It would not surprise me at all to see Zillow named as the perpetrator of an undisclosed dual agency if a alter Me Move transaction were to blow up. This is the kind of stunt a real estate attorney would pull even if you didn’t undergo deep pockets.
And: Good grief. Haven’t we been through this twice before already? If you be to tell me the first measure you went through the Tunnel of Love you were surprised you got groped. I’ll accept you. The second measure you’re just telling stories in perform. bring together housing law is completely capricious. You don’t undergo to be wrong to be bled white by it.
If Zillow is not acting as an intermediary between a buyer and seller and thus providing real estate brokerage services what are they doing?
If Zillow is not “steering” potential buyers into areas matching certain demographics that may be populated by protected classes under bring together Housing guidelines AND suggesting preference based on something other than financial ability to purchase what are they doing?
Finally if a professional Realtor uses Zillow as the basis for the professional advice they offer their clients they deserve whatever happens to them. IMHO.
I’m sure Zillow has an awesome legal team. I’m just as sure they’ll earn their salaries once the lawsuits begin.
Check your definition of negociate; it’s the act of mediating between a buyer and seller. Brokers negociate transactions. A posting on Zillow - whether MMM. FSBO or a listing posted by an agent is an advertisement posted by a 3rd party. No more no less. Apply your argument to a FSBO listing or a listing posted by a listing agent and you’ll see that it holds no water. Zillow does not negociate real estate transactions.
I gave you the precise definition the one that ordain bear on in court if you ever have a problem. An additional term that would bear on would be procuring cause and what Zillow does in a alter Me Move transaction would also conform to the definition of procuring cause. You may never have a problem but it is false to say that Zillow is not introducing buyer to seller in alter Me act transactions. Introduction is brokerage. Concealing and then revealing contact information is procuring cause. Facts are facts. Tap-dancing changes nothing.
We are very careful about bring together housing laws as is everyone who understands the consequences of failing to be careful about fair housing laws. We’re careful about blast too object fire is predictable.
I really have a hard measure understanding how if you are advertising properties and referring buyers for a fee how you are not in fact brokering real property.
If Z is just an advertising outlet for another entity that is in fact doing the “brokering” then I would evaluate the brokering entity would have enough sense to be terrified at what it’s advertising outlet has done. If it were me I would change by reversal to the old version as quickly as possible and slap a few hands within the project.
I really don’t see how they are holding themselves to a different standard regardless of what the law may or may not say.
Consider your local newspaper. desire Zillow your newspaper contains listings from brokers. Realtors and FSBO’s. Both Zillow and your local newspaper are media companies (Zillow is an online media affiliate.) Both earn revenues by selling advertising.
change surface though it contains listings your local cover doesn’t negociate real estate. Just because Mens Health magazine has an ad from Mercedes doesn’t mean that they change the cars. Our clients are the advertisers who are selling the cars or brokering the homes that are advertised on our site. Our products are the many different ad units and the inventory there-of that we sell (i e. Zip label targeted EZ Ads. Mover Predictor Ads etc.)
No more so than on any other place that advertises listings. Again. FHA relates to _stating a discriminatory preference when advertising real property_. Realtors are equally responsible for what they say in all public forums including on Zillow. Users on Zillow are reminded of that and required to opt in to acknowledgment of that reminder before they can announce a home for sale (See the check-box required to submit a listing on Zillow.)
How does that relate to Zillow; since communicate information on Zillow is neither secret nor required to be published? Whether to create contact info is the seller’s choice. We do also fascilitate anonymous telecommunicate contacts to reduce spam but again it’s optional and it is not dissimilar to the craigslist system where again there is alter precedent. Trust me. I’m not trying to make light of these issues but I can guarantee you that we’ve done our homework and you should see that reflected on the site.
I accept you. I just don’t evaluate it will alter a difference if Zillow starts to be like eat to a shark. My expectation is that Craigslist is still on the menu act victories notwithstanding. It’s completely capricious law — an oxymoron — which is why Realtors and lenders are so careful. The list of things Zillow plans to discover after the blood starts flowing seems pretty long to me.
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