Top 12 Real Estate Predictions for 2008

TOP 12 REAL ESTATE PREDICTIONS FOR 2008:

1.) Google corporate jets will feature scrolling AdSense banners on their sides, or tow signs behind them as they fly over beaches.

By the way, you won't need a crystal ball for your sellers

with

Obeo HomeSite and Obeo StyleDesigner.

(Available after January 21st)

2.) Redfin will give away Snoopy Catch-'Em kits to each lister, with free linkbait.

3.) ActiveRain will provide free umbrellas to each Realtor at its site to protect them from getting soaked by falling prices.

4.) Pat Kitano at Transparent RE will move into a new glass headquarters in Pomona, CA. To stimulate the local economy and discourage the proverbial rock throwing, Pat will hire displaced mortgage brokers to police the grounds for any other offending projectiles.

5.) RISMedia’s Annual Leadership Conference will undergo a format change, a cross between Big Brother and Survivor. Hosted by David Hasselhoff, it will only be available by satellite subscription service.

6.) Zillow will use street teams to meme their brand and have street team members carry bells and buckets to enhance cash flow.

7.) The crew at Sellsius, inspired by their successful '08 nationwide blogging tour, will form a Band of Bloggers - like Brian Setzer's, only bigger and more verbose-and go on tour to over 1,500 real estate brokerages, playing at lunchtime in the parking lot.

8.) Inman TV will host a reality series of the Sellsius tour, partnering with Teresa Boardman to vlog and blog the performances.

9.) Trulia Voices, not to be outdone, will go out on a choral tour featuring songs with lyrics based on answers to questions posted at the site. Performance MP3s will be posted free at their site and will also be available as ring tones.

10.) NAR CEO Dale Stinton will go on a consumer-based diet including non-fat technology commodities.

11.) Upstart on line real estate community Wannanetwork will be bought by Donald Trump and leased to AT&T, forming a worldwide network of networks.

12.) Obeo and Krispy-Kreme form a strategic alliance to enhance delivery of its donut-on-a-stick incentive to all eligible-and hungry-Realtors attending their sales presentations.

Obeoair is at NAR this week, so check us out or email me for details!

...what we got, you want!

Obeoman

steven.stearns@obeo.com

Realtors are going through the fan...

Teresa Boardman seemed a little crabby when I stopped by recently at her blog.

But not without reason.

She says Realtors need buyers, not a kick in the teeth from their licensing organizations or the boards that support Realtors, but still say there is an excess of Realtors walking around.

Needless to say, the market is giving Realtors, brokers, buyers, sellers and associated professionals - all of us - a push toward the fan.

(See photo below.)

(Photo borrowed from foureyesjokeshop.com )

Well, there ain't nothing like social networking to pull you through the fan.

While this current market situation reflects the survival of the fittest-those that throw the biggest fit survive.

My home forum, http://www.wannanetwork.com/, is looking at gathering as many of their over 11,000+ members as they can at the National Association of Realtors convention this November- so follow the link and join up, even if you can't get to Vegas. I am hoping to be there early, myself.

So, what is going to happen as we go through the fan together?

Well, the reality of transparent information , a flattening marketplace and the competition they generate will thin out any labor force- including Realtors.

Okay, there are many other forces at work here and this may be an oversimplification, but the fact is the shakeout is here for Realtors and everyone who works with or for them.

Keeping it short and simple: no one wants to eat their young.

In the thick of this you have to look way ahead and see what is already emerging: Realtors need buyers, buyers are online, online companies like Zill-Ow are serving those buyers and the FSBOS are serving them too, -up to 20% or better in one of my core markets.

Ramping up education and keeping an eye on standards could be one trend worth shouting about. And that is a good thing for the profession of Realtors and housing consumers alike.

Realtors who are serious are all experts at some things.

It seems that Realtors may become experts on what to know,

not how to sell or to whom.

But hey, I'm just turning on the roller grill with you...

Pass the ketchup, please....

Obeoman

steven.stearns@obeo.com

Mhaaaaa..the mAgicK BuS!..and a thank you across the bow.

...Real work has been interfering with my blogging, but not my desire to blog. I apologize again to all my readers and 5-second looky-loos (according to Google analytics) for my absence, the topics that never were covered or properly expanded on and the generally lame attempts at being a bad real estate blog.

Meanwhile, back at the blog:

...I would love to be on the Sellsius bus, so to speak - the requisition has been made through the proper channels and a response is forthcoming in the next 24-36 hours.

...of course, if Teresa Boardman, Pat Kitano, JimmyZ, ZIllow, niknik, Joel Burlsem, REBlogGirl, JeffX, MaureenFrancis and Inmannews would offer me $300 dollars not to place my face on the bus..., well?????

By the way:...Joel has been a busy man lately pushing web RE video. He looked really Gen-Neutral during his Inman interview. His is a worthy cause for those selling digital video equipment - but likely not a great marketing solution for most single listings for Realtors.

Here is why:

Video Tours Lack Traffic and Aggregation: If you Alexa the companies that are doing RE video and stack them up, the traffic pile is not as deep as you-know-who-E-O. Video works great for building affinity for a community, a charismatic Real Estate agent/team or for showcase properties where the money is there to support video production values.

Video Tours are Tooooo Linear: They drag you though a property like a bull with a ring through its nose. Plus you usually have to look at some broker or agent hind quarters, making you feel like a sled dog.

Video Tours Lack Production Values: As a photographic mentor once told me, you cannot make chicken salad out of chicken guano. Find me ten RE video tours - done by agents or brokers at any site anywhere on the web that have any production values at all and I will eat this blog. The vast majority of RE video tours are so poorly executed with lousy lighting, fuzzy focus, shaky shooting, poor panning and awful audio it really isn't any wonder why this hot new trend is flailing to sizzle-yes, flailing.

EXTRA SPECIAL THANKS:

... to Voyager International, a kind-of competitor: Hey! You spelled Obeo right! And it's great to know our name leads on your web page presentation. Just so you happy-go-lucky gang of marketing mash-ups know:

-We are tops with Realtors in the NAR Vertical Metrix : money follows market leaders, and Realtors know their money works hardest with us.

-Obeo posts the vast majority of its tours on 4 days.

-And sorry about your traffic accident: One of my current clients has had a tour with you at Kayyah and the listing has been viewed 38 times since 09/06/2006. Get well soon !

More later, if you can stand it...

Steve

Still tuned in?

...the day went straight down the techno-tubes...I am gonna cover those topics, but to start:

Pat-do any of those dislocated people have anything to say to you? Should we be talking to them?

I gotta go - beyond exhaustion.

Steve

Watch This Space...

...as I actually have to go out and WORK today, so a brief preview of what is to be included later - posting around and during Happy Hour :

David Lereah, my front yard, Pat Kitano, .98 cent books, fearful weenies, my back yard, dislocation, cheerleading, low-income housing, landlords, blogger meet-up, and global real estate.

You are all invited. Stay Tuned, and put your bibs on.

I gotta go.

Steve
steven.stearns@obeo.com