Real Estate Bloggers And Journalists – Are We All That Different?

How does what we post on real estate blogs affect your views?

[kml_flashembed publishmethod="static" fversion="8.0.0" movie="http://cdn-static.viddler.com/flash/publisher.swf?key=ff506ad3" width="437" height="288" targetclass="flashmovie"]

This video requires the Abobe Flash Player to be viewed, click the image below to download and install the plugin for your system.

This video is a discussion of the problems of real estate blogging as it pertain to journalism. In recent ...

days, announcements were made on various real estate websites and Twitter (interestingly enough, today’s search shows more responsible reporting than the past two days) about the extension of the First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit until April 2010. Unfortunately, many bloggers were missing the fine print. A tentative agreement had been reached in the Senate, but no vote had yet to take place. This poses a frustrating situation for consumers as the “news” sources they have come to trust for real estate information are becoming a little less trust-worthy with reports like this. I encourage all real estate bloggers to check their facts, even if from a trusted source. Mistakes will be made occasionally, but this was on a mass scale and makes the real estate industry look bad. If we want to further our industry, we need to be aware of these problems and help stem the tide of misinformation. One of my responsibilities as a real estate blogger in San Antonio is to keep my local area informed of the news that affects them in real estate as well as general interest to the local population. If I fail to do that, am I truly doing my job? – Video by Matt Stigliano, Realtor® at RE/MAX Access in San Antonio, Texas. Have a question for me? Contact me.

--

With the recent “breaking news” on the First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit being extended into 2010 and the rash of real estate bloggers who jumped into the fray announcing that it was indeed passed, I became concerned over the similarities between real estate bloggers and journalists.

As a local San Antonio real estate blogger, a big part of my job is to discuss real estate news with you through my posts. Whether it’s neighborhood information, market reports, national real estate news, or an article helping you understand the steps to buying a home – in many ways I am a journalist. I report to you and you read the news in my posts. Because of this, I need to maintain a certain level of accuracy for your benefit as well as mine. If I posted only half-truths and lies, you probably wouldn’t return here. If I lead you astray with some misinformation, you’ll suffer the consequences of my incorrect post. It doesn’t make sense for either of us.

And in the wider scope of things, what message does misinformation send to the public about the real estate industry? We have always struggled with the stories of the “bad apples” who make us all look like money hungry crooks. Not all real estate agents are, there are some out there that care more for the consumer than you will ever realize. Of course, it’s the bad ones that make it into the headlines. It’s the bad ones who seem to always be known on a first name basis with the public. They are what keeps our industry from connecting with the public in a meaningful broad-based way. We could do without them. Many of us Realtors® fight that image day in and day out and do what we can to improve not only our image, but our actual skills and handling of the real estate world. Several of us during this most recent spate of tweets and posts about the First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit, took our time to speak with those passing out the misinformation and help teach them why what they had said was wrong. Some of it was met with anger on their part, some of it was met with grateful thanks. Instead of leaving these people hanging there to look like fools, some of us took the time out of our day to help improve our industry, something we care for a great deal.

Please note that although the tax credit has not yet been extended, it is looking likely. I am not hear to argue the validity of if and when it will happen, but rather to discuss whether we as real estate agents need to step up our game and take more responsibility for what we are reporting.

Related articles by Zemanta

The First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit – How misinformation affects us all. (sanantoniorealestaterockstar.com)

First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit NOT Extended Depsite What You May Have Heard. (rerockstar.com)

THE TAX CREDIT HAS NOT BEEN EXTENDED. Yet. So PLEASE stop saying it has been! (phoenixrealestateguy.com)

Hide