TheREALTYgram Blogger

Lee Harvey Oswald and Craig NewmarkSharing 'Assassinator' Label in Press? Ouch!!

Will Bunch is advancing a new conspiracy theory in his  Attytood: 

"The American newspaper is being assassinated by 'a lone nut.' And we're going to tell you the name of that lone nut: Craig Newmark of Craigslist -- a man whose altruistic vision of running a business to NOT maximize profits is now threatening the livelyhood of thousands of working men and women across this country, your neighbors who work at and publish your local newspaper, jobs that were once supported by the classified ads that have migrated to the most free (or low-cost) Craigslist.

"Last week, Newmark's co-conspirator (OK, he's not a totally 'lone' nut) -- his CEO Jim Buckmaster -- told stunned Wall Street analysts how they're happy to forego profits to save you a couple of bucks on a classified ad, and put some of my best friends on the unemployment line in the process. They even leave on the table money in ways that wouldn't come directly from their customers."

It's downright unAmerican. Imagine suggesting a marketing approach that lets consumers keep their money to spend as they please. Downright communist!

'Stop Soliciting Or We'll Take Your License',Empire State Warns Real Estate Agents

A special Cease and Desist list in New York lets owners of one- to four-unit dwellings register to avoid unsolicited calls, mail and all solicitation by real estate agents, according to The New York Times. Offending agents risk fines and license revocation. The ban also covers all fliers, mailings, and door hangers.

"No other states have active non-solicitation laws like this one, aimed squarely at real estate brokers, said Bruce Stuart, the program counsel for the state's Division of Licensing Services. A similar law was passed in Illinois but was struck down as unconstitutional.

"New York's list faced the same challenges. Almost immediately after it was passed, the New York State Assn. of REALTORS^® sued to quash it, arguing it violated brokers' free-speech rights. They called the restrictions draconian, and said the rules forced them to pull name after name painstakingly from their mass-mailing lists.

" 'Precluding real estate brokers from making information available was a failed attempt at keeping the status quo,' said Charles M. Staro, executive director, NYSAR. 'Insurance companies and cable companies could mail in, but we couldn't.'

"But in 2002, the state Court of Appeals ruled against the real estate agents, and there have been no substantive legal challenges since." -- The New York Times

Counterfeit Craigslist

Craig Newmark says that www.pay-craigslist is a fake. They won't get a free link here!

Hot Property Chicago Edition Hires Legal EaglesTo Pow Wow With Telelvision Execs About Title

When will that Hot Property title ever get a rest? The Chicago REALTOR® and owner of HotPropertyOnline sent his attorneys to complain to ABC about their new television show with the same name, according to Inman Blog. In the meantime, there's nary a peep from McGraw Hill about returning the Hot Property blog title to the blogger who coined the phrase and used it for over a year before they appropriated it.

New York Times Real Estate OnlineOffers Multimedia Viewing Experience

The New York Times digital real estate news offers narrated slide shows. (Thanks to Inman Blog for the heads up.) The Inman blog selected the story of an architect on Park Avenue. It's some good food for thought; I'll have to start offering a voice narration on my visual tours. I'll keep you posted.

Real Estate JobCom Site Launched

Job seekers for residential real estate positions sales, property management, and mortgage industries have a new resource to post their resumes anonymously at GreatRealtyJobs.com. The web venture is the brainchild of an Atlanta real estate professional who says he simply could not find enough qualified people the “traditional” way. “As a sales and marketing consultant, I was hired to recruit and train staff for builders, developers and property management companies,” says Pratt Farmer, company founder and CEO of GRJ. According to Farmer, he relied on want ads primarily, and when the need arose, he would visit properties until he found someone to fit the bill. “Both of these methods were costly, time consuming and not always effective,” Farmer said. Job seekers will not be charged; companies seeking to fill a position will pay a flat monthly fee.

Virginia Real Estate Group Sells E-Pass Entry To MLS

This E-Pass is for a computer, not a car. (Didn't anyone tell those people about the highway toll program that already has that name?) Chesapeake area consumers must pay $3.95 for one-day pass, or $4.95 a month for the ability to search listings online through the Real Estate Information Network. An online poll shows 92.59% of respondents do not believe that they should be charged for MLS access. REIN withdrew from REALTOR.com previously. Maybe they also think "classified' advertising means "secretive".

Craigslist Ventures Into Lehigh Valley, PA;Now Serves 175 Markets In 50 States

Craigslist, the innovative free online classified service that rewrites the rule book about advertising, is now available in the Lehigh Valley, PA. Local Internet geeks have long awaited this market entry. Craigslist offers local community classifieds and forums - a place to find jobs, housing, goods & services, social activities, a girlfriend or boyfriend, advice, community information, and just about anything else -- all for free, and in a relatively non-commercial environment.

Internet Marketing Program Has Worldwide Reach;Lehigh Valley Property Tour Has 2500 Hits In One Week!

  I recently launched a comprehensive Internet real estate marketing program that includes a unique web site for each listing (i.e. www.3330Oxford.com) that features a virtual tour, a web commercial, MLS information, a professionally prepared flyer, and a detailed neighborhood and school report. It is submitted to Yahoo, Homeseekers, REALTOR.com, and numerous other sites and portals. In its first week, the tour for this property had some 2500 hits! It is going under contract five days after its first showing. Here is more about the program.

FREE Tele-Seminar For Home SellersIncludes Open Invitation To For-Sale-By-Owners

Join me each Thursday evening at 8 PM EST  for a FREE Tele-Seminar for real estate home sellers. This is a perfect opportunity for you to phone in with your important questions about selling your home. For-Sale-By-Owners are welcome to attend the call. This is a FREE seminar and will last approximately 60  minutes.

Topic of discussion: Staging Your Home For a Successful Sale April 28, 2005. Special Guest: Sue Kittek, Home Stager and popular garden columnist for "The Morning Call" newspaper in Allentown, PA.

Future topics will feature:

• Qualifying The Buyer

• A Home Warranty Can Reduce A Seller's Liability

• The Seller Disclosure Law

• Internet Advertising From A Professional Point Of View

• Critical Mistakes Sellers Make and What You Can Do To Avoid Them

We will open the phone lines each week for listeners to ask their important questions.

If you would like to attend, email for information. You will receive an email reply confirming a toll-free telephone number and pin code. Also, if you have questions you would like to ask questions (but can't be on the call), simply email them to us and we will get back to you. Questions will be answered on first-come first serve basis and can be submitted prior to this event.