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Byron Lazine and Nicole White are two agents in Connecticut who give us their thoughts on the week’s news every Friday in “The Real Word,” a weekly video column on Inman.
In this week’s episode of The Real Word, hosts Lazine and White sit down to discuss why appraisers say they have “targets on their backs,” the House Whisperer, and this week’s Left, Middle, Right.
Racket No. 1: Why appraisers say they have ‘targets on their backs’
According to a survey conducted by the National Association of Realtors, appraisers cited appraisal management companies, expanding industry regulations, pressure from real estate agents and brokers, and fee pressures as the greatest challenges to their businesses.
Many appraisers are “Very Uncomfortable” with desktop appraisals, and White agrees. She said that there are many things you can’t determine until you get into the house. In addition, part of the reason appraisers could be uncomfortable is that they might feel that they are on the chopping block.
Lazine said he’d take an agent’s knowledge and “feel” for the market and value any day over an appraised value.
Racket No. 2: The House Whisperer
Next, Lazine and White looked at Realtor.com’s new “House Whisperer” ad campaign and how it resonates with consumers. Sometimes, real estate agents overcomplicate the home search process, Lazine said, so packaging what you offer in a way that makes sense to consumers is valuable.
Left, middle, right
Kanye West to acquire conservative social media platform Parler
Kanye West will be acquiring Parler, the alternative social media platform favored by conservatives, after being temporarily blocked by Twitter over an antisemitic tweet.
According to Lazine, don’t let news like this get you to download Parler or go chasing one social media platform after another. Get on Facebook for boomers because that’s where the wealth is, plus Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. Spend your time and energy on the well-established social media platforms.
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