If you've got a profile on Trulia and have been answering questions in the Trulia voices section, this probably will look more than a little familiar. Hopefully ... just hopefully ... your responses don't resemble this shining example ...

    Dear Mr. North Dakota homeseller,

    First of all, thanks for taking the time to write in. I know you probably were hoping to hear from an agent in your area. I mean, I couldn’t find the town you’re talking about with a flashlight and a compass even if you dropped me in downtown. Is it near Wahpeton High?

    To be honest, you receiving an answer from a qualified agent is less important than my quest to lead Trulia Voices in “most first answers.” I’m like what the UPI guys used to say about the AP, back when there was a UPI … “AP’s motto: get it first, get it fast, get it corrected.”

    But I digress.

    I see you’re asking why your home hasn’t sold. Since you have it listed currently, the person you should be asking is your agent. I’m really not supposed to get in the middle. But this is on the Internet so rules don’t really matter do they?

    Clearly the problem is with your living room. If you have a living room. I can’t be certain. I’ve never seen your house. Heck, I’ve never seen your city. But that’s not important right now.

    I also think there’s a problem with your price, at least according to what I’m seeing on Zillow. (By the way, if you’re home is one of the unzillowables, please blink twice.)

    What I would do if I were you is demand your agent spend as much money as possible advertising in homes magazines. This really doesn’t work, but that’s not important. It’s not my money I’m trying to spend. I’m just trying to answer quick and make sure everyone knows I’m a national expert, not just your area specialist. That’s very important. I think.

    If that doesn’t work, make sure to give me a call so I can refer you back to someone else in your city. Again, this really isn’t going to benefit you all that much but this way I can ask for a nifty referral fee for all the hard work I’ve put into this answer.

    Oh, and if nothing else works, make sure the lights are on when someone comes to look. And bake some cookies. Maybe even send some to my office. I like cookies.

    Well, thanks again for the e-mail. Best of luck with that sale.  I have to run and see how far I moved on the scoreboard with this first answer.

    See ya!

The point? Put a scoreboard on something and it's amazing how quickly people will adapt and do whatever they must to see their name rise on that scoreboard. Even if it involves giving generic answers to questions about real estate markets halfway across the country.

Maybe ... just maybe ... a consumer looking for agents online might dig one click deeper and wonder why it is someone in Arizona feels compelled to explain why homes in Maine are slow to sell. Or vice versa.

Do the right thing. Answer questions about your market. Leave the local experts to handle their own. Everyone will look much better for the effort. 

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