Real Estate Blogs "A Great Forum to Vent Anger"
The Wall Street Journal delves into the world of real estate blogs this morning, with a focus on their commenting culture, to see how they’re faring as the housing crisis continues. “Thanks to the housing crisis, real-estate blogs are blooming not only in number, but in nastiness, as thousands of strangers swap stinging critiques of…
The Wall Street Journal delves into the world of real estate blogs this morning, with a focus on their commenting culture, to see how they’re faring as the housing crisis continues. “Thanks to the housing crisis, real-estate blogs are blooming not only in number, but in nastiness, as thousands of strangers swap stinging critiques of high-end homes hitting the market.” The paper looks at the fallout from the jabs, citing one house seller who tuned in to Brownstoner and saw his property getting the royal treatment, from us and from the commenters, alike. “Readers quickly chimed in, citing overuse of track lighting and black granite and calling the border on the bathtub ‘hideous’ and the furniture ‘cheesy,'” they write. “‘They’re probably hipsters — people who live really grungy,’ counters Dr. Fernandez, noting that the bathroom tiles are handmade and the ‘cheesy’ furniture cost over $100,000.” When another owner wrote in to defend her property, she was welcomed and called brave by, well, you guys. That’s right: you can be nice. What the article doesn’t say is that we have seen community forged from these pages at events like the commenters’ party earlier this month.
Housing Blogs Throw Stones [WSJ]
Hey, it’s educational. Thank god there is now a public forum where we can make fun of the shocking ruination of our housing stock.
I am deeply sorry WSJ missed the little “hep of poop” scandal over at BushwickBK. A real estate agent made a complete fool of herself trying to defend herself by posting multiple times anonymously.
Maybe Brownstoner could offer classes to agents, developers, builders, and remodelers. Agents: Use spellcheck and take photos. Builders: Make the ceilings high and the windows big. Remodelers: No country cupboards from Home Depot, don’t stain the floors purple, and don’t build closets that jut out into rooms and hallways.
“ENY…I assume you’re talking about me.”
No, actually I was referring to posters of a more mendacious type whose views on race, class and sexual orientation come off as quite backward. You’re not of that ilk, although you do seem to be a pretty superficial person in general. Then again, posts can be deceiving – maybe you’re OK. The point is, I don’t care. I won’t be meeting up with any Brownstone posters (intentionally, that is). I have fun posting here, but I don’t need a blog to make friends.
“Did you figure out yet that the elimination of term limits does not mean the same thing as an extended term for Bloomberg and that he still has to run for election??”
You were right Dave, I was wrong. There will be an election in 2009. Feel free to have yourself a cookie.
My problem was with the process was the Mayor’s back-room deal to create a City Council vote. It was a clear circumvention of the democratic process, considering the people have already voted twice for term limits. Bloomberg is now guilty he same back-office, rich-boys-network tactics for which he once lampooned other politicians. Now that he’s gotten away with it once, who knows when he’ll try it again? This is a pretty bad precedent.
ditto…that’s a beauty…hope one day you get to have it.
It’s now up there with my favorite cars. I’m not a car buff, but I love 1950’s and early 60’s roadsters.
What, that horrible overrated golfcart with wings? ;).
“if we can’t have it, we don’t like it.”
That means I don’t like that 1955 gullwing Mercedes.
not true. most of the stuff on this site i can have and maybe never will, but i like it anyway! :-/
crimsonson…that truly deserves to be the QOTD. Well put..
“That is the problem. Most comments, certainly not all, are off the cuff remarks. It is difficult to take anything without a huge grain of salt. Often comments become more of an entertaining item than informative and/or sincere. It would take a huge filter BS to find them.
Let us not forget that most people, especially those making the BIGGEST investment of their entire life, is not going to ‘OMFG Dubai/Trump ROFL NIMBY crap!’ from a random internet poster seriously. If you do, well… I guess I understand why we are in this market.”
snarking at high-end homes is the new york real estate equivalent of celebrity gawking. some people enjoy nitpicking gwyneth paltrow’s oscar dress and makeup. others enjoy harping on the bathroom tile in a $3 million home. it’s all a form of empowerment to the masses; if we can’t have it, we don’t like it.
“In any event – don’t these blogs provide a necessary foil to the over-effusive saccharine blathering hyper-excited hogwash that brokers provide.”
That is the problem. Most comments, certainly not all, are off the cuff remarks. It is difficult to take anything without a huge grain of salt. Often comments become more of an entertaining item than informative and/or sincere. It would take a huge filter BS to find them.
Let us not forget that most people, especially those making the BIGGEST investment of their entire life, is not going to ‘OMFG Dubai/Trump ROFL NIMBY crap!’ from a random internet poster seriously. If you do, well… I guess I understand why we are in this market.
Yes you do need a counterpoint from the subhuman that is the broker. But casual commentating from a RE blog sites like Curb and BS is not one of the. Or at least they are low in the totem pole.
I’m pretty sure visiting the unit, personal recommendations and public data (school, value, etc) is where most (rich or poor) go for their information. Curb and BS is really RE entertainment.