Real Estate Blogs: Double-Edged Swords
The opening sentence of the cover story of this weekend’s NY Times Real Estate section sets up the article with a false premise: “As unsold properties proliferate and encounters with the scalpel fail to move them, some New York City sellers are being undermined by an often nameless enemy.” See, we’d argue that the sellers…
The opening sentence of the cover story of this weekend’s NY Times Real Estate section sets up the article with a false premise: “As unsold properties proliferate and encounters with the scalpel fail to move them, some New York City sellers are being undermined by an often nameless enemy.” See, we’d argue that the sellers aren’t being undermined at all (except in the case when actually false information is put forth). Rather, in our view, sites like Curbed, Brownstoner and StreetEasy are just expediting the process of bringing sellers’ expectations in line with the market—and calling lazy brokers to task for providing insufficient information and sub-par photographs. Input from thousands of other market-savvy readers can also help to bring much needed transparency and frankness to the process, all of which—hopefully—makes the market more efficient. People are asking questions they can’t ask their broker, and they’re really interested in the qualitative perspective, in getting opinions of people,” said Dawn Doherty, the vice president for strategic development at StreetEasy.com. While there have been instances of brokers and owners identifying themselves and countering criticism successfully on Brownstoner in the past, some brokerages are clear gun-shy, and probably with some reason. We basically do not allow our agents to post comments without prior approval, because we think it’s a can of worms, said Diane Ramirez, the president of Halstead Property. Unless something is egregiously incorrect, it’s almost better to let it die, because if you comment on it, it takes on a life of its own. Some brokers realize that, more often that not, the benefits of publicity are worth the price of a few online pot-shots.
Snark Attack [NY Times]
When we were selling, I emailed brownstoner our FSBO site and he featured it. He liked it, pointed out some positives including a reasonable price. I’ve never met Jon, and he never emailed me back to say he would or would not list it. (BTW, this was back in the kinder and gentler brownstoner era — not sure I’d email him today).
Think this is the kind of “relationship” the seller in this article is describing.
I’m all for journalistic integrity but i think the expectations of what this blog- or any other is supposed to be is not what I expect from a real newspaper or journal. I don’t think Jon has ever claimed to be a cut and dry information blog, he didn’t misrepresent the co-op, the HOTD and COTD are places in his opinion we might be interested in. I don’t see where he has to justify his choice or say more than that. He’s not a broker so he’s not making money off the sale. If this were a broker’s blog- then i would expect full disclosure.
This is what the about me says: “Brownstoner.com is a site about Brooklyn real estate and renovation, and all the tangential topics that impact life inside and outside the home in Brooklyn.” He doesn’t claim to be a reporter or anything else. He is simply presenting topics he thinks people will like reading and commenting on.
“I don’t expect Brownstoner or any other blog to live up to the standards of the NY Times.”
I haven’t expected the NY Times to live up to the standards of the NY Times for years…
nor have I been disappointed in my expectations.
Maybe I’m wrong, but I had always assumed that the HOTD and COTD were drawn from suggestions by others, be they realtors, sellers, potential buyers or regular readers of this blog. I’m not sure Mr. B. has anything to gain by agreeing to highlight the properties (if this is indeed the case) because as we all know, it can get pretty ugly on those threads when it comes to ripping apart decor and layout.
“nce the ft. greene co-op seller got her home listed on the site as a co-op of the day, she praised the property anonymously without disclosing that she was the seller.”
In the Wild West, it’s sometimes hard to tell the lawmen from the desperados.
“I don’t expect Brownstoner or any other blog to live up to the standards of the NY Times. But I do expect full disclosure if the blogger is featuring a property that he was “invited” to feature by a friend, realtor, or anyone.”
I agree 100% with that.
“Blogs are personal websites- that’s a basic premise. ”
Yes, but some blogs–like this one–put themselves forth as a source of relaible and independent information. Brownstoner is not chating about what he did this weekend and the funny things the wee stoners did or the fab find mrs brownstoner got at the flee yada yada yada. He has created a cut-and-dy straight information blog–and by doing so he has created an expectation of some basic journalistic integrity.
The comments on Curbed are mostly idiotic… I can barely click on the “comments” section, because it’s the same tired crap.
Streeteasy posters will have you believe it’s Armageddon. And, half the posts degenerate into personal attacks that veer so far away from the original subject, that you forget why you clicked on the thread. That also gets tiresome.
I find Brownstoner to be like a bit of fresh air, because most folks seem like fairly rational people. Plus, The What’s posts are easy to ignore.
z- i think she pointed out its assets- It’s good for potential buyers to hear all sides – good and bad. But having engaged in the Wild west of Brownstoner, I probably would have posted anonymously too about the place. Or risk getting shot down in flames for my own self interest- by other anonymous bloggers with no investment in the property other than their opinion. It does cut both ways- but I don’t see where Jon acted unethically, nor really, did the apartment owner. Were she misrepresenting the place or lying about it- that’s a different story. But in any case, a buyer would see that if they went to see the place. And then post about it too.