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]
Hello again everyone! I was quite surprised, after my return to NY from a nice overseas sojourn, to see my “medieval layout” comment as the first quote in the NYT piece about snippy comments on RE blogs.
That apartment, in Brooklyn Heights as I recall, had a strange and not very comfortable floorplan, it reminded me of medieval houses in Scotland and Spain that I have visited. I suppose, in retro, that it was a pretty snarky comment. I could have just said it was “impractical” but I guess I have a way with words.
I wonder if it has sold?
that is very true wine lover, but at the same time when an apartment is fuglily decorated with stuffed animals and granny wallpaper and super overpriced and you choose to advertise on-line, you have to expect ridicule. duh. but yeah curbed is the worst. it’s one site where i just read the actual posts and not the replies cuz well the replies fall into the same three replies.. ALWAYS
1.) buy now or be forever priced out forever
2.) douchebag (cant stand that idiotic overused work)
3.) blah blah blah blah nothing
*rob*
‘What next? Someone is going to come on here and take credit for predicting the Mutant Asset Bubble!”
Why do I have to take credit for something that everyone acknowledged?
The What
Someday this war is gonna end…
brownstoner really isn’t that bad compared to curbed. people on curbed just completely make stuff up. there are ridiculous assumptions and flat out lies. people constantly comment on properties or areas that they no nothing about. given that many buyers are really not always that shrewd, i do think that negative press from anonymous idiots is kinda scary when your financial future is on the line.
oh yeah and another thing. what is UP with them only posting the ages for people for whom it will seem uber great that they are that young and buying and selling? like blah blah, 27, sold and bought a gazillion dollar apartment. yet people who are like 40 they dont print their age. lol! baaaaaaaaaaaaaaarf. i hated everyone mentioned in that article. toolbag city. im moving to detroit baby!
*rob*
i thought it was a very tired piece. was it written in 1998?
*rob*
Am I the only one who found this part of the article to be disturbing:
“After accepting a job in Philadelphia last fall, Diana Lind asked Mr. Butler to feature her two-bedroom prewar apartment in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, as a Co-op of the Day. (Mr. Butler is partial to prewar homes.) The resulting write-up was among the gentler of the breed, calling attention to the apartment’s “magazine-worthy stylings†and “reasonable†asking price of $525,000.
“I would not have done it if it were not a recession and because I needed to sell the apartment in a now-or-never situation,†said Ms. Lind, 27, the editor in chief of an urban policy magazine, Next American City.”.
When I go to Japan, I read an English-language paper that proudly states on its front page: “Reporting the news without fear or favor”. I guess the blogoshpere is a whole new world where old journalistic standards no longer apply.
I find things to be weird on Brownstoner lately. I’m not used to journals where the publisher complains about his regulars, delights in the mis-fortune of folks opposed to his way of thinking, and (apparently) can be approached about the use of his blog to help sell an apartment.
Well, I guess it doesn’t matter if we all have our 15 minutes of fame – our snark published in the NYT!
Carry on….
Who am I? I’m the unsilent majority, bigmouth -Paulie from Rocky IV
Geez, you guys on Brownstoner want credit for everything 😉
What next? Someone is going to come on here and take credit for predicting the Mutant Asset Bubble!