Category: Interview (page 2 of 3)

by Brian Brady

Commercial Real Estate Finance Expert
Structured Debt and Equity
Licensed Real Estate Broker in AL, CA, and FL

Author website

Jeff Corbett is one of the rising stars in Real Estate 2.0 . I interviewed Jeff last month in Laguna Beach, CA. Jeff is a remarkably shy person who bears little resemblance to the hard-hitting, on-line, pit bull who advocates transparency in mortgage brokerage and banking. He is unfailingly polite with a great sense of humor. Born in Buffalo, Jeff is afflicted with love for the Bills and Sabres. We won’t hold that against him here.

Jeff, let’s start off with you explaining what X broker is in 100 words.

On the surface, an insider’s tell-all account about how the real estate and mortgage industries really work. Underneath, the XBroker is evolving into a community based on transparency via a technology platform. Most businesses utilize technology to cut costs and/or increase reach; we’re simply giving that same power to the consumer.

Our value proposition will be a web-based interface that aggregates wholesale lender interest rates and pricing for redisplay to the consumer. There is no third party manipulation possible. It’s based on common and anonymous credit risk factors that automate today’s residential mortgage pre-qualification process. We are also working in the arena of property listings.

When do you think you’ll be up and running?

You will see changes in the next few weeks. We’re moving our site’s backend platform from Word Press to a more expandable architecture. This will allow us to integrate third-party data with greater ease so we can deliver our information to the consumer in a more “user-friendly” environment. After that, you’ll see a quick evolution toward the community and content I described above.

The XBroker Blog has drawn attention much sooner than I’d ever considered; it’s pleasant surprise. The question, “What ARE you doing?” was tough to answer at first.

Jeff, we met and did battle over on Active Rain this past fall. You wrote two groundbreaking posts. Readers should notice that I dismissed your ideas as kind of a gimmick in The Starbucks Post. I got down right defensive in the Civil Read more

by Brian Brady

Commercial Real Estate Finance Expert
Structured Debt and Equity
Licensed Real Estate Broker in AL, CA, and FL

Author website

Bryant Tutas, the most well-known author on the Active Rain Real Estate Network, was kind enough to grant me an interview. I have known Bryant since I signed up for Active Rain some six months ago. He is a serial contributor there, posting, commenting, and offering both insight and encouragement. Bryant and his wife (The Lovely Wife) are the owners of Tutas Towne Realty in Poinciana, FL. Bryant is the broker and sole practitioner while “The Lovely Wife” manages their properties.

Bryant, you were involved in commentary with Candybags, on Bloodhound Blog, some time back and followed up with a post asking “So, What Do You Do To Justify Your Commission?“. How do you think Realtors who host or comment on weblogs should prepare themselves to answer this question?

Brian, I think the question, “What do you do to justify your high commission?” is a valid question. REALTORS? need to be prepared to answer it. In this age of disintermediation, it is time for REALTORS? to really think about what it is that we do. We need to be able to communicate this to the consumer. We are paid for what we bring to the transaction and not what we do. I bring my reputation, experience, knowledge of the market, ability to be a calming force, skill at keeping folks focused on the end result, willingness to tell people what they need to hear (not what they want to hear) and my expertise at pricing properties correctly. None of these attributes can be received via the Internet. That, is what our value is. These intangibles cannot be quantified by a dollar amount.

How do you think the commentary could have been handled better here on BHB?

Candybags was rude and very hostile towards REALTORS? but he did ask a reasonable question. I prefer to try and win people like this over than to further instigate their aggression. I have learned over the years that aggression is best handled with patience and reason. I never take someone’s comments personally. There is always a reason why people act the Read more