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Zillow Advice and Trulia Voices: "Do Consumers Get Qualified Answers?"

O don't-answer-questions-from-outside-your-area-of-expertise ver two years ago, I wrote a post entitled, "But I did Stay at a Holiday Inn Express!"

If you're not familiar with this series of TV commercial spots by Holiday Inn Express, it shows guests who attempt extremely difficult or complicated jobs (brain surgery, rodeo clown) because they got such a great night's sleep at the Holiday Inn Express.

I've been accessing Trulia Voices and Zillow Advice for the purposes of engaging consumers who ask questions in my market area.

Historically, ActiveRain has had a 'Question & Answer' feature on their Home Page, but it tends to get cluttered with questions from other members or SPAM from various solicitors.

Earlier this evening, I received an email alert from Zillow Advice where a homeowner down in Port Orchard WA asked the question:

"Is now a good time to sell or should we wait until summer when it shows better?"

Someone else had already responded to the question - a real estate agent in Minnesota. He began his answer with "I am not familiar with the market in Washington State, but"...

"No, I'm not a Brain Surgeon, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night!"

Unfortunately, on some of these platforms, members are awarded points for the questions they answer. The more points they earn, the higher up in the pecking order they are (gee, sounds familiar, huh?) So their motivation in responding to questions isn't always because they can offer the best, qualified answer. It's so they can earn more points.

I penned my response to the homeowner's question, but prefaced it with a short comment to the Minnesota agent. I simply said, "If you're not licensed in Washington State or familiar with the market here, then please extend the professional courtesy 'NOT' to answer.

A short while later, a Zillow 'ALL-STAR' added the following comment to the stream:

Minnesota Agent: Thanks for an excellent answer!

Rich: your spam and violation of the good neighbor policy has been reported to the moderators. (PS. I do live in Washington state and there is no policy that one must be a local spammer to answer questions).

Excuse me? Good Neighbor policy? When did I access the State Farm website?

I quickly shot back my volley response:

With all due respect, my 1st comment was directed towards the agent in Minnesota, and it in no way constitutes any form of spam or violation of the 'good neighbor' policy. I was simply expressing my concern that he was rendering an opinion that was outside of his ability to answer accurately. We owe the consumers who ask these questions the value of our expertise and knowledge within our respective markets. He even begins his comment with "I am not familiar with your market"... Real estate professionals who frequent this platform should refrain from answering questions outside of their market area, especially questions that are specific in nature.

The points or recommendations that I made in the Holiday Inn article still hold true today:

If you're not licensed or regularly doing business within a particular State, DON'T respond to questions there.
If the question subject matter deals with a topic/issue that is outside your area of expertise and knowledge, DON'T respond.

ACTION POINT: Do you utilize Trulia Voices or Zillow Advice? What has been your experience? Do you feel it's permissible to answer questions from outside your market area?

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

kitsap-county-wa-real-estate

An avid blogger since 2005, Rich has published over 1000 articles, most related to real estate. He enjoys using the tools of social media to brag/boast about the quality of Life on the picturesque Kitsap Peninsula in scenic WA State. He is a licensed real estate professional providing knowledgeable empowerment and relentless representation for his clients of residential properties and vacant land throughout all of Kitsap County WA and portions of Pierce, Mason, and Jefferson Counties. You can also find him at KitsapLife.com, SOUNDBITEBLOG, Crabbing in the Hood, Everyday CK, Facebook, Twitter, or e-mail: kitsapagent@gmail.com

Posted by Rich Jacobson Your Kitsap County WA Real Estate Broker on 01/16/2010 01:06 AM

Comments (104)

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104 Comments on Zillow Advice and Trulia Voices: "Do Consumers Get Qualified Answers?"

JAN

2010

Good points Rich. I have been frustrated with both the low number of questions, and their relevance to real estate as well. I have seen so much bad advice given, particularly from non-real estate professionals that it makes me sick. Both networks have their place and good attributes. Just not a fan of the morons that make the rest of us look bad. But where else are they going to go? Setting up a blog site is difficult, Active Rain is complicated, and many of them can't even spell HTML none the less understand it.

Hi Rich, I like to answer these questions as well. I've done some out of state, but try to stay local where I am more qualified to respond. If I see they are working with an agent, I try to direct them to ask the agent or their broker if they are discussing a non-responsive agent. I've also been quick to direct people to attorney's when the questions are about real estate, but are technically legal issues.

Perhaps ouradvice should come with a disclaimer, "Liability for taking advice on this site is strictly limited to the price paid for the advice."

HA! I stopped visiting Trulia because of the irrelevance of the answers to the non-specific questions.

There is no way a question about market conditions can be generic in real estate matters. Nor is there any logic in out of area agents answering questions.

Unless, of course, it's for the Google crawls. Mmmmmmmmm.

There may be some value in that routine. However, for the time involved, I'd rather put up a post on ActiveRain or add to my personal blogs.

I have only answered one on Zillow.. I go hot and cold on Trulia but I answered one the other night. Gee I did not know there are points involved.

I don't like questions anywhere much. I don't think I did any on ActiveRain.

I never noticed the Holiday Inn commercials or understood them but I remember your post, but thanks for explaining it again.

I think with a lot of the questions on Trulia disprove the trite phrase "there's no such thing as a dumb question." And some of the answers.... even the local answers... and the "pick me, pick me, puhleeeeeeeeeeeeeze pick me to be your Real-A-Tor" in the answers is gross.

Ditto Lenn's last paragraph I would rather put up a blog post.

Rich,

I did for a while but quickly felt it wasn't worth the effort, or the potential liability. Some of the answers to the questions, from both local and remote agents, were downright scary.

Rich

Q. I'd love to be the Localism sponsoring agent for Gibson Island: I have lived on the island for 7 years and have a wonderful listing there... Gibson Island in Anne Arundel Co. has only 200 homes and needs a Localism sponsor. I have already blogged about my new GI listing on Active Rain. Check it out: 646 Stillwater Rd Gibson Island, MD 21056.

I guess I did not realize AR even had questions anymore. Ick, Ick double Ick. I flagged some of the spam on there including the gem above.

I am not a fan of trulia voices for that reason. I also don't like the fact that the people who ask the questions are often represented sellers looking for a second opinion and buyers who don't want representation. I occasionaly answer questions in my own area and I find that 14 other agents will answer the same question with the same answer.

I never answer questions outside of my area.

City-data is the site that irritates the heck out of me. People answer anonymously. Often the answers are from people who are new to town and really don't know what the heck they are talking about.

Rich,

Even here in the 'Rain, the first answer or 2 is usually from a very distant agent. If it is a general "how do I pick a Realtor," it annoys me less but that rarely is the case. Trulia sent me an email about getting points for answering, so I think the problem will get worse.

I'm with you. Don't answer outside your area!

Rich, I only answer questions from those in Michigan (and only those I am qualified to answer!) Also, if another agent has left a good reply then I don't leave another.

Recently I answered a question by someone looking for buying advice in Ann Arbor, and I directed this person to Missys website and her team of buyers agents. I got my hand slapped by Trulia for it. Ticked me off as it was clear this young lady needed good solid advice from a buyers agent in Ann Arbor, yet I was considered to be "spamming" by giving out another agents information.

Rich:

Sometimes I think the point reward system can motivate people to do strange things. And, I think advising a consumer on market conditions that are completely out of your area fits into this category.

I have never answered a question out of my immediate market. It makes no sense at all to me when people do that. Just saw that for a question in my market and it left me scratching my head when agents from out of my state were answering. Nothing better to do?

Rich, I started the answering questions thing on Trulia for awhile but quit. Not only are some of the answers scary, the majority of them were just sales pitches for the agents. "I'll be happy to help you with that answer. Give me a call or email and we'll discuss it." Frankly, I didn't want to be associated with it.

On another note, so how did the "being reported" go? Curious how Zillow upper management reviewed this.

I have Trulia Voices alerts set up for MIchigan and Saline and Ann ARbor.

Those are THE only questions I answer. I don't even answer all of them in Michigan if they are about a house.

That's IT.

I hate it when I see agents in tim buk two, answering in my state.

Though I used to answer questions for my area more frequently on Trulia it became frustrating to see an agent from CA or elsewhere answering questions about Northern Virginia. I don't even answer questions for all of Virginia or even some of the remote counties in my area if I don't them well. The fact that other agents think that they should answer a question about another state makes me wonder if they aren't violating the law and attempting to practice real estate without a license in that state.

Rich,

I answer questions on Trulia Voices. Locally.

The bulk of the answers are agents who do not address the question, but just solicit the poster's business, with a promise to answer if the poster contacts them.

I prefer to avoid posters who obviously have representation.

Zillow is a joke with mortgage quotes. When you question them they tell me and say they look into quotes and they have volume lenders that only make 100-200 gross on a purchase. Yea right

Tony

Rich, I answer questions on Trulia, but only specific to my area. I think the agent who jumped on you was wrong and out of place. What did the moderator say?

Rich--this is very timely! I just answered a question on Trulia yesterday which was specific to my area (Keene, NH) Out of the 8 responses, only two were from NH agents (one of them being me.) Of the remaining 6, one was another consumer, the rest were from agents in NJ, FL, TX, MA (okay...kinda-sorta close geographically, but a totally different market) and CA. Huh??

It appears that many of the agents who participate there are simply using it as another platform to paste their web address, email address, web address, self-promotional pick-me spiel, and web address, rather than a place to offer advice or guidance to consumers. Agent contact info is readily available, should the consumer wish to get in touch so I have to believe that consumers can see right through that self-serving baloney.

To answer the question you pose in your title: More often than not, NO.

Rich in my experience I skip over more questions than I answer on Trulia. I only stopped by Zillow a a time or two. I didn't like it. I've had this discussion before with other professionals. I like the consumer direct question/answer system, but Realtors and lenders chasing points don't care about the local factor. And as far as you violating ? Stupid.

I gave up on both because of the hostility towards agents on those sites. I felt I was hurting my business, not helping.

When a customer posts a question on Trulia, its like blood in the water, the sharks come in and start soliciting themselves immediately. I find this an unproductive way to develop a dialogue. I don't think I even categorize this person as a lead, as in the first person who responds will have a greater chance to help this person in the future. But I do agree that the out of state people offering their advice is presumptuous and unproductive.

I avoid these.

I have read the conversation threads and they are normally unproductive and misleading. I don't want to be associated with the type of behavior.

Trulia Q&A seems to be a hit or miss thing... I find the answers to be right about half the time, with a too-large dose of self-serving pablum mixed in, and a dash of completely in-accurate garbage on top. It weakens the whole Trulia experience for me...

Trulia is where one agent after another tries to second guess what is going on in a transaction based on tainted information given in the form of a question. It is like a game show where agents appear to be helping but are really trying to steal a client by saying how stupid the other agent is without crossing the magical NAR ethics line.

Zillow has been against all real estate agents since day one. While they asked for agents to come and play on their field it is solely for the enjoyment of those who are members of the "I HATE REALTORS" Club where you will get kicked and spit upon the second you offer an opinion. Why the NAR pays Zillow heads to talk at their convention is like the American Cancer Society calling upon Dr. Kevorkian to give a motivational speech at St. Jude Children's Hospital.

While it is good to have a profile on those sites, it is best to only answer a question without any hope of seeing it turn into a lead. And, never, never, ever go back to see what the others have said about you afterwards. That mean's you MUST uncheck the box that alerts you to new comments. Which is how I have most of the boxes on Active Rain marked. I don't care about the points.

I have been shocked by some of the answer I've read that were supposed to be advice to consumers! Did these people really PASS the real estate exam in their state ????????

I was a diligent user of both. Like so many others, I got tired of agents answering just to get points ( much like the "We sure learn a lot here" replies here on Active Rain). Both of those sites have become a modern day version of the real estate bathroom wall. There's writing all over them, and I'd prefer not to be in either.

Hi Rich,

I have it set up so that the State of CT Zillow & Trulia questions in my local area come to me. Some of the questions are good but very few consumers ask questions. Once in a while it will be a consumer who is really having a hard time with a transaction and they really need the help. It's a good tool for them. It is important for my business plan to be active on these websites. That makes me different from most other agents in my area.

I can't control what agents from other areas are doing for points, including answering questions from out of state, so I don't worry about them. Most of the consumers who really use the question feature will vote with their thumbs up for the best answer, and those are noted on your profile on Trulia.

I have stopped myself a couple of times from posting an answer prefaced with "I'm not from your State but..." because I agree the point of your post.

Rich, agreed, don't reply to questions for which you don't have an answer. Additionally, I don't post when I feel that questions have been sufficiently answered by others already.

Rich, I'm with you. Leave local questions to local Realtors or professionals in that area. A national question is fine to answer if you are in a different state. Your response was accurate, true, and not insulting.

Rich, I was on Trulia for awhile, and seriously have a problem with the whole concept.

You may not like someone from 3000 miles away answering questions about your local market, and I don't blame you.

But when someone asks a specific mortgage question, and 5 real estate agents attempt to answer (with the wrong information) I have to cringe.

I know the right answer. But to put it out there means I am saying that 5 realtors have no clue what they are talking about.

Not to mention some poor consumer is reading these answers that are not correct. Why do Realtors answer mortgage questions?

I spend a lot of time answering questions on Trulia. I don't limit my answers to local questions. There are plenty of questions that can be answered by any agent, anywhere in the country.

* What is Earnest Money?
* Should I do an Inspection?
* Why should I use a Realtor?

and my personal favourite:

* What is the standard commission in [fill in the location]?

You don't have to live in the local community to be able to explain what earnest money is, nor the importance of an inspection, and how using a Realtor can help your transaction. You can also explain that there is no standard commission (until you're blue in the face, because this question just won't die... there's always some agent who pipes up [often local] and says "our standard commission is 6%!". D'oh!? How do you spell "Sherman Anti-Trust"?)

I don't answer questions that are truly local. (what's the market like in Farmingham?, is 1234 Sherman still for sale, what's happening with the development at the corner of X & Y)... I leave those for the local agents. But if the question is one that I have the expertise to answer, and I have an interest in the subject matter... I answer it. My reply doesn't prevent any local agents from responding, they're free to agree, disagree, or come up with a response all on their own.

I don't use my replies as solicitations... i don't put my entire resume at the bottom of my reply... nor do I end with "pick me... pick me... pick me...!" If they've liked my answers, and the way I respond, they can click on my name, and my profile will pop up with all of my contact information.

Zillow, by the way, as Gregory has already stated in reply #25, is an entirely different animal, and has been seriously anti-realtor for years. I'm surprised you didn't get chewed up and spit out.

I wonder how easy it would be for them to change it so that only realtors from that state could answer questions within their state? It's one of those DUH!!! moments. It's such an easy solution that I bet nobody has even thought of it. Getting good advice through Trulia and Zillow, as well as Active Rain, is a great thing...if you get good advice.

I answer questions on Trulia unless they are ZIP code specific. How I can effectively answer questions from other markets where most EVERYTHING is different? Stick to what you know.

I find it funny that the most active and opinionated people on the above blogs do the least business when you pull them up on the MLS.

I chose to answer questions only about my market area. It's all I have time to do....and I wish others would focus closer to home, too.

I've noticed answers from out-of-area realtors to local questions and I wonder why they do it. Also, I wrote a post last week on updates to the Code of Ethics and one of the changes reads: " . . . Realtors shall not undertake to provide specialized professional services concerning a type of property or service that is outside their field of competence . . ."

Wouldn't giving advice to an area outisde your area of specialty apply here?

I haven't done too much on either site. I seen the anti agent sentiment and was kind of turned off.

There is a inspector message board and at times there are some flashes of brilliance but in general it is very negative, snippy and just grumpy in general. I came to the conclusion that if the inspector was on a message board then they probably weren't very busy and grumpy about their lack of business. At least thats what I tell myself!

I get frustrated with both sites as well because it is such an crap shoot for good info - I always feel like I am in a den of lions.

The only questions I see on Zilliow are "How do I remove my home, it was sold 4 months ago?" And, similiar to your blog, I've had the very SAME reaction to comments from Trulia. A nameless home inspector was giving real estate advice! Agents from out of state chimming in. I commented on my post about that wasn't cool at all! They are not licensed either to sell real estate in the state. And if this is the tip of the iceberg, can you imagine what will happen if a national MLS is in place?!? Talk about a feeding frenzy.

Rich, I agree 100%. It always confuses me on why someone would answer and start the post off by saying they are not knowledgeable about the subject.

Hi Rich, Very fun read. I do use Trulia Voices and have found that the answers are typically very good. Also some out of area answers but mostly quite good.

I keep meaning to go back to those platforms in order to leverage those particular features... and I never stay long because there are so many spam answers and people from the opposite side of the country that are answering.

Thanks, everyone, for the great comments! And whoever bestowed the Gold Star, Thank You!.....

I'm surprised someone from Zillow or Trulia hasn't piped in yet!?! Of course, they both know that this is a common issue, and no doubt is very difficult to police.

I used to answer questions on Zillow, but not anymore. The forums on that site have deterioted to "professionals" bashing other "professionals." How "professional" is that? Now, most mortgage related questions on Zillow are of the "why didn't I get any quotes for my loan request" variety. As for Trulia, I still answer questions there, but usually just a few a week. But, I don't spend a lot of time there. I found that I get much better results by focusing on blogging here on ActiveRain.

To me both forums resemble a wierd speed dating night but none of the lonely hearts speak the same language.

Don't even get me started on this. It gets my IRISH UP and I am full blooded Irish. (maiden name O'Neill, mother's maiden name is O'Brien)...and my answer would not be very nice, so I will e-mail you personally.

Just another website giving away too much info to the public which only serves to confuse them further. I spend most of time "de-mything" clients in my real estate market thanks to sites like Trulia.

those are great sites to read and contribute to on a regular basis with the consumers. I have found some amazing questions on trulia and zillow..

I enjoy both sites but I don't participate in the forums very often because there are just too many "attitudes" that "live" there. Licensed and non-licensed. I feel sorry for the consumer in threads such as the one you are writing about, which now has totally become not about the consumer but about the commenters.

Rich I am on your side, stick to what you know.

Rich. You got rich information in that post, no pun intended. Good stuff.

Rich this is one of my biggest pet peaves especially when the person is answering a legal question of which they have no legal expertise.

Rich I donlt answer questions on Zillow but do on Trulia when they are specific to my area. I too have found that a lot of the answers are just agents trying to show how smart they are. Or they are from one of the big franchises trying to get a referral fee.

While I completely agree with your response the the Minnesota agent I would not have left it on a public forum. It contributed to the "pissing match" and is not being a Good Neighbor :)

I think the greatest value of the two forums is less about the actual content of the responses and more about where they point to. Any wise shopper knows they don't just stop anyone to ask for information about something related to a product. But they may stop anyone and ask where they should go to ask. Approached from this perspective both the consumer and the person responding with information have a lot more freedom to quickly get to the desired result.

I haven't used Trulia Voices, but I have recently started answering questions on Zillow. I have my Zillow account set-up to alert me when questions are posted only within my home state. If the question is real estate specific and not in my market area, I may still respond but usually with the recommendation that the consumer talk to a local professional. Actually, with all of the bad responses out there, I find that good responses from knowledgable agents stand out (and they probably do to consumers as well).

Usually, I don't even look at the questions for out of my area. I'm looking to interact with local consumers.

Great post. I have been answering question in Trulia voices for a while now. Most people seem to stay in their area, or did until their new VIP Ribbons started.

After RainCamp I decided to give Zillow a shot, My very first response was pulled because it violated the Good Neighbor policy. They did not tell me how it violated the policy, I just got an email that it violated it.

I emailed them back said Thank You very much, I am sticking with Trulia.

I find Trulia to be more user and Realtor friendly as well.

Just my two cents.

I used to answer questions on Trulia, but it was filled with so many morons saying "CALL ME, AND I'LL HELP YOU FIND A HOME!" that I just didn't want to be associated with that mentality. Sometimes, if I run into a specific question about a niche market, I'll venture an answer, but really - for the most part Truilia Voices has degenerated into a gaggle of despearte agents.

In the big picture... if these agents knew what they were doing when it comes to the internet in the first place.. they would not be spending very much time there.

And if you are an agent and have little clue about the internet.. then you have to wonder what kind of agent they are in the first place.

Anyways... to your action point... Answering questions about market conditions specific to an area you may have never been in is a sign that you need to get a life...

Of course... I always love the ones popping in stating they know some great Agents in the area that they can refer you to... Classic..

Bryant: As always, I greatly respect your opinions. I guess because of my experiences as a moderator, I tend to be somewhat vocal on this issue. If no one is willing to confront this problem, then it simply continues to propagate, and well-intended professionals expose themselves to greater liability, and more importantly, consumers don't get the most qualified answers. But you're right, I should have simply sent this person a message rather than post my comment in a public forum. The ensuing tirade is an embarassment!

Some questions are so general in nature that any good agent can answer them. Seeking advice about market conditions in a specific area is another thing altogether. For example, in Michigan is could be a poor time to sell a home. But here in Florida things are heating up, especially with the "snowbirds" here.

The Tampa Tribune called yesterday to try to get me to use their services to advertise my listings. Something that 1. I find to be in effective when I have tried it 2. When she called she said she had seen my ad on Craig's list, and funny thing, I specifically marked that I DID NOT want to be contacted by other vendors. When I rejected her offer since I do so much interet work, she said, "just want you to know tha our ads appear on *******. She was very surprised to hear that for me that was the last nail in the coffin of her spiel since my customers forbid me to put their ads on that site and sites like it. Oh well!! Some day people will learn.

I too just posted on the plethora of bad and just plain wrong advice out there.

In Texas, there is a huge difference in the regional areas, Houston is completely different from San Antonio area or the Austin area, or the Dallas area.

I was born in Dallas and have been back there 100s of times since I moved to Houston, but I would never dream of answering a question for the Dallas area when I only really know the Houston market. Yet, people from foreign places such as Ohio and Virginia are regularly chiming in on the Houston questions when they don't even realize that we TEXANS are DIFFERENT in so many ways then everywhere else. There are 25000 agents in Houston alone. Let one of those people answer the Houston questions and stick to your own area. PLEASE!

JAN

2010

Rich,

If the questions is local-specific, then only local real estate gals and guys should answer because of obvious reasons. Out of respect for the person asking. However, some of these questions are rather general and that leaves the door wide open.

I am a Texas agent, but I've been licensed in the past in Illinois and Wisconsin. Have I answered questions there, yes!!! But, I stayed in the geographical areas I was familiar with. I do find it irritating when people from out of the area answer local specific questions. What is even more irritation are those agents who have a canned answer that is the same no matter what the question is. There anwer is their own personal commercial.

Hi Rich... I have seen more garbage, poor answers, and blatant self promotion on Trulia voices than I can stand. It's like most conversations, if someone doesn't know what they are talking about it's best to stay quiet, listen and learn something!

Rich, what is the photo in your signature line that looks like a bug? I have seen it several times and do not know what it is. I do know it is not a Maryland Crab but it puzzles me each time i see your posts.

When I have extra time, or am on hold!!!-- I will check out Trulia's Q&A. I have submitted answers. But I never reply to questions outside of PA. I go right to the PA question area, and hang out there.

It irks me to see people from out of state posting vague or general replies that should be directed at local agents. It does seem to me they're after the points or fame, not in truly helping.

Another pet peeve is the out of area agent who says "You need to find a good local agent. I can help you find one if you email me your contact info." HELLO--angling for a referral????

I answer a lot of state/local questions on Trulia. I subscribe to Zillow but you mostly get 'why can't I take down my listing?' questions there. One thing that really annoys me is the spammy duplicate answers to questions. I'll answer a question, someone else will chime in with the exact same info. I even saw one where an agent answered the question, and then 3 months later, answered the same question again.

Thanks, Rich!

So often the answers push an agenda that don't really answer the questions being asked. There's a difference between genuine helpfulness and cheesy self-promotion.

What a great topic and congrats on the the feature. I have not been on Trulia lately (perhaps I should go back) but have noticed a variety of levels and qualities with regard to responses. But . . . on AR (no disrespect to any of my colleagues out there in cyberspace) I also see a large disparity in the quality of the posts. I guess that is why there is a disclaimer at the bottom of every page.

Great point Rich......I feel the same way regarding answering outside your area of expertise. I have often been asked for advice outside my expert area and always refer them to someone who can better answer. Agents who don't, aren't doing anyone a favor, including themselves. Except of course earning a few extra AR ponits. BIG DEAL! Stick to what you know.

We added our profiles to Zillow and Trulia way back when and sat back waiting for the questions about our local market to roll in...and waited...and waited. Suffice it to say that questions about our neck of the woods are exceedingly rare, but when a question finally did come in, from someone in our zip code even, we answered it in a competent and concise fashion.

Then "the Shark" hit. You know him, the one who circles a question waiting for some poor unsuspecting fool to answer it so he can swoop in and publically denigrate you for all kinds of ethics violations, like for not asking if the person had an agent and if they did, how I was guilty of "tortious interference" by answering the question. Well, the question was a general question that any agent could answer so I politely told the Shark to buzz off, but the experience left such a bad taste in my mouth that I've never gone back. Well, I have a few times for the entertainment value. It's a laugh riot reading some of the answers to those questions. If we could judge the answers like they do the performers on America's Got Talent, most of them would have been "X-ed" off the site already. Maybe they should put some kind of rating system on there, like a thumbs up or down, or press a button to sound a gong like on the old Gong Show. 3 thumbs down or 3 gongs and your answer goes up in flames. Anyway, to answer your title question, I'd say "Sometimes", and that's being generous.

I scanned the comments here, so I might have missed one with this observation. There is a trick to avoiding the negativity of the Doom & Gloom idiot civilians on Zillow - the ones who swoop down upon any positive comments or answers from any unsuspecting Realtors, to disparage them and basically publicly rake them over the coals - Zillow gives you the ability to approach a question asker directly, on their profile, without going public, on Zillow's thread.

Just go to the asker's profile and click on the contact me link - if they've enabled it, which most of them do. That way, you immediately enter into a direct communication with just person - IF - and that's a big if, they respond back to you - in my experience, most do not.

On both sites it is probably in your best interests to not answer questions with typical pom-pom waving, "it's ALWAYS a good time to buy real estate" which get's some agents bombarded with negative responses - especially on Zillow. Trulia is a bit more mellow, in my experience.

I answer questions on Trulia only in my specific marketplace.

I no longer visit the "Z",nor the "T". I've found it frustrating on both sites. I think it's OK to answer generic questions on these sites, as other's ideas are often helpful and have an insight that I might not have thought about.

There was a Trulia question the other day asking "what kind of people live in the Hollywood Hills and is it safe for children" and the first answer was from someone who doesn't even live in the county! These point systems are rediculous.

Rich, I think it is so funny some bozo called you a spammer and non-good neighbor. LOL. I too feel the same way and have stopped answering questions on both platforms. The people answering the questions are also giving legal advice outside their scope. Gee, Realtors acting like attorneys? Hmmm, sounds like that could be a problem there bucko.

I actually answering something on Trulia the same way you did from an agent outside of the area he was answering about. My statement being, please only stick with a realtor within the geo area of where you are selling. So, his next comment was that 'he used to live there, his brother was a cop, he just sold something there, he knows alot of people, I was a schmuck giving advice about his company, blah blah blather. BUT .. his office is 25 miles away. Go figure.

I had no idea that type of thing was going on. I also agree that you should not be answering questions that don't apply to you or that you know nothing about, just in order to get points.

I actually started my blog www.KarensPerspective.com and began teaching and coaching locally (I'm a real estate investor) because of the diluted and inaccurate information people keep getting. I know I can, and do, help people in my area. We can't know the country, but we can know our area.

Pick an area, even a topic if you want, and be the expert. People are hungry for guidance.

Rich, I am an active user of Trulia Q&A. with that being said, I don't actually agree with the points system nor do I agree with if you sign-up for Trulia Pro, you automatically jump to the top of the search results just because you pay for it when a consumer is looking for someone in your area.

Back to your post, I have when I first signed up for Trulia Q&A answered questions out of my market area if they were general real estate questions and no real knowledge of the actual area, state or market was needed. Once I found the email alerts, I signed up for NJ and now I only answer questions in New Jersey (sometimes in only the counties I cover) and try to only answers questions that bring value to the consumer.

Reading through some of the other comments to your post, I do agree that some buyers or sellers are either looking for a second opinion to what their agent has already told them, are second-guessing their agent, etc. I have yet to see any of my clients ask Trulia questions or at least haven't been able to figure out it was them under their fictitious names but I think I'd be a bit disappointed if they didn't have enough trust in me and had to ask on a public forum.

Points will always bring out the worst in people! LOL! Look at all the copy/paste comments here on AR just for points.

I don't play in the real estate space directly but did find a similar scenario when I was searching for a moving expert, someone who writes a lot on the web. What I found was that 99% of what gets written about moving ... is written by writers who have little/no first hand knowledge of the things that can/will go wrong and how to plan for, and/or prevent them.

I've attended a couple of risk management classes the past two VAR Conferences. It is my understanding that agents/brokers answering real estate questions outside ones area of license is a VIOLATION!

I've had agents giving advice for short sale response time and other topics in my area of Virginia who are located outside my state. I wish there was some way agents were prevented from harming themselves so much. One day, it'll all catch up with them. Any regulator who wants to clean up and bring in some income via fines could easily graze on these sites.

I only answer local-to-my-area questions on Trulia, but I'm not particularly bothered by answers from distant agents. The answers--mine and theirs--speak for themselves.

Boy, who would've thought this post would garner such attention and comment? Guess it just goes to show how common or prevalent this issue is on various platforms.

Thanks to everyone for their valued opinions. We need to remain focused on what is the most important and primary purpose for frequenting such forums - to provide knowledgeable, experienced, and expert advice on our respective markets.

I answer questions that I have knowledge about! Recently there was a question about disclosures and seller liability. An out-of-state agent made a comment that was absolutely untrue about our state. So I recommended that the consumer not listen to out of state agents on this....they meant well, but were just wrong. The flood of opinions just went on from there.

LOL. My business plan was to spend more time on these sites. After reading this I'm not sure that's still the right plan.

I've attended a couple of risk management classes the past two VAR Conferences. It is my understanding that agents/brokers answering real estate questions outside ones area of license is a VIOLATION!

~~~~~~~

you missed a very important part of that statement in risk management classes ... as long as you're very clear about where you're licensed, there is no violation in giving generic real estate advice outside of one's area of license. And on Zillow and Trulia both, your licensed area is printed directly below your photo and name.

and often, I will start a comment with "I'm not from Kentucky, but in Illinois..." thereby clarifying it even further.

WOW! Once again, I pick up information to advance my knowledge base,

JAN

2010

I have and continue to answer questions on Trulia, typically in my local area. I do periodically answer general questions that are out of my geographic area, but that is only on occassion. I don't answer any questions that I feel I don't have the proper knowledge or expertise on, local or not, that just causes more trouble than it's worth. I have picked up a buyer from Trulia, so it can be a good marketing tool if used properly.

I wasn't familiar with the Trulia Q&A until I read this post. Very interesting comments.

i've participated in trulia q&a's and found most to be informative. certain of the questions require some assuming but the thread usually gets to the meat of the matter. i like that there are a far better mix of agents and laymen who chime in...it makes the thread more well rounded. i pay no attention to the point system...even here. really, who cares?

i disagree completely that only a local agent can speak with authority on an issue...MOST questions are general in nature and make good reading for all interested parties.

zillow? not so much. i had to advise one client not to feed those trolls who seemed to me to be very anti-agent and strangely willing to speak on any topic w/o regard to knowledge. that was a full year ago, it may be different now.

I tend to only respond to local questions. I am too busy to be involved in everyone in the country's business.

JAN

2010

I still like to read through the AR questions and answers, but I do fully embrace your point about "if you aren't the neighborhood expert, and if the question is a local question - - -then don't answer!!!" We're talking about relevance. I think AR, Zillow and all the rest would do themselves a favor by having a "voting" button for the responses. If the answer is not relevant or useful, then the reader should be able to affect the respondent's ratings by indicating if the response was helpful or not. This should quickly eliminate the riff-raff "know it all" agents from wasting everyone's time and increase the relevance of the question and answer forums.

JAN

2010

Personally, I stay away from both of them. A couple of years ago I checked them out but was not impressed at all. I have remained away -

JAN

2010

this is tooo funny....however, i have always felt trulia and zillow were anti-Realtor and i dont go there maybe if EVERY REALTOR felt the same and stayed away from them, then they would go out of business along with the hundreds of sites that suck agents into false pretense that if you pay us a fee then and all the buyers cometo our web site to search for a Realtor...BS...if they were out of business then buyers and sellers would come to the experts...us...Realtors and no be going to a 3rd party to find us

JAN

2010

It depends on the question, whether it's general or specific. If the question is about the market in a specific area, I will sometimes answer with 'check with your local Realtor'. If it's a specific question about my area, I will of course answer the question. General questions can be answered by most Realtors in a general way. Basic rule of thumb, be an expert in your area, people will become attracted to you.

FEB

2010

Mr. Alan May, Coldwell Banker, response number 32, addressed the issue perfectly, and I am quoting Alan below, directly from the text of his answer:

I spend a lot of time answering questions on Trulia. I don't limit my answers to local questions. There are plenty of questions that can be answered by any agent, anywhere in the country.

* What is Earnest Money?
* Should I do an Inspection?
* Why should I use a Realtor?

and my personal favourite:

* What is the standard commission in [fill in the location]?

Bruce Bills

www.ratewindow.com

Mr. Alan May, Coldwell Banker, response number 32, addressed the issue perfectly, and I am quoting Alan below, directly from the text of his answer:

I spend a lot of time answering questions on Trulia. I don't limit my answers to local questions. There are plenty of questions that can be answered by any agent, anywhere in the country.

* What is Earnest Money?
* Should I do an Inspection?
* Why should I use a Realtor?

and my personal favourite:

* What is the standard commission in [fill in the location]?

Bruce Bills

www.ratewindow.com

FEB

2010

Points well made. I have seen this many times myself. Another problem I have come across is individuals portraying themselves as Brokers or Agents and answering questions and or attacking agents and the industry as a whole. A good rule of thumb is if the question is market specific and you do not specialize in that market then do not answer the question.

MAY

2010

Good post Rich. Very well put.

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Silverdale, WA

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