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Getting Feedback On Your Listings-The Blogging Method

By Danilo Bogdanovic

Real Estate Agent with Market Advantage Real Estate

January 18, 2007 07:22 AM

Our team has been using an email system to get feedback on our listings for years now and it has worked fairly well. But an associate of mine came up with the idea of using a blog to capture feedback.

The idea was to create a more interactive platform for feedback and networking among agents in the Loudoun County and Fairfax County areas. Rather than just an elementary and cold email, we wanted to create a blog that provided agents a more visually appealing platform as well as the opportunity for agents and consumer to compare other's feedback and thoughts to their own.

So we launched blogback just after the New Year. We've been happy with the results so far and the traffic is steadily increasing by the day. This is not a real estate blog that talks about the community, market conditions and what's going on in the real estate industry (we have real/diaBlog and Loudoun Stats for that). It's a platform for giving, receiving and comparing feedback and comments on listings and interacting with other agents in our local area.

It has turned out to also be a tool for agents and consumers alike. It gives the agents who are commenting insight as to what other buyers and agents are looking for in properties. This may help in evaluating their own listings and making changes according to what the general buyer population is looking for and focused on at the present time.

Perhaps the listing agent and seller thinks that the home is clutter free. But most buyer's comments when compared to the pictures of the property show that buyers think that more than one item on one piece of furniture is "clutter". The agent can now go back to their sellers with that information, which may help them sell the home and the agent looks even better in the eyes of their clients.

And by seeing the comments on their property, sellers may be more prone to believe their agent when they tell them that they need to change something about the property or lower the asking price. That, in itself is invaluable in the market we're in.

We've also talked about allowing other agents and brokers to post their listings and get feedback on blogback for free. We believe that it will help all of us if we open it up to everyone. At the very least, we hope to create a better method of getting feedback as well as create a greater sense of community among agents in the area.

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Christy Powers

Keller Williams Coastal Area Partners - Pooler, GA

Pooler, Savannah Real Estate Agent

That was and is a great idea. Technology iis great sometimes.

Jan 18, 2007 01:40 PM

Daniel Lowery

1st Choice Real Estate - Jefferson City, MO

e-PRO, Broker - Owner

I agree thats a wonderful idea, please keep up posted on the progress

Jan 18, 2007 01:45 PM

Daniel Lowery

1st Choice Real Estate - Jefferson City, MO

e-PRO, Broker - Owner

I agree thats a wonderful idea, please keep up posted on the progress

Jan 18, 2007 01:45 PM

Sal Poliandro - Helping People Win

RE/MAX Properties - Ridgewood, NJ

Broker Associate

Seems like a good idea. Things seem to take longer for people to embrace here in the northeast.

Jan 18, 2007 02:41 PM

Anonymous

Tim Maitski

It sounds like a good idea, but.

Let's imagine 12 people see the home and all leave comments. Each will have a reason why they aren't buying the home. Maybe they all have different reasons. Then an interested buyer might like it a lot but after reading the 12 negative items that other buyer's thought, they might reconsider.

An interested buyer might have never even considered the other items that the commenters mentioned. Now you allowing these strangers to poison the thoughts of a potential buyer. I think it's great for buyers but I really don't see much benefit to the sellers to have this feedback open to the public.

Jan 18, 2007 03:06 PM

#19

Brian Brady

Matthews Capital Markets - Tampa, FL

858-699-4590

You take transparency to a new level. I can see where a seller might not want negative comments about his home on the internet. I gues if you explain that as part of your service offering up front, it's got to be a positive.

Jan 18, 2007 05:20 PM

Randy L. Prothero

eXp Realty - Hollister, MO

Missouri REALTOR, (808) 384-5645

I try to keep my seller's away when people see their home, because some buyers are rude and may say somehting that will hurt their feelings. I am not how some seller's would react to their

Jan 18, 2007 06:42 PM

Tony Arko

Complete Home LLC - Ashburn, VA

Tim, I saw your comment and you bring up a possible scenario. My question is how likely is that scenario. In my experience, twelve buyers will all mention one or at most two negative items. And usually these items are so obvious that it shouldn't come as any surprise to a seller. In fact, a good listing agent will probably have already pointed out those exact drawbacks. The comments just reinforce the insights of the agent. Now, with 12 others saying the same thing, a motivated seller will make a price adjustment. And we all know that there is a price that every property will sell at.

Jan 19, 2007 12:41 AM

John Hruska

Homes Charlotte, LLC - Charlotte, NC

Danilo,

This is an excellant idea. Just another reason why AR is such a great tool for information like this.

Jan 19, 2007 12:46 AM

Jennifer Fivelsdal

JFIVE Home Realty LLC | 845-758-6842|162 Deer Run Rd Red Hook NY 12571 - Rhinebeck, NY

Mid Hudson Valley real estate connection

Interesting idea, I wonder if that will be a quetion that would have to be added to the paperwork for the MLS. Now there is a question for buyers to agree or to not to agree to have their property on the internet. So will the next question be: would you like to get blogged comments on your property?

Jan 19, 2007 01:38 AM

William Collins

ERA Queen City Realty - Scotch Plains, NJ

Property and Asset Management

Danilo,

Thanks for the post. Great use of technology and a wonderful tool, to assist sellers.

Jan 19, 2007 01:59 AM

Jim & Maria Hart

Brand Name Real Estate - Charleston, SC

Charleston, SC Real Estate

What a superb idea! And it's working! Thanks for the post.

Jan 19, 2007 05:07 AM

Danilo Bogdanovic

Market Advantage Real Estate - Ashburn, VA

Real Estate Consultant - Loudoun and Fairfax County

Yes, buyers may leave negative comments, but we moderate and don't allow bashing (though we have yet to run across the issue). In being honest with our sellers during the listing appointment, we've already pointed out what potential buyers may see as positives and what they may see as negatives. And we already have the top 3 positives and the top 3 negatives pointed out on the post.

Buyers may see things listed in the comments that they never thought about, but since they didn't notice it in the first place, will it really make a difference? Plus, the home inspection will pick up most of the items in the future anyway.

Regarding permission to post their property, we ask all of your clients if it's ok to place their property on blogback before we put it on. All of them have been very happy and excited to do so because of the added exposure and getting feedback.

You could have a link to the post of your property here on AR if you wanted to forgo having an independent blog platform. But we chose to go with TypePad for the blog. At $8.95 per month, which includes up to 3 blogs, you can't beat it.

And don't forget one important thing...proper disclosure of your brokerage relationship. We have a link to our company site directly from each post to deal with this issue, but you can set it up whichever way you'd like.

Jan 19, 2007 05:09 AM

Brian Brady

Matthews Capital Markets - Tampa, FL

858-699-4590

I just thought of another thing related to this post. If a potential buyer has seen negative comments on the weblog, they won't be surprised when they get there.

I like this idea!

Jan 20, 2007 04:25 PM

Danilo Bogdanovic

Market Advantage Real Estate - Ashburn, VA

Real Estate Consultant - Loudoun and Fairfax County

Yes, the buyer will know what they're getting themselves into and not be surprised once they get there. It will allow them to not waste their or the seller's time and energy by previewing a home that's not for them in the first place.

On the flip side, buyers may think/say "I saw that home online, but I never realized from the pictures and remarks that it had such an awesome ________ and I don't mind that it doesn't have ________."

And it's not that we don't want buyers to post feedback, but we're currently only contacting agents for the feedback. We thought about putting something in the brochure in the house and the customer/internet remarks section of the MLS listing that has a link to the site. That would bring it to the attention of consumers as well.

Jan 21, 2007 05:47 AM

john axle

Andersonville, TN

Very interesting idea. I read recently that Zillow was creating a blog forum for feedback. Sounds pretty cool. Ive been using a free feedback but not a blog.

http://www.buyerremarks.com/

You can learn some cool things form this active rain blog.

Oct 30, 2007 04:56 PM

Keith Cook

RE/MAX Whatcom County, Inc. - Bellingham, WA

Cool idea. I love feedback. It lets the Sellers get a true felling on how the showings are going.

People like seeing their name in print so you may be getting more agents showing your property so they get an opportunity to leave feed back..?? Its kinda like a who's who's - for active real estate agents..?

I checked out your BlogBack at http://www.realdiablog.typepad.com/blogback/ - It looks great.

Considering you started this some time ago......... how is it going now??

Oct 30, 2007 06:53 PM

Maureen McCabe

HER Realtors - Columbus, OH

Columbus Ohio Real Estate

Interesting idea.

I wonder though about confidentiality. Both the listing agents duty to the seller and the buyers agents duty to the buyer they are representing. I guess that varies by state agency law.

Oct 31, 2007 06:06 AM

Danilo Bogdanovic

Market Advantage Real Estate - Ashburn, VA

Real Estate Consultant - Loudoun and Fairfax County

Keith - It's going well! Still putting the (non-foreclosure) listings up there and getting feedback daily.

Maureen - Don't think that feedback on what the buyers and/or agent thought about the property have nothing to do with confidentiality, which has to do with personal and finanicial information about the seller or buyer. At least not in Virginia. Otherwise, no agent would ever be able to ask for feedback from another agent or prospective buyer. Or am I misinterpreting your comment?

Nov 07, 2007 04:29 AM

Tracy Snow

Dan Ryan Builders - Falling Waters, WV

I also agree this is a great idea!!

Nov 07, 2007 07:13 AM