Republican vs Democrat- See the Political Dashboard

Yahoo has the political dashboard. I’m not sure if this helps you in your decisions much, but it’s a nicely displayed group of information either way.  (h/t to Eric Bryant)

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

‘Now, I’ll tell you what, my friend,’ said Scrooge, ‘I am not going to stand this sort of thing any longer. And therefore,’ he continued, leaping from his stool, and giving Bob such a dig in the waistcoat that he staggered back into the Tank again; ‘and therefore I am about to raise your salary!’

-A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Video is Over-Rated

Video has been the “new” thing now for while and some people are really into using video for blogging and for real estate tours. But not everything that is new is better.  I have not embraced using video in real estate sales or in blogging (vlogging), and here’s why…

The written (typed) word inherently allows you to go at your own pace- read fast or slow, re-read over and over- stare at and study, or speed-read at a very fast pace.

Moving video of something standing still (rooms in a home) accomplish nothing more than a still-shot photo does. Moving around a room with a video doesn’t really show you anything you wouldn’t see in a few photos.

Copy/paste. With a written blog I can copy certain text I want to share, and simply link back to the original. With a video I have to show the whole thing if I want to share it. With virtual tours I can share the photos I want and only the photos I want.

Sometimes people don’t look as good as they write.  

More moving parts= more room for mistakes. I pay a professional to do my tours, but even if I were to do my own virtual tours, I could snap 200 photos and pick the best ones to show my listing. By doing a video, even if I get the lighting right and there are no annoying background noises and I can hold the camera steady, there is still the issue of shooting flattering angles and just as importantly, not shooting unflattering angles of the home, or me.

Difficult to keep your eyes on the ball. When I read a blog I am reading the message the author gives me. When I see a video I am just as interested in the quality of the shoot, the sound, what they are wearing, what they look like, where they are, what’s going on around them, etc. The message is in there, too, but it doesn’t have my full attention.

Movies are never as good as the book. When I read a book I get to know the characters in a different way. I read what they are thinking and feeling and get all the great details that are typically missed in the movie version. Books have my full attention (see above paragraph) on where the author takes me. Movies (videos) sometimes suffer the message for the show. When I watch a horror movie I’m thinking of what they used for the fake blood (chocolate, ketchup, red dye?) and not the plot.

Photos are easier. Much much easier for most people. As I mentioned before, there are lighting and sound issues, and having a steady hand, but I need to plan my steps and route and think about a bunch of little things that affect the shoot. With photos an agent can take them and then sort later for good ones. And if you mess up a little- photoshop.

Start and finish on my time. I can begin to write a post and then stop and finish later. I can snap photos of a house and then go to an appointment and edit through them later. With video you’ve pretty much got to do the whole thing at once.

I understand why some people like video. I like watching videos, too- just not for real estate.

It’s Black and White- How to Sell Your Home

Daniel Rothamel from the Real Estate Zebra Has produced a video that discusses how to sell your home. The beauty of this video is that it applies to most all real estate markets around the country. If you are selling your home, this is a must see.

BlueRoof on HouseHunters This Week

 

Trisha, my wife and business partner will be featured on HGTV’s HouseHunters later this week. She’s the only Utah Realtor to ever be on the show, and most certainly the most beautiful to ever appear on network television.

The show is titled, “To Be or Not to B&B”

From the HGTV website, “In Salt Lake City, a young couple searches for a place to hang their hats and their shingle.”

Shows times are:

€     December 20, 2007 10:00 PM ET/PT
€     December 21, 2007 2:00 AM ET/PT
€     December 22, 2007 5:30 PM Mountain Time

Most “Vain” Cities in the Nation

 

Those guys at Forbes, they really do know how to pick ‘em. They just released their list of the Top Ten Most Vain cities in the country, based mostly on the number of plastic surgeons per capita. Apparently, over 11,000,000 cosmetic procedures were performed in the US in 2006, a 48% increase over the previous year.

From the article, “As the number of cosmetic procedures nationwide continues to surge, we looked at which cities have most embraced market demand for taut faces, lush lips and flat abs. There were predictable entries like New York, Miami and Los Angeles, but also surprising ones like Louisville, Ky., and Nashville, Tenn. Most shocking of all was the town that ranked first: Salt Lake City. “

Yes, you read that correctly- the city at the top, rated as the “Most Vain” was my very own hometown of Salt Lake City.

Forbes offers this disclaimer;

“Unexpected entries like Salt Lake City, Nashville and Louisville might rise to the top, given smaller populations and medical or university programs and centers that focus on plastic surgery. An influx of younger, more affluent residents into the smaller cities may also account for the rising number of plastic surgeons.”

This is something I’ve known for many years, actually, but growing up here, you learn to embrace the culture. And it’s actually very difficult to tell as there are so many beautiful women here. Of course my wife is the most beautiful woman in Salt Lake, and she’s all natural- go figure?

Point2 Agent Shaken Up- Good For Consumers and Agents

 

I don’t know as much about Point2 Agent  as a company as many agents do, but I am a member and have used the system. It seems to me to be an entry-level type service with a template website given and then you pay for add-ons and additional services. One thing I do know is that the company, as far the real estate piece of what they do, is centered around template websites. I think it’s important for our industry to evolve and maybe it’s time to begin to step-up to a higher level of website than templates offer.

There are better options than templates.

For most agents, a template website is their only on-line presence- either a template or an “agent page” on their broker’s website. So consumer’s see all these template sites and it affirms to them that agents don’t know much about technology. Often the consumer ends up going to the better websites (clean user-interface, enjoyable search experience, etc) that they can find, and in most areas Zillow, Realtor.com and Trulia are the best they can find.

Problem with Trulia, Realtor.com and Zillow is they are not real estate companies- they are technology companies. They take agent information (listings) for the purpose of selling ads and leads to agents. Their purpose is not to help consumers find homes, it’s to sell ads or leads. Obviously that’s not the best business model for the consumers (or agents)?

Now Point2 Agent is getting all shaken up and people are talking about it. I don’t wish bad on them at all, in fact for many agents they have been the only a good solution, but I think this shake-up may a good thing in at least one way- maybe it will open some discussion about different and even better online solutions for agents.

Instead of creating well-designed websites that offer real value to the consumer, agents usually either get a cheap  template just to have a website or they pay a technology company (Trulia/Realtor.com/Zillow) for leads. I understand why- it’s a lot easier and much less expensive than it is to build a custom site. Custom websites can cost a lot. I spent well over six figures on BlueRoof.com, and it’s tough to pay that kind of money, especially if you have no experience converting online leads and have no idea what sort of return (if any) on your investment you’ll get. But help is on the way.

Point2 and other template sites serve their purpose, to be sure, but I think many agents who have a Point2 websites would like to have something better.

In February there will something much better.

See it here:

http://blueroof.wordpress.com/2008/01/18/blueroof360-industry-best-realtor-websites-lead-and-client-management/

The Six-Word Story

 

Came across this really cool post about Steve Jones, a teacher at the North Carolina School of Science and Math, and his assignment to his students.

The assignment: to write a compelling, six-word story. As the legend goes, Ernest Hemingway once did this—some say he wrote it to settle a tab, while others think it was a bet. His story: “For sale: baby shoes, never used.” He claims it was the best writing of his life.

Here are some of mine…

Hello… (heart beats fast)…I’m sorry.

Never again! Unless… well, maybe someday

Get in, sit down, hang on…

Here kitty kitty… Here kitty- Ouch!

Once in a lifetime, once again.

Real estate template websites suck, sorry.

From the contest- these are incredible;

Spoon shopping, needs shine. A smile?

You took my hand; hello, future.

A call: action scene, explosion out.

Jailed, “murdered,” became the world’s superhero

Found a heart. Wasn’t broken. Weird.

Wrote story. It sucked. Started over.

Sixty years of love. Suddenly alone.

“Do it again…no thank you.”

I wake, see and enjoy, sleep.

WORLDWIDE POWER OUTAGE! Details at 11.

I abandoned the earth’s last person.

Despite consequences, last night worth it.

“Once upon a time… the end.”

for sale: baby, with new shoes

You’re good. Unfortunately, we want great.

Harry met Sally. Sally met John.

Lost man meets wolves, finds brothers

Warning, zombie rampage. Protect your families.

The One? *Aortic rupture.* World waits…

What’s that!? I only get six?

Salt Lake Real Estate Market Still on Top for 2007

I know, I know…. the market is supposed to be horrible and everything bad and the sky should be falling. But even so, average prices aren’t dropping in Salt Lake County and the local economy is soaring. All factors indicate that our local real estate market will continue to move toward a flat sales rate for a while with the seasonal slowdown and the high inventory levels, but we have no bubble in Salt Lake and real estate will continue to be a solid financial investment.

In fact, we’re still the #1 market in the country for appreciation in 2007.

(update) According to the latest MSN report on 12-28-07, Salt lake was #3 in the nation, Provo and Ogden were also in the top 5 in the country.

Utah has the nations fifth-lowest foreclosure rate.

Salt Lake’s real estate market has appreciated 12.9% year-over-year for third quarter 2007.

And job growth is still booming (Utah remains far and away the best economically performing state in the nation, said Mark Knold, senior labor market economist with the Utah Department of Workforce Services) and we still have record-low unemplyment rates.

In fact, accroding to Kelly K. Matthews, executive vice president and economist for Wells Fargo Bank, Utah’s economy is the best it’s ever been and will continue to be so at least through the first half of next year!

Sorry to all of you “sky-is-falling” people out there…

The Media Says Now is a Good Time to Buy

 

That wacky media, and it’s incredible contradiction… From the Deseret Morning News come this article talking about how Salt Lake’s stellar economy and job growth are shielding it from the same harm some other markets are facing (sound familiar?) From MSN Money comes this article  about buying real estate now, and this one  saying now is a good time to invest in builder stocks because the market is collecting a strong pent-up demand from homebuyers.

From the Article,

“Employment is still strong and plenty of folks who have the desire and the means to buy aren’t doing it. Why? For most of us, buying a home is the biggest investment we’ll ever make. Would you buy a house when everyone is telling you that home prices are headed down? Me neither. But the demand isn’t going away. The ready and willing buyers are waiting for a signal that home prices have stabilized. Everybody wants a bargain, and many will rush to buy if they think that prices are headed back up. That signal could come early next year.”

Even Donald Trump is saying that now is the time to buy. On Larry King October 21st, Trump says,

“It’s an amazing situation. There are tremendous opportunities. You know what’s interesting, I was begging people not to buy real estate two years ago. And everybody was interested in buying. And now they are less interested, and this is the time they should be going out — not buying, negotiating to buy. This is the time. “

Trumps also addresses the foreclosure issue,

“TRUMP- But this is the time. You were talking about books. This is the time that people should be going out and making unbelievable deals on real estate. And one other thing, Larry, you read all the about subprime and all about the people (ph). I don’t understand where these people come from. The bank sends them a letter, and they leave. They send them a letter, you have to be out. They leave. Why don’t they call up the bank and negotiate?

KING: Yes, everything is negotiable.

TRUMP: The bank doesn’t want to take over their house. I mean, the bank, whether they are nice or not. What are they going to do, put security people in there? I mean, the bank, you can sit down. You can make a better deal than you would have made five years ago with the bank.

Cut the price, make it interest, make it long-term. The bank needs these people. But what happens is the bank sends them a notice, the people leave. I don’t get it.”

Makes sense to me- when it’s a buyers market- that would be the time to buy. There is pent-up demand because people get scared, but here’s the thing about real estate- you don’t wait to buy real estate- you buy real estate and wait.

Buying a home is a long term investment. You buy a home and enjoy the tax benefits and the pride of ownership and as the years pass you enjoy making a lot of money from your home rising in value. Most of the wealth in this country has come from real estate. Most people who have wealth have made that wealth through real estate- either all or in part, through owning real estate.

Of course the market goes through cycles, but if you stay for a while, all real estate (especially in metropolitan areas) goes up in value.

The media as a whole is one of the biggest factors in different real estate markets suffering this year, but it’s not everyone. People who know investing know the best time to buy is when everyone else isn’t buying. And in real estate, the best time for buyers to buy is in a “buyers market”. Hence, the name…