I guess I am in to catchy headlines also -BUT- I don't pass myself off as "The News".
I have AOL set as my home page. The kids have AOL addresses. I guess it isn't cool to have an email address like supercoolteen @ yourdorkywannabesupercoolmom'srealestatedomain dot com. Yea I know AOL sensationalizes with "Entertainment News" and have a mostly young, hip audience but every once in a while I run across "real estate news" when the screen flashes by and the real estate nerd in me has to click on it, read it and analyze it to disseminate fact from fiction. Most of these news items are from Money Magazine or Business Week and are credible but the last 24 hours of headlines just has me seeing red!
We all know part of writing is to capture your audience through catchy or "sexy" (if you will) headlines. But really, enough is enough already:
AOL Headline #1, Dateline Yesterday: Bargain Network's Top 10 Foreclosure Cities. You may be able to buy a 3 BR home in Las Vegas for $140K but it is going to be a manufactured home converted to real property and the condition will more than likely be less than stellar! What this "news article" is about is a bit of sensationalism in regards to the foreclosure market and a HUGE advertising for Bargain Network to gain subscribers. Hello?!?!? Is this supposed to be the new Realty Trac? You will be charged 95 cents per week on a monthly basis to get information that is already available to you *for free*. Call your favorite Realtor and Title Company in your area and ask for NOD's. Foreclosure and Short Sale listings to be delivered in your email - for free - as they come on the market. Was that hard?
AOL Headline #2, Dateline Today: Homes For Sale $1. OK, not happenin folks! You may be able to find that home for $1 but you are going to have strings attached, like the fact that you have to MOVE that house. So yes, you have a house, but no land. Moving costs will probably exceed the price of a new build once you find land (even though the article states otherwise) so these types of homes are not for the bargain hunter but for someone who wants true historic charm in a house.
AOL Article #3, AOL Jobs: Confessions of a Real Estate Agent. You gotta love this one! A Real Estate Agent who talks about their profession and remains anonymous! She talks about pocket listings as if they were a common occurence (they happen but not often!) She also talks smack about sellers, which was somewhat true but could have been done in a more tactful manner. I just wonder why "Sara" didn't want to reveal her true identity and gain some publicity. Odd.
AOL Article #4: AOL Real Estate: Dark Side of the Housing Boom: Shoddy Work. This is actually a pretty good one but it was written by a Money Magazine Contributor. All new construction was shoddy? Probably not. It has good tips in it.
Low and behold I go to the bottom of one of these articles and I see the following link: Home Prices Drop in 40 States. Do you think I am going to ignore that one? Heck no! I click on it and it goes to a blog!
Now I am beginning to understand why I get calls from people that harbor crazy notions and inquire on cheap foreclosures, short sales, NOD's & fire sales. We are constantly battling untruths/half truths such as these and setting the record straight.
I cannot believe what passes off as "news" these days but then again, maybe I am just jealous because my blog wasn't referenced anywhere :smiles: I can also tell you that I have seen better written articles that have more truth right here on AR than I have read on AOL in the last 24 hours. Should we tip them off on where they can find better guest authors?
