Pacita's Quick Bytes of Real Estate: Exclude realtors from posting on a real estate network. Huh?

I also get tired of hearing REALTORS who do nothing except promote themselves ad infinitum.  One REALTOR brags on Twitter about how many closings she has had and how she is showing houses all priced over $995k today. Those comments were ad nauseum!

A real estate site without realtors!  Let's hope that was just one person's misguded opinion.

Sybil --- based on my own reaction to other agents' posts, I try to avoid those things that trigger a distaste for me or my profession. But we can't win them all.

Margaret --- that's what I thought so, too....like a legal forum without lawyers, or investment forum without financial advisers.

Hi Pacita~ I guess the long and short of it is you can't please everybody.  Of course a real estate forum should have real estate professionals present. 

Hi Pacita -- When I am on non-real estate related sites, I never self-promote unless the consumer is specifically asking for help.  I figure they can glean easily if they want to pursue what I have.  However, since Trulia is a real estate website and there are no hard and fast rules, the gamut will exist and the smart agents will learn to respond appropriately.

Pacita,

I've tended to stay away from commenting on Trulia. I've seen some of the answers to questions and it looks like a lawsuit waiting to happen.

That being said, it is a real estate website and doesn't pretend to be anything else. At least in Maryland, you have to provide some sort of broker identification.

Rich

I can see why the request was made. Like you, I've seen so many that just talks about themselves so much. Some made me feel like it's an essay competition where some poster tries to out-write the one before him/ her.

It's getting too much.

I wished I could play in that comment section on what you read. With that, I'd say, I too would withdraw myself. It's not fun for both consumers and other non-promoting and non-eassy competing realtors.

Hey we ALL know uncle so-n-so has the best real estate advice anyway. After all, he bought a house 40 years ago and he's a dentist - he must know it all .... ;) I've seen those comments though - they can be embarrassing to be in the same profession when all they do is "self serve" and go fishing.

Hi, Pacita

     Even on "Corporate Sites" such as LinkedIn, there are Real Estate Practitioners who have to chime in with, "Look at my new Listing at 123 Elm Street". 

     That is the nature of Open Forums and Open Discussions - there will always be someone who is out of line and out of place, someone who does not have a clue about social etiquette, or the proper time and place to promote a Listing.

     But, the bad manners and poor business practices of a few, should in no way stop Realtors from sharing their expertise and their professional opinions with inquisitive Buyers and Sellers on the Internet.

      There are some Realtors - perhaps many - who resent the open dialogue that the Internet has created between the Consumer Public and the Realtors.   But,  the same Internet that destroyed the monopoly held by the RIAA and the MPAA, the same Internet that has pushed Newspapers and Magazines  into oblivion - that same Internet has also changed the relationship between the Sellers and Buyers and the Real Estate Practitioners. 

     Realtors who Fail to embrace the 85% of Buyers and Sellers that are chatting and blogging and Tweeting and posting on the Internet, will get left in the dust.  "Adapt or Die", as the saying goes.  Those Buyers / Sellers on Trulia - or Zillow or wherever else - may become "your" Buyer, or your Seller, or your Referral. 

    As for lawsuits, etc. - according to my Attorneys, no Agency Relationship or Broker-Client Relationship is established merely by engaging in an Internet Discussion.  Please see a Real Estate Attorney in your State for Legal Advice concerning Internet Posts.

    Best wishes,  Fred Griffin

You know we are all going to run into an assortment of issues - and many will not make sense to half of us.  The problem is that this industry is filled with opinions - and egos - and in there somewhere is reality.

My favorite of all of your replies is Steve Kappre - Uncle So-n-So has really been a pain in my but and I wish he would just leave us all alone.

Vickie --- what this cautions us realtors to do is to be  cognizant of how we are perceived by what we say, what we do. Hey, that sounds like....life!

Chris --- you are right. People will see through self-promotion and determine who truly wants to help

Richard --- perhaps it's when we see misinformation that's when we should step in?

Loreena --- yes, it's the good ol' "I"-disease that seems to befall a lot of folks.

Steve --- when visiting Trulia and Zillow, we will find all kinds of appalling responses...hope the good agents correct that problem!

Fred --- and that's why we're here on Active Rain: give and receive information!  And along the way, to evolve! We'll just have to sidestep those who make it hard for us to overcome the public's negative perception of our profession.

Shellie --- We do tell folks to ask around for a good realtor....and for sure, they will also see advice from others they know and trust. We, as realtors need to work on our reputation as professionals and as people they can trust, too.

I love Trulia and I'm there everyday, checking out the site, updating blogs, listings, etc.  I just sold my first home to clients that found me on Trulia and liked the way I did answer questions. I answer in the most direct and informative way, then leave my contact info.  Most other agents do the same, but there's always a few that feel they need to turn their answer into an infomercial.There's really no need to promote yourself there, isn't that what your listings are for? 

I promised myself that if I eventually transacted business on Trulia, I'd try their PRO service, so that's my status there now.  I hope to have the same luck here on AR.

Scott Miller, Realty Associates, Boca Raton, FL

A good way to answer questions on forums like Trulia is to treat them like you're talking with a good friend. Would you end a conversation with them by saying "I am the city expert. You can search all homes available at mysite.com, blah blah blah"? Or course not. They already know you're an agent and that they can get more info when they need it just by asking. So do the consumers on Trulia.

Constant bragging is a turnoff -- think there are some buyers who feel that way as well.

I've picked up buyers by just answering questions, honestly and straight-forward.  Nothing to do with shameless self-promotion at all.  If you don't like the heat, stay the heck out of the kitchen, is what I would have written to Mr. Charming!

Scott --- I like going on Trulia, too, to lend a hand by giving information when it is requested. Believe it or not I have also been the beneficiary of folks who found me on Trulia and liked what I had to say. I consider this an opportunity to improve the public's perception of our profession, and to try to overcome those who tend to perpetuate the negative image of a realtor as a huckster.

John --- that IS a good way to talk to folks.

Bob and Carolin --- yep. Those folks who have nothing to say and say it anyway are the first to be found out as charlatans.

Carla --- you're right. This is why I participate in Trulia. However, it is good advice to watch how we come across: as qualified subject matter experts. The cream WILL rise to the top.

I think the poster had a vaild pont. If someone is looking for information they don't want to be bombarded with sales pitches.

Good observations. It's tuff not to self promote when answering some of the publics questions. I guess a little restraint won't hurt now and again

Sasha --- the poster may not want to be bombarded with sales pitches, but to "wall off" the realtors from a real estate forum was a bit much.

Westbrook --- giving a straightforward answer without injecting information about how one has many clients or have been in the business for decades, etc. is surely preferable. This is like Tivo-ing online forums.

I think Trulia has enough problems with it's declining numbers and importance. Free speech gives us the right to make fools of ourselves. Hopefully those who are blatant in self promotion will come to understand that theri is no benefit to a potential client in tooting their own horn versus answering someones question with a professional response. 

Pacita - I'm surprised the request/question hasn't come up more often.  I've seen several posts turn into heated debates about what an agent was doing in the replies and the cry of "you're just driving up your numbers and getting your face everywhere" has been the common theme.  I'd be interested in seeing a section where perhaps the consumer could write freely - without us being able to post.  Why?  Although it would be frustrating to see people speak incorrectly about agents and our functions, I'd love to be able to peer into the consumers mind to see the misconceptions and thoughts (that might even lead to a new way of business).  I find most people don't feel like they can speak freely around agents at first - it takes time for them to open up.  Often, with the questions I have answered and then wound up with follow up with the poster - I find there's more to the story than first meets the eye.  I have found that for the most part, most agents usually cool off the hype and "pick me" answers over time.  I know I did it when I first entered Trulia, but now am more of a fact giver and leave my information at the bottom.  I've picked up several clients like this now and intend to continue in that direction.

 I have also seen Q & A in these types of forums where agents are giving state law related advice OUT of their state.  I prefer to stay out of forums.  I wish zillow and trulia would have an RSS feed area where we could syndicate our blogs.  That way consumers can peruse blogs in certain states.

Was this a Realtor or a consumer?

Interesting he wanted Realtors to quit posting on who they were.

I've been meaning to go and read the TOS again, had a little issue this week, I asked someone to email me for more details, it was just to long to write and I was flagged.

Now I see a lot of self promotion on there, so I was quite surprised.

There is a fine line between answering questions on Trulia and shameless self promotion.  If I can't provide additional information, I don't comment.  We're lucky in NJ, we don't have too many real estate professionals that use Trulia for self promotion.

What annoys me are the home buyers and sellers that think they can use Trulia instead of hiring a professional!

Pacita,

It is common on our local Trulia Q&A to have old school agents blather on and on about what a questioner should do, which is basically "Pick Me!  Pick Me!" without even trying to help with the question asked.

Then there are the "Out of State Experts" who trample any sense of common sense.

I don't blame the poster for feeling that way.

Some people don't like realtors I guess.  Perhaps they could try shutting the internet down if they want to wall us off.

Pacita  We have agents here on Active Rain who regularly brag about their volume - sounds like insecurity to me  Karen

Amazingly enough, agents our area don't use Trulia or Zillow much.  Typically, the responses are between me and two other agents.  The other two agents are always baiting the client...not giving them the information they requested, but enticing the buyer to call them instead.  I usually just go in and give the buyer the exact facts and leave my contact information at the bottom.  I've been able to pick up a couple of buyers just by not posting an information, and giving only the facts.

Pacita, I try hard to practice the Golden Rule in everything I do.  If I wouldn't want it done to me, I don't do it to others.  In one of my CRS classes, the trainer focused almost exclusively on telemarketing.  I asked the question, "Do any of you like being the target of telemarketing?"  A unanimous show of hands saying NO!  The trainer countered with "It works." 

I'm sorry.  I love earning money and being successful, but not if I have to do things that "work" even if they irritate other.  I choose to remember the core of our profession.  DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD HAVE THEM DO UNTO YOU.  It works!!!

The 2 things that drives me nuts on Trulia are 1. the agents who chime in 8-10+ months after the original question was posted. Do they really thing the OP was waiting that long to hear their .02? AND 2. the agents who post an answer that is almost identical to a previous answer. If you don't have anything new to add, you just look like a self promoting parrot.

Having said that, I do answer a lot of questions on Trulia but only within my state, I've seen others chime in from across the country and thought 'ummm, that would be illegal in TN.'

Pacita:

I am with Marian on this. I don't employ techniques that I personally find annoying. 

With regard to Trulia, I think the idea there is to try to be helpful to the consumer and they will then want to work with you. Most people can see through an agent's bragging and self promotion and they find it to be a turn-off.

I usually only post on Trulia when questions are directed to my area.  I try to just answer the question or provide the information.  I think too many of us are too desperate for business or too anxious or something...and that's why we promote ourselves the way we do.

I post on Trulia rarely...More to reach agents than anything....but, readership for professional to professional posts on Trulia seems to be really limited. So....am I wasting my time?

Hi Pacita: I suspect the problem is many agents may think they are at a cocktail party when they're on Trulia when they are really in a classroom.

Sadly some agents have no shame. As we all have seen this before; usually they are the ones who will be disappearing in the future when the going gets too rough.

Also there is always going to be the DIY type out there who gets more enjoyment out of bashing "ALL" Realtors and/or anyone else and often has nothing to sell or cannot buy anything. This type of persons knows it all and is a know-it-all. In our realty work we must say next and move on without getting involved with them, because there is just too much hostility emanating from them. We saw a lot of this just prior to the bubble busting, IMO they just miss the spot light.

Interesting topic and discussion. I've often thought about that and hope i'm not self-promoting too much because it does makes you look bad. People can see right through the self promoting infomercial and I don't like it either when I see it in other people's postings. Self restaint and the honest answering of questions is the way to go, right?

I don't see how the site would work without input from Realtors, but I agree with many of the comments here. Some forums are law suits waiting to happen. 

I don't blame the poster for wanting independent answers.  The old 80/20 rule probably applies to this area as well.  20% will be appropriate answers, the rest ????

Be known as the expert in your choosen field and you'll have peole coming to you to help solve problems. 

The problem with Trulia as I see it is that a lot of agents get on there who are new to social media and they really try and promote themselves openly rather than try to provide valuable input which is a huge turn off.  The public that has discussions on Trulia does not want a salesy sales pitch.  I agree it is annoying and makes us all look bad.

You have a legitimate point here.  I think agents need to avoid using these outlets as a soapbox to plug themselves and their services.  The people asking these questions deserve straightforward answers, not wrapped is a sale pitch.  Those that answer in a pragmatic way, in my opinion, have the best opportunity to win over one such consumer.  On the other hand, excluding professionals from the conversation is not doing the consumer any good.  Everyone claims to be a "pro", but it's the people who are living and breathing real estate everyday that can offer the best guidance.

I agree with all the comments regarding the self-serving Realtors whose "answers" are nothing more than shameless self-promotion.  Did you know you can report those?  I've lost count of the number of responses I've flagged as "spam" - yes, I know they're not really spam in the strictest sense.  But if a particular agent is flagged often enough, Trulia will usually step in and stop them. 

You can also post your own comment reminding the poster to read the Community Guidelines (http://www.trulia.com/guidelines/).  Excerpt:  "MODERATE YOUR CONTENT.  Please help us keep the content in the community on-topic and relevant. When asking, answering or browsing, if you see informative or high-quality content, give thumbs up or mark the answer as best answer. Similarly, for content that is off-topic, not relevant or just plain spam, please click on the ‘Report' link and tell us about it."

Trulia mostly a self-policing community - if you see a problem, jump in and do your part to help. 

Pacita:  It is a turn off.  Self-Promotion is best utilized when we promote our desire and willingness to serve others ... not how great and wonderful we are ... how many homes we sold last year ...or the year before. Providing accurate information with a desire to help ... is the name of the game. I don't spend much time answering quetions in Trulia ... in fact, not much at all.  The fews times I did ... I certainly was not expecting that anyone would connect with me because of my response.  Congrats on your featured post!

I wouldn't dwell on  the complaint.  You always have a few pot stirrers that are coming out of left field.  This isn't the way the great majority of people think.  Just be lucky you don't have him as a client.  What a drag that would be!

Funny, as I have often wondered how to block the NON-Professionals from answering on Trulia! I agree that the agents who answer questions with infomercial format tends to make us all look bad, but just as bad are the posters who think because they bought one house successfully that they now are "professionals" and can offer advice to everyone else. While they may have learned a thing or two, they really are not qualified to give numerous answers to numerous questions. Trulia Professionals are an essential part of what ticks over there.

I have had great success with Trulia being a way for buyers and sellers to find me. I try to answer questions in a manner that gives information but doesn't dwell on myself. What I want is when someone finds my Trulia Profile that they see my common sense answers and it compels them to contact me. So far, so good.

I can't blame consumers...  Look at the signatures that people use here on A|R.  Some people just can't seem to help themselves from spamming others with their real estate"ness".  What if you logged on to a site about vacationing and every other post was from a travel agent telling you to call them because they were the ultimate agent and could get you the bestestest deal anywhere...  After a while, you'd be so sick of it that you'd start lashing out...

Agents need to just leave the answer to the question or don't answer at all.

I have found that self-promotion at the wrong place and time can be very counter-productive and I think in the long run it is damaging to your brand. I think of loan officers, Realtors, etc. that just spam twitter and facebook and think they are being productive. I think that it only shows their inexperience and inmmaturity.

It's always better to just share good useful information and sincerely offer advice that you think will help, without any expectations of returned business. I am still trying to figure this out also but I think those that understand this will see much more business than those that self promote and give advice only with the expectation of business.

I think that if you show your true colors and present yourself honestly, all (or most)  of the "crap" out there will fall by the wayside.

Joe --- I didn't know Trulia has declining numbers? It sure looks busy there!

Matt --- I select questions to answer on Trulia. And when it looks like I don't have anything else to add, I move on.

Renee --- yes, it's disconcerting when state laws, agreements, practices are offered. We can say what it's like in OUR respective states, but we can only speculate what it is in others.

Missy --- as long as we give straight answers, we'll be fine. If people want to know more about us, they can go to our respective profiles. How we can promote ourselves is to give good, comprehensive and helpful answers.

Laura --- that is true. Some folks are there to get some ideas on what the need to do in certain situations. I always advise them to engage a good realtor to help them.

Mike --- it does signal that we need to be always be careful about how we come across.

Dan --- a lot of people don't like Realtors and have something to say. Yet, a lot of them have NEVER dealt with realtors or bought/sold property either!

Karen --- on AR, it is somewhat annoying to see, as the signature, a long list of credentials, long list of links to previous blogs, links to to all kinds of other sites.

Lina --- you obviously know the way to make yourself shine above the others in your area who are on Trulia. Go get 'em.

Marian --- the golden rule is what made me choose a gentler and kinder way to market. I don't like being telemarketed or spammed, and I don't like doing it either.

Julia --- the biggest pet peeve is to have others post the same answers or elaborate on other people's answers just to have the last word.

Claudette --- yes, all of us can see through what the others are doing. In my area, I already know which ones are the most blatant self-promoters. Another poster whom I met, showed me a report which showed that the biggest self-promoter of all, who claimed to have a lot of clients, only had ONE deal the entire year!

Bob --- desperate situations, desperate measures?

Clint ---  I enjoy reading the Agent to Agent entries. I learn a lot that way, too.

Elizabeth --- you're right! And agents have to remember that their comments can go viral, and that "internet is forever".

Mary --- this is a reminder to be precise, concise and helpful...and not to brag.

Michael --- self-restraint and humility go a long way!

Darrell --- we always have to remind ourselves not to give advice in areas where we are not qualified to practice. So all we can advice them to do is to consult a professional.

Courtney --- whenever we start something, it's always a discovery on how to do it better. So it's advisable to watch and learn, and do the right thing. Just like on Active Rain :)

Will -- straight to the point and comprehensive answers without a self-promotion tag. If people like your answers, they will seek you out.

Glenda --- by the way, Trulia is bringing back the THUMBS DOWN function. But to also discourage people from abusing it, the folks who use it will be identified.

Kathleen --- I've had folks contact me through my posts on Trulia (especially folks asking for help with their property tax assessment after I posted how it can be done)

Aaron ---- where there's smoke, there's a fire....we need to be aware of how self-promotion is perceived by the general public so that we can do things better.

You run into people out to just promote themselves in all areas of life.  It is especially irritating on Facebook.

Since the powers that be here at AR have relegated our Q&A to a small link on the side, almost none of the questions get answered, so we are not much better in that regard than Zillow and Trulia (though they are not my favorite sites and I seldom comment on them).

My question is, if these people have questions they need answers for, why are they not contacting all of the local professionals around them that can assist them. If they are serious customers, they will be at the office door or calling on the phone to speak with a professional in person. To get a one-size-fits-all non-specific response to a general question is worth every penny they paid to get it. That is to say: NOTHING!

The problem is that some real estate agents don't know how to talk about real estate without talking about themselves.  This is a common problem and you can read some AR blogs where the self promotion is over the top.

Sadly the self promotional stuff just turns people off. I have made sure to fill out my contact info on my profile, and I never put my contact info in with an answer. If the consumer wants to contact me it only takes another click. And I think if they liked one answer, the consumer will also check out your other answers, look at your listings, etc.

Dee --- we all live an learn. When I started answering questions on Trulia, I was cognizant of how well or how poorly other folks respond. And it was really irritating when some agents will start their response by saying "I've been a broker for 25 years...." or "I have many clients...."

Lane --- you are so right about the signatures.....some are positively SHOUTING their credentials and certifications.

EmMee --- you're right.

John --- nothing wrong with self-promotion, that's why we're on Active Rain. Some just go overboard, and at the wrong time, wrong place.

Melissa --- I agree. Once a pattern is established, it's easy to discern....

Team Honeycutt --- during a social network seminar, one of the things people were cautioned NOT to do is to spam their friends on Facebook by posting listing after listing, and not anything else,

John --- that's why we always recommend to folks who post their questions on Trulia, Zillow, etc., to engage a realtor with local expertise to help them with their question.

Melina --- it's the killer "I" disease

Mark -- that's why filling out our profile is important: that's our resume!

Pacita, good points to ponder.

Damon --- just for kicks.. have you gone on Trulia lately, and see how agents are answering questions? What do you think we can do to present ourselves in a most positive way?

Great post and lots of interesting comments. I am backing off Trulia for a bit. The click-throughs I get to my primary blog/website are miniscule

Vickie --- would love to get together with you and compare notes, network and strategize.

would you believe that just today, a first time buyer called me up, found me on Trulia. He's looking for a house in Hayward. Sent him some listings, He just sent me an email a few minutes ago and wants to write on three properties (short sales and REOs). Increasing his chances by multi-tasking.

I guess the bottom line here Pacita is that you can't please all the people all the time...there are times on Trulia an other places when I do promote us and how we can help specifically and other rimes when comments are just that....my opinion...take it or leave it...some will and some will not.

Hi Pacita, I guess I need to get active on Trulia, too. When I do, I'll remember your post and act appropriately. Thanks.

Lottie,

A very prolific writer on Trulia (and he also writes columns for the area newsletters) is Carl Medford. He is sponsoring an event WITH Trulia on Thursday, Nov, 5 in Fremont CA. 3-5 (education), 5-8 (networking)

Contact Carl at: Info@CarlMedford.com

I can understand why some consumers would be irritated by some of the responses made by real estate professional who are there to push their services.

However, in many cases, the real estate professional with the right mindset can be the best one to answer these questions.

Christine -- Blogs, social networking or not, we are bound to run into people who are instantly put off by anything a realtor might say. We're like lawyers whose reputation takes a beating, but as soon as people get in trouble, whom do they call?

Hi Pacita -

I think the most effective answers are those that answer the question.  Obvious, huh?  But there are some agents who post the same "Call me I'm a Buyer/Seller Agent" response over and over.  I think those are the tiresome responses.

Margaret --- there is a realtor who tags herself as "Straight Answers All the Time". However, she's one who always asks people to call/email her. And you're right, it is annoying. Another Trulia contributor echoed this observation. He was so annoyed that he looked her up to find out if she really does have as many sales as she claims, and turned out she has made only ONE sale this year!

Great post, Pacita!  It always makes me chuckle as a drive around town, looking at signs, bus benches, etc. then see magazines, newspaper ads & all of those really expensive, but poor ROI marketing tools that proclaim this person #1 & that team #1 or...yada yada yada.

Criminy!  How many #1's can there be, and what kind of insecurity or ego does it take to need that plastered all over the place?

Kent --- nothing wrong about promoting your credentials on your own website (and as part of your signature on your blog, emails, etc) --- within reason of course.

But what is annoying, and rightfully so, is when you're answering questions on Trulia, Zillow, etc. and then turn the discussion to all about you. That's why completing your profile is important. If people really want to know you, they'll click on the profile.

But to blast people with lines and lines and lines of your credentials and achievements serve to turn people off, more than turning them on. Right?

Guess we have to remember that when talking with someone, the conversation should be all about them, not you.