In response to Angie (#15) there has actually been an uptick in agents taking staging classes in the markets where real estate sales have dropped precipitously or the market has generally softened. This info comes from Andy Capelluto who now has a staging class available nationally via RealtyU. It’s in those softer markets where helping a client stand out above the competition will come in most handy. Heck, it’s valuable in any market. Statistically, it has been shown that houses that are staged sell faster and for more money than homes that are not.

I don’t do things halfway

Totally understand. I thought I made it clear with my earlier comment. You don’t have to go there to find out, but like I said, I’ll do my own investigating.

Much appreciated-

How would you do that due diligence? If you had to physically go there to know your answer, then asking me to go up and go there is not appropriate for a blog question.

I have seen this on Trulia as well. Someone asking should I buy this house or that house.

It’s just not a “blog question” and not a free service either. When the question gets to specifics, it’s what we do for a living, not blogtalk.

Ok, I get it. I’m not a client, so I shouldn’t ask. I can do my own due dilligence.

Thanks anyways-

Hard to explain that “public information” is not “public information” if it is a new construction project listed by a Brokerage. The Listing Company can make this information available to the public. But a different brokerage is not allowed to talk about the other Brokerage’s listing, even if it is an entire housing complex.

As Redfin’s Sweet Digs learned the hard way, not sure where that appeal stands, talking about publicly available info that is listed by another brokerage, is subject to a $5,000 fine for each offense.

The reasoning is that if I were to talk about a new construction project, people might call me to buy one of those condos or houses. For that reason, MLS rules consider that to be “adverstising another Broker’s listing.

When Redfin talked about a lot of property not listed by them, people read the blog and then used Redfin to buy other property. So it is considered using someone else’s “work product” (for lack of a better term) to gain more clients, and is a fineable offense.

I agree. Real Estate trends will continue to follow suit with the market as a whole. One event can’t dictate a sudden shift in pricing.
If you look at the 2nd Narrows bridge going up. That event was announced in an upward climbing market. Tacoma and Gig Harbor both benefited, but market trends didn’t skew much from the regional market as a whole. It opened up last summer and prices aren’t appreciating faster because of that. The numbers are pretty similar.