The following is a collection of reader comments found on Inman.com:
No substitute for knowledge
‘Bradley, find that Realtor’s card in my wallet’
"I am forwarding your post to all my agents, Brad, because it’s a wonderful reminder that there is no substitute for knowledge, personal relationships, communication, great service, and … referrals! I am a strong proponent of technology as a tool to enhance one’s business, but the foundation is key. A constant challenge for all of us at my office, me included, is weighing the pros and cons of any marketing tool against its cost (both in time and money) and the likely return on one’s investment. The old-timer Realtor obviously had the foundation and could afford, or get away, without being as computer and technology literate as most of us need to be today. But he’s also a lesson in how all the techno-acumen will not make one a success without that foundation. Thanks for the reminder, and a touching life story."
–Ninah Hunter
Giving away information will pay off later
Consumers don’t want to be ‘captured’
"I love this topic. I had a site that once gave people a sneak peak and than they had to register. I had tons and tons of sign-ups. Business seemed great. Then in 2006 it seemed to have died. I looked around online and saw free sites giving all the info away. I have been finding people want to come to you when they are ready. Not only have I found that online people want to get stuff for free, but think of it this way: Whenever you have a simple question for a lawyer, do you want to call him and get charged for that minute? I don’t. I want a quick answer. When he gives that to me and shows me he isn’t about the per-minute charge, then I come to him when I really need him. Give value first! Give away info! Give it away! They will come to you for help … they will like your style."
—"Utah Dave" Robison
Web 2.0 offers lessons in openness
The road to killer
"The ‘quirky’ and ‘aesthetic’ world of 2.0, while leading many of us down exciting paths of business model exploration ‘offline’ and ‘online,’ clearly contains some ‘silly’ stuff that might be serving as a deterrent to real-world brokerage modeling … one with sustained profit, predictable ROI and streamlined consumer-centric delivery models … all without slight of hand or maintenance nightmares.
"How many of us actually have time to nurse our LinkedIn, Twitter, FaceBook, Zillow and YouTube accounts and the host of other pseudo 2.0 tools that are supposedly connecting us? I don’t know about you, but I’m worn out and dizzy.
"You’re right! The ‘killer’ brokerage is one that can truly deliver value-centered solutions to people in language you have called ‘simple’ and ‘trivial.’ Trivial simplicity is just keenly directed and meaningful exchanges that actually present value propositions to participants and ultimately lead to business transactions in an open world.
"What a great opportunity we have in front of us as Web 2.0 preps and tutors us in the new language of openness! Once we get past newness and being cool, there is a wealth of business modeling we can use to renovate the industry, starting with our own companies."
—REALonomics.net
A tough call on the ‘Big F’s’
Home builder plans trouble analysts
"[Jim] Cramer is right in this sense: The explosion in residential real estate values was financing-fueled rather than demand-caused, in my view. House demand has ebbed and flowed over the years for demographic reasons, but cheap and easy financing brought many unqualified (buyers) out of thin air to buy houses they didn’t need at prices they couldn’t otherwise afford.
"The bust is also financing-fueled. In my three-plus decades of commercial real estate experience, financing is always the key.
"And thus Cramer has a point: Coddling the Fannie-Freddie leviathans rewards poor judgment (at taxpayer expense, no less) and prolongs an artificial market with tenuous props. It will be years before this thing begins working the way we all thought it was supposed to.
"On the other hand, what’re ya gonna do? Without the big F’s, lenders from Wells Fargo to the little Thrift Around the Corner will hang out the ‘No Homebuyers Need Apply’ signs and a lot of little guys who had nothing to do with making the credit bubble will be the ones who get hurt.
"Tough call."
— William Metzker
Daniel Rothamel, Inman News community manager, compiled the items in this report.
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