Housing News
Suggested Twitter Real Estate People to Follow
Time to beef up on who you follow!
This week, two lists were published of Twitter users in the real estate space that are considered to be influential (Swanepoel’s Top 100 and Luther’s Top 50). Any time a list is published, people poo poo it (especially if they’re not on it), and that’s a shame as Swanepoel and Luther are aiming to offer folks insight into people that influence them and share those connections.
In a similar vein, we’ve chosen to publish a list of people that influence us, and that we find interesting, intelligent and innovative… our very own writers here at Agent Genius. With one click each, you can follow all of the brilliant writers actively contributing at AG and our esteemed alumni.
While you’re tinkering around, be sure to sign up at AG so that when you log in to comment here, everyone can see what your Twitter name and other social networks are!
Update: the TweepML script didn’t pick up one of our writers, Jim Duncan so be sure to follow him as well @jimduncan.
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Housing News
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.
Prices of new homes on the rise
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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ines
September 21, 2009 at 2:02 pm
funny how people get huffy when they don’t make the list – maybe it’s the title that can offend…..for me…..it’s one list at a time 😀 PEACE!
Benjamin Bach
September 21, 2009 at 2:10 pm
Great resource – I’m now following a few peeps I should have followed before! Thx for the inclusion, I’m always happy to see my name in such great company
Danilo Bogdanovic
September 21, 2009 at 2:25 pm
I second Ines’ comment. Seriously…it’s not a popularity contest.
If you truly believe your Tweets are quality and so do your followers, who cares how many followers you have or what list you make (0r don’t make).
Steve Mattison
September 21, 2009 at 2:34 pm
Thanks Lani, found about 30 new peeps to follow!!!
Ken Brand
September 21, 2009 at 2:58 pm
Any way you slice it. That little TweepML.com program is super cool. Big ‘props” to anyone who takes the time make and share “any” list, the ability to “one click follow” a tribe of recommend folks is awesome.
It’s fun to have people follow you, it’s profitable and valuable to learn, grow, reinvent and recreate yourself and what you do by learning from those you follow.
Cheers.
Scottsdale Realtor
September 21, 2009 at 3:24 pm
Congratulations to all who did make the list! Thank you for all of your dedication to our profession. Amy C. Murphy
Twitter ~ @scottsdalerltr
Matt Stigliano
September 21, 2009 at 3:25 pm
@LaniAR – I certainly love the one click follow for so many great people (and used the AG lists, since I think there might be a few I’m still missing). I did notice one glaring error in Swanepoel’s list – Brad Hanks is listed twice. Just happened to notice the photo being repeated as I was scrolling through. I guess I better pay 2x the attention to him then.
It appears I was missing 15 people from the AG lists – mostly from the alumni column. Of course, it told me I wasn’t following the AG account, which I find impossible.
Brandie Young
September 21, 2009 at 4:36 pm
Wow, thanks @LaniAR ……!! I’m frequently on someone’s “list” … nice to be a good one!
xo
MIssy Caulk
September 21, 2009 at 4:43 pm
Ok that was fun, only a few not following. One was AG, can you BELIEVE that? opps
tomferry
September 21, 2009 at 5:25 pm
While I think “lists” like this are helpful to some who sit at home and wonder, “Who Should I be following/learning from???!!??”, I hear Ines!
Ben Goheen
September 21, 2009 at 5:52 pm
HA – I was out doing inspections and was wondering why I suddenly have so many new followers.
Rob
September 21, 2009 at 5:56 pm
what’s twitter?
Bob
September 21, 2009 at 9:54 pm
I know some people on the lists and they are very active in the profession of real estate. What is the benefit of a list though?
Jim Duncan
September 21, 2009 at 10:33 pm
One request – for everyone – please don’t blindly follow 100 people at a time. You’ll dilute your stream and your ability to digest the data stream and most importantly, won’t get the real opportunity to get to know the people with whom you are ostensibly “engaging.”
BawldGuy
September 21, 2009 at 11:26 pm
Staying below the radar is an art not a science. 🙂
Barry Cunningham
September 22, 2009 at 12:56 am
I remember viewing a Mike Ferry video on another blog this week that leads me to wonder if these types of lists even matter. I mean..as Jeff says… any cats seriously being skinned via twitter?
Bob
September 22, 2009 at 2:54 pm
@Barry – if knowledge is power, then following some people with info that can help your biz is like Popeye and spinach.
Or as Sun Tzu said in ‘The Art of War’:
“It is only the enlightened ruler and the wise general who will use the highest intelligence of the army for the purposes of spying, and thereby they achieve great results.”
Now if the goal is to make a sale online, then it might be time to rethink that strategy.
As Confucius say, “He who waits for Peking Duck to fly into mouth will soon starve”.
@Ben – had same question. End result means I start tweeting stuff worth following.
Barry Cunningham
September 22, 2009 at 3:08 pm
Hey Bob…if following realtors on twitter is your way of obtaining the “highest intelligence” on how to make money in real estate I think you’re in for a world of disappointment. While there may be a certain small..very small…percentage of realtors who have something meaningful and usefull to say, the rest spew drivel.
Secondly, if I need information from those on Twitter who actually have a clue, I can email them directly. Kind of saves time sorting through the mindless BS
Greg Cooper
September 22, 2009 at 3:31 pm
Who we follow and why is an ever evolving process. I get far more from Chris Brogan, @garyvee, Mashable, Tech Crunch, etc. and several other ‘mainstream’ social media advocates than I do from all but a select few Realtors. Actually I go read all I can from about 25 Realtors and ignore most of the rest who still are stuck exclusively on ‘see my awards.’ Yes there are some honors that impress the gen pub but for the most part demonstrating your innovation and passion for what you do is far more effective that getting the Realtor version of Les Nessman’s ‘Buckeye News Hawk’ award.
Bob
September 22, 2009 at 3:32 pm
I didnt specify the type of knowledge, and those on the lists, including Swanpoel’s, are not all agents.
As for getting info, not sure asking by email would have worked for Sun Tzu.
What we are talking about is competitive intelligence. More often than not, that knowledge one lacks is an unknown to them. Not sure who said it, but a favorite quote of mine is”Half of being smart is knowing what you don’t know.”
Of course if one is unable to acknowledge that there is anything to learn, then the issue for them is moot and the quote that comes to mind is from Epictetus:
“It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows.”
I do understand your last point though about the mindless drivel. John Naisbitt said, “We are drowning in information but starved for knowledge.”
That leaves me with two decisions – unfollow the noise, and contribute stuff of value without adding to the noise.
Ken Brand
September 22, 2009 at 4:08 pm
Seems to me Social Media, Twitter et al’ (did I spell that right? Sigh.) is no different than real life. When someone I know sez, “You should listen to what these folks say.” I might. I would find some interesting and some not so much. It doesn’t mean my recommending friend was wrong, it just means I don’t find value. When that happens, in real life and online, I’d quit hanging out with or listening to those who didn’t attract, amuse, etc. If you don’t like or could care less about what someone is doing on line, don’t follow them or listen.
What’s the big whoop, it’s no different than in real life.
As for “value”, everyone has their own definition of value. Mine’s different than yours, which is different that her’s etc., just like in real flesh and blood life.
There are many who share that you can learn more from those outside the business than inside – good advice I say. Mix it up, sorta like being a world traveler instead of a real estate homebody.
What about size of network and how many can you really follow and interact with? Who knows. But if you have a bunch of followers, that means they haven’t un-followed or unfriended, which means you’re not pissing them off. This isn’t good or bad, it just is. In terms of broadcast or learning from others, is it better to have a big audience/tribe or a tiny audience. The size of your audience doesn’t determine the quality of your relationships within your tribe/network, your interaction does. You could easily have 1,000 followers or 10,000 and have tight relationships with 50. Does that mean you shouldn’t share with or learn from the other 9,950? If nothing else, a large part of your network will show you what not to do…that’s worth something, right? In real life, I don’t know any Top Performers who have a person in-person network limited to 50 or 100 or 200, their personal in-person networks are huge…usually, bigger = more closed sales and more listings and more referrals.
And lastly, at least lastly for this comment, I don’t have any freak’n idea if I’m right or wrong. Guess what, neither does he or she or them. This is all new. We have our opinions and perspectives but that doesn’t make us right, wrong, guru, savant, savior, pre-cog or allmighty…it’s just the way WE see it.
That’s the way I see it. Cheers.
tomferry
September 22, 2009 at 4:26 pm
Greg- Agreed. Passion Rules … first and foremost.
Barry Cunningham
September 22, 2009 at 4:33 pm
Bob..I don’t think you know me too well. We have been speaking and having dialogue with the Likes of Stefan and others mentioned for quite some time. What I am saying is if I need some info from Stefan or others..I already have the relationship to call them or email them and the 140 characters in twitter pale in comparison to actually speaking to the man.
I have done quite a few interviews with many of those in the top echelon of real estate and business..even some who author here…and they offer much more than 140 characters when I seek out their knowledge / assistance.
Bob
September 22, 2009 at 5:07 pm
@barry – I get that. I have the same access and relationships with many who know a whole lot about a whole lot. What I dont do is email them daily asking what new tidbit or gem they have. I stalk them on twitter. The amount of info that I can convert to knowledge is huge, even if it ebbs and flows from day to day, with the 140 characters serving as the lead in, not the whole. Frequently a tweet leads to an email or call.
Barry Cunningham
September 22, 2009 at 5:13 pm
Hey Bob..I hope I did not infer that I email any one daily about stuff..OMG, if anyone did that to me I’d tell them to lose my email.
Bob…even this is tkaing up too much of my time with no return. Ciao! Off to record a video!
Bob
September 22, 2009 at 5:17 pm
When you are done, tweet it.
Barry Cunningham
September 22, 2009 at 5:27 pm
It’s not in the real estate space…It’s in the Internet marketing space…still want to see it?
Bob
September 22, 2009 at 5:59 pm
You bet. Im far more passionate about online marketing than real estate.
Tim Ryan
September 23, 2009 at 12:50 am
My questions if you follow 25,000 people how are you able to read all that content? It’s impossible. In my opinion real estate videos with good SEO do whole lot more good to get real clients.
Susie Blackmon
September 23, 2009 at 3:26 am
I am grateful and flattered to be thought of and included on Stefan’s list, and the other lists I’ve been fortunate enough to see my name on. I’m with Bob – – I’m much more passionate about online marketing than real estate. And I love Agent Genius.
Barry Cunningham
September 23, 2009 at 6:22 am
Hey if there is a bubbling interest in the IM world from agents like Bob and Susie then let’s talk turkey about making the real money. I’d love to share ideas and discuss things with people who have a passion for IM.
As I told Benn a month or so ago…it has been an unbelievable ride and when we put real estate on autopilot it became clear that the IM stuff would EASILY surpass the real estate stuff…and that includes the production of even the big names in real estate.
Not to hijack this thread but Susie and Bob have piqued my interest in wondering just how many realtors out there want to drive revenue thru IM…very interesting you guys.
Bob
September 23, 2009 at 11:55 am
SM is just one aspect of internet marketing. The problem with much of it for many is how it is used. Mixing personal with business works for some with specific audiences, and not so well for others. To put it another way, some care about the message they send and others just let it all hang out. Barry, you are one many would follow because you would provide info that you have used to produce $$$. That has value.
Nashville Real Estate
September 23, 2009 at 12:36 pm
Thank you for keeping us updated on what is going on! I find your blog very helpful and I look forward to reading it. Thanks and have a great day!
Joe Sheehan
September 26, 2009 at 12:46 am
I am a relative newbie to the world of social media marketing. I think it’s nice that Mr. Swanepoel and others have created their lists and I am sure it is an honor to be considered influential by any of them. I looked at the list and frankly, I’ve never even heard of about 2/3 of the people. They haven’t influenced me in any way.
In fact, I have yet to read anything of substance from Mr. Swanepoel so he really isn’t very influential to me either. I am going to a breakfast meeting next week at which he is the guest speaker. Maybe he will influence me at that event.
Of the 1/3 on the list that I know, I think some could be influence my thoughts or decisions. Some of them don’t really add much value at all for me. I am influenced by some pretty heavy-weight real estate people who are not on the list at all, they’re not even interested in SM.
I agree with Ken Brand’s post above (Someone who actually has influenced me). Some people click with me, some people don’t.
I have made quite a few friendships with colleagues and clients in this sphere. I have enjoyed all of them. Laughed with most of them, offered advice, resolved problems, and commisserated with some of them. The smiles on the faces of my friends or their cheerful greetings when we meet tells me one important thing. I am on THEIR list, and theirs are the lists I really care about.