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?
Well Renee,
If you start writing there, maybe I'll start reading there! :)
Renee,
You make some real good points here... the media is controlled by large corporations that own lots of smaller companies. AOL for example is owned by Time Warner --- now how many folks have cableTV or DirecTV?? WB?? seen a Warner Bros. film? It trickles down and rolls up. Not as much about selling papers or advertisements but a lot about control and dissemenation of information. For a lot of people this is their only source of news --- and yes, that's why we have such a tough job
You are right. The "news" isn't reported by some great experts who know so much. It's just stories used to generate viewers. It's not about reporting the facts.
Renee,
I guess this is what it's like to be a movie star. You know how they're always complaining about ridiculous new reportings on them? Well, I suppose we are all in the same boat when it comes to love/hate relationships with the media. I totally agree with you on all of these. Maybe we can get a Blog going on ways to tip the media on the facts from the insider's point of view. Insiders meaning Real Estate Professionals that is. Great post!
Lisa
Renee
I truly believe that all the "news" out there is what has hurt this market in the past year. I can't speak for any area other than my own, but I believe all the "crap" out there on the Internet led to the buyers being so "stand-offish" about buying and rightfully so i guess.
I mean If i was a consumer and constantly read, "market is overpriced" ... "bubble is burst"... "don't buy ...." I would think twice also.
I think the media exposure on those topics has slowed somewhat ... but they are still a constant topic with clients as to what to do with buying and selling and when.
My phone still rings every day... so I dispel those rumors constantly
Desiree www.tricountyhomes4sale.com
We should all constantly submit our real estate related articles to the local papers. Some of them actually get published. Every little bit helps.
Don't even get me going about the media Renee, you have heard me rant about them on several occasions. I don't believe anything in the media it is unbelievable that anybody does.
Renee - I am always suspect of anything sign anonymous, it shows a lack of courage and conviction. One of the best things about most blogging communities is that blogger do not usually pretend to be journalist, most are not. Blogging provide one with the opportunity to say whatever is on you mind at anytime you like in a very honest way. I share your concern when the ease of access and publication is abused by opinion pieces that are positioned as news. Follow the old newspaper credo, news is news and opinion belongs in the editorial section of the paper.
The rise of this type of "media" make the role of the industry specific blogger all the more important. We can best share the truths of our industry because we are in the trenches everyday closing deals and making the "American Dream" a reality for more individuals.
Renee, you post are great - please keep it up.
James
Renee.... from reading your whole blog, it sounds like just another way for people to advertise. Making the news, with false hopes. It's sad, but sadly enough, it works. I was just watching something at 2 am, yes, 2 am. You know how you have these real estate guru's showing you how to invest and buy lots of properties. Funny that you would bring this up. It was a new guy telling people to invest in his magical way of buying foreclosures really cheap and then selling them.
As you stated... call your realtor and or title company. It kills me that people are making tons of money off of this.
Laurie M. makes an excellent point.
Renee... great post with some very good info. Thanks for bringing this to our attention. I enjoyed this because it was something new and different.
Hi Renee,
Good post. You are right - we spend a lot of time correcting "half truths".
Nice going,
Mary Pope-Handy (Realtor, CRS, ABR, EPro, SRES - Silicon Valley)
What about Inman? Talk about a web site that purports to be about real estate yet bashes the very industry it makes its money from. They do some "sensational" headlines then when you read the article, it has a totally different slant.
I like your "email" address. That's funny.
Sarah: This is precisely why I think blogging is a great way to gain credibility back to our profession.
Kaushik: Absolutely!
Mark: Awww shucks. Food for my ego on a Monday afternoon!
Kelli: We must keep fighting the good fight :)
joanne: Absolutely on the mark!
Heather: From under a rock?!?!?
Tim: You hit the nail on the head!
Lisa & Robert: How will AOL and bargainnetwork.com be able to make any money if they went that direction?
Desiree: It is almost getting laughable!
Debi: I think that is a good idea! FYI: I have been meaning to thank you personally for the card. I love your puppy dawg :)
Laurie: I second that!
James: Thank you for the compliment! The anonymous nature of the agent makes me wonder if they are a Realtor and if they are they may have broken sections of Article 12 in our COE
Jeff: I am seriously thinking about doing a commercial for people to sign up for free short sale/foreclosure listings as I saw bargain network's advertisement on cable in passing today.
George: I am with you. Remember the anthrax scare in Las Vegas back in 1998? I thought I was going to die and wanted to move back to Nebraska. The resolution (after days of obsession over it) was that it was legal for that guy to have it on him. He was seeking to create a vaccine for anthrax! It's amazing that what is reported to be what is really isn't!
Mary: Thank You!
Elaine: It would be selfish of me to expect them to be little vehicles of promotion of something that puts food in their mouth, a roof over their head and clothes on their back, now wouldn't it? Actually I bought cool promotional pens (concert swizzle) for them to give to friends in need and their friends love em! hee hee!
Renee,
Great article,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, I'll be watching for more in the future.
Stay Great,
Paul
http://www.getactionnow.e3flix.com/
Renee,
Thanks for the post. AOL headliners are about sensationalism. They are looking for the hits and a lot of people are generating them! So we must be observant and ready to respond to the reader who is looking for the facts from the troops.
Funny stuff, Renee.
I loved your e-mail spoof. Two of my favorite e-mail addys were
hothomebuyingchik@ ( a free domain)
bigpimpinrealtor@ (free domain)
I actually thought the industry was going that way a few years back. I imagine they changed their e-mails by now
Cynthia: YES!
Paul: Thank you for your kind comments!
Jeff: I would hope so!
William: I know but it gets tiring :sigh: I need to start tracking where people are "hearing" this stuff!
Brian: LOL! Probably to FormerRealEstateLicensee @ FreeMail dot com
Don: If we think we are overwhelmed think about the consumer!
Danny: I am from one state south of Iowa. Naw, maybe I shouldn't go there but there are a Lot of people like that!
Debi: :)