Housing News
What’s the next step?
This past week has been a week of discovery.
I hate to admit it, but I haven’t done a lot of real estate this week. I’ve been busy doing a lot of thinking and planning instead. The previous week was a slow one for me, so I didn’t have future business to take care of today. Don’t get me wrong, I still worked on getting some things lined up so that next week is busier for me, but this week had a lot more to do with thoughts about where I was heading and how I was heading there.
Last week, I discussed how I am building an empire and chronicled some of the tiny steps I’ve made towards that goal. My blog is getting visitors (and not just from AgentGenius), I’m popping up in Google, I’ve made great local connections through Twitter, and my phone is ringing. It seems as if I’m on the right path.
It’s still slow though. I’m not getting millions of visitors and comments and my phone doesn’t always ring. That’s ok with me…for now. I want the slow growth, so I have time to learn and figure it all out. I was thrust (by my own doing) into real estate in a not-so-great moment. What I learn today will suit me tomorrow when the markets are boiling hot and I’m the answer to the question.
So what steps will lead me to my next stage of growth?
First thing I’m doing is abandoning the things that have not worked in the year I have been an agent. I’ve tried to like some of these things and will incorporate what I have learned from them, but they are just not worth the trouble and expense. I won’t name these things as I don’t want to discourage anyone from them, as I do see value in them – just not value for me. With some of the dead weight jettisoned, I have freed up some much needed time and capital. And with those, I have moved into new arenas.
I have written a lot of posts about local issues, places, and homes and now it is time to broaden the scope of my writing. It is now time to begin writing more about real estate and less about the little things. Of course these little things do matter and they are a great source of traffic, so I will not be leaving them by the roadside to die. Instead, I will incorporate new ideas and real estate specific posts in with them.
When I first began writing I avoided a lot of the real estate posts; either I felt I wasn’t knowledgeable enough, someone had already written it and written it better, or I was so afraid to take a bad step and wind up guiding a potential client down the wrong path. I knew things, but I lacked some of the confidence I now have. With that confidence comes responsibility. Responsibility to the public which comes across my blog and has a thirst for real estate.
photo courtesy of yoondo
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Average age of houses on the rise, so is it now better or worse to buy new?
With aging housing in America, are first-time buyers better off buying new or existing homes? The average age of a home is rising, as is the price of new housing, so a shift could be upon us.
The average home age is higher than ever
(REALUOSO.COM) – In a survey from the Department of Housing and Urban Development American Housing Survey (AHS), the median age of homes in the United States was 35 years old. In Texas, homes are a bit younger with the median age between 19 – 29 years. The northeast has the oldest homes, with the median age between 50 – 61 years. In 1985, the median age of a home was only 23 years.
With more houses around 40 years old, the National Association of Realtors asserts that homeowners will have to undertake remodeling and renovation projects before selling unless the home is sold as-is, in which case the buyer will be responsible to update their new residence. Even homeowners who aren’t selling will need to consider remodeling for structural and aesthetic reasons.
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Newer homes cost more than they used to. The price differential between new homes and older homes has increased from 10 percent traditionally to around 37 percent in 2014. This is due to rising construction costs, scarcity of lots, and a low inventory of new homes that doesn’t meet the demand.
Click here to continue reading this story…
Housing News
Are Realtors the real loser in the fight between Zillow Group and Move, Inc.?
The last year has been one of dramatic and rapid change in the real estate tech sector, but Realtors are vulnerable, and we’re worried.
Why Realtors are vulnerable to these rapid changes
(REALUOSO.COM) – Corporate warfare demands headlines in every industry, but in the real estate tech sector, a storm has been brewing for years, which in the last year has come to a head. Zillow Group and Move, Inc. (which is owned by News Corp. and operates ListHub, Realtor.com, TopProducer, and other brands) have been competing for a decade now, and the race has appeared to be an aggressive yet polite boxing match. Last year, the gloves came off, and now, they’ve drawn swords and appear to want blood.
Note: We’ll let you decide which company plays which role in the image above.
So how then, does any of this make Realtors the victims of this sword fight? Let’s get everyone up to speed, and then we’ll discuss.
1. Zillow poaches top talent, Move/NAR sues
It all started last year when the gloves came off – Move’s Chief Strategy Officer (who was also Realtor.com’s President), Errol Samuelson jumped ship and joined Zillow on the same day he phoned in his resignation without notice. He left under questionable circumstances, which has led to a lengthy legal battle (wherein Move and NAR have sued Zillow and Samuelson over allegations of breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, and misappropriation of trade secrets), with the most recent motion being for contempt, which a judge granted to Move/NAR after the mysterious “Samuelson Memo” surfaced.
Salt was added to the wound when Move awarded Samuelson’s job to Move veteran, Curt Beardsley, who days after Samuelson left, also defected to Zillow. This too led to a lawsuit, with allegations including breach of contract, violation of corporations code, illegal dumping of stocks, and Move has sought restitution. These charges are extremely serious, but demanded slightly less attention than the ongoing lawsuit against Samuelson.
2. Two major media brands emerge
Last fall, the News Corp. acquisition of Move, Inc. was given the green light by the feds, and this month, Zillow finalized their acquisition of Trulia.
…Click here to continue reading this story…
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Kim Wood
April 1, 2009 at 10:08 pm
Hey, Hey, Mr. Former PA Matt……. The thinking, planning, and discovery part is the very important part!
If you have your goal in mind and keep that in focus – just keep on keepin’ on !
Matt Stigliano
April 2, 2009 at 2:22 am
Just posted on AgentGenius – What’s the next step? https://agentgenius.com/?p=11407
sheilabragg
April 2, 2009 at 2:24 am
What’s the next step?: Get out of your feed reader and comment on this post- we PROMISE that the ShamWow g.. https://tinyurl.com/dgghgj
Real Estate Feeds
April 2, 2009 at 2:24 am
What’s the next step?: Get out of your feed reader and comment on this post- we PROMISE that the ShamWow g.. https://tinyurl.com/dgghgj
Mark Eibner
April 2, 2009 at 3:17 am
we’re at it again What’s the next step?: Get out of your feed reader and comment on this .. https://tinyurl.com/dgghgj
Mark Eibner
April 2, 2009 at 3:17 am
we’re at it again What’s the next step?: Get out of your feed reader and comment on this .. https://tinyurl.com/dgghgj
Matt Stigliano
April 2, 2009 at 5:51 pm
Kim – I wasn’t a big fan of goals until Missy Caulk kind of got me thinking about them. Then an agent in the office forced me to write them down. On huge sheets of paper. It was a big moment for me, staring at those sheets. As I plan more and more I start to see the need to think of today and tomorrow.