What word needs to get out?

by Russell Shaw

Mega-Producing Realtor

Author website

Thank you, Greg! That was such a flattering (and nice) introduction – now I have to eventually write something useful or at least interesting or I’ve let you down. I really appreciate you making room for me like this here on your blog – that is very generous of you and it is my intention to have you glad you did this.

I originally wound up looking at your blog due to an article I read on Inman News about Zillow. What you had to say regarding Zillow was more insightful and relevant than just about anything I had ever seen on the subject. So I am a fan of yours.

It is my hope that I can provide that same level of insight to your readers on the subjects I write about here. I have been interested in writing a blog ever since reading the wonderful book, “Blog”, by Hugh Hewitt. I was particularly impressed when I read that blogs made it impossible for the Main Stream Media (MSM) to continue to control what was to be considered “news”. Owning a printing press and buying ink by the barrel was no longer a requirement for getting the word out.

What word needs to get out?

Several: For example there are many functions that the National Association of Realtors (and the various state and local associations) do a wonderful job of handling. There are other areas where the “handling” is awful or simply non-existent. Any real estate media I’ve ever seen (Inman News, RIS Media, Realty Times, etc) all have deals with or sell advertising to the very people they maybe should be “reporting on” – or like Inman, have such a specific agenda (I can’t really call it hidden) that for the most part they are either bought and paid for or are nothing less than enemies of working Realtors.

All of the various companies, individuals, programs, lead generation services, lead generation websites, coaching services, seminars for Realtors, etc. that all seem to be saying to every agent in existence, “sign up for “brand X” and achieve unlimited success. Are they all really telling the truth? Are they knowingly lying? Which ones?

How about agents who write “cash to buyer” offers? NAR and the various state associations (and real estate departments) all seem to be in agreement on one point: it sure is a “gray area”. I know of no legitimate real estate company that would encourage their agents to write offers where the agent / buyer gets $50,000 cash back for buying a $300,000 house (at an inflated appraisal value too). Yet such offers are written (and accepted) here in Phoenix and around the country every day. Would “criminal” be too strong a word to use to describe a transaction like that? Who just got cheated? What will they wind up doing about it?

Okay, so there are a few of the things I want to terminatedly handle in the next few weeks. I sure hope it doesn’t take me any longer than that to get everyone in the industry and all of the related industries and governing bodies to do everything exactly the way I know they should.

In the meantime (oh yes, it may take longer – I know) I also plan to have quite a bit of fun. Hopefully, some of that fun here.