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Never have I seen the media control our Real Estate Industry so MUCH!

Every time I pick up the newspaper all I hear is how BAD things are in Real Estate. So, I cancelled my newspaper subscription. A year or so ago the HEADLINES read “The Housing Market is Booming” and “Florida most desired place to live” Real Estate Sales were up and many Real Estate Professionals advertised in the newspapers accounting for a large number of their revenues. Don’t get me wrong! I like journalist and newspaper reporters. I was the editor in chief of our school newspaper many years ago and I believe in freedom of speech. At one time in my life I wanted to pursue a career in journalism as many of the newspapers reporters have degrees in Journalism NOT Real Estate Economics. When I hear a newspaper reporter tell us that the Real Estate market is bad or getting worst, I wonder how much is REALLY TRUE. Could this possible be an opinion NOT a FACT?

I’ve lived in Florida of almost a decade. I wouldn’t live anywhere else! Florida is 90% waterfront with the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico surrounding it. We have the most waterfront land in the ENTIRE continental United States! From Jupiter Florida south, the meteorologist declared South Florida TROPICAL climate. FLORIDA HAS THE ONLY TROPICAL CLIMATE IN THE CONTINENTIAL UNITED STATES! The Southern tip of California, San Diego, comes to about Atlanta, Georgia NOT even close to our climate and about 20% colder. Oh, one more thing Florida has more golf courses then ANY other state! Palm Beach Gardens, Florida is the Golf capital of the world!

So how is it that Florida, the ONLY state in the entire continental United States that is almost completely surrounded by ocean waters, offers year round golf and is in a tropical climate with the Bahamas is falling behind TORNADO ALLEY Oklahoma?

Bad Press, I guess?

Posted by Mike Thomas BallenIsles on 04/29/2007 06:45 PM

Comments (41)

luxury homes florida, mike k thomas, ballenisles, golf club communities, activerain, florida housing market, bad press, bahama waterfront

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41 Comments on Never have I seen the media control our Real Estate Industry so MUCH!

APR

2007

I think MI is surrounded by more water. Dont' forget the Upper Pennisula. But you do have better weather.

Come read the boston globe today. They are writing about our blogs. www.boston.com/realestate

Bad news sells. People always love to hear all the things that are going wrong, so they buy newspapers. It is not far but that is the way it is.

Bad press. I think it has to do with blogging to, to be honest. I get the same story 45 days after I first read it in a news feed. It got regurgitated and posted on another site ... after site, after site. It's the illusion of a bad press, but it's often the same story. I have feed alerts for "bonita springs" and WCI is headquarted in Bonita SPrings. If I had a nickle for every time I read the same gloom and doom about a corporate takeover/sale.

Good idea about canceling your subscription. I think I may do the same and tell them why!

I hear you....I just read another article on Yahoo's homepage....doom and gloom, everyday!

You're right Negative Press definetly sells newspapers. I took this photo from a helicopter shooting some homes. Jupiter Inlet Colony Florida near Jupiter Island

Jupiter Inlet Colony Florida near Jupiter Island

Michael, I followed your link. What am I looking for?

Last Year I spent Over $26,000 on Newspaper ads and this year I spent $560.

Did you read my previous blog on FUDDERS?

I think that all of the negative publicity can be overcome when you take the time to educate your buyers and sellers. A little education and common sense can go a long way. I don't pay too much attention to the news as too much emphasis is put on the bad and not enough put on the good. I guess that people expect good things to happen so, when it does, it isn't news.

I am like Mike, last year I spent about 15k in print ad. This year I will be much less than 1k.

I work for a MAJOR Florida homebuilder that is currently in the process of a hostile takeover from a major investor. We'll see what happens. The point is, if Car-oops- if a MAJOR INVESTOR is after the Florida market, it is because he has the foresight to see a huge improvement in that market as the boomers flock. Florida is in a temporary setback because of exactly what you described above-with the emphasis on temporary. Other areas without the benefits of water and weather will deal with the setback and have moderate increases when the market returns, not the astronomical increase that is predicted for Florida over the next decade. New York (my area) will have the same benefits solely because of the major force that New York City is. On your point about the media, I agree that their impact is HUGE. However, they were also huge, with headlines reading: "Sizzling Market Leaves Buyers Empty Handed", etc. which compelled people to race out and not only buy themselves a home, but "flips" as well. Regular people making a few hundred thousand over the course of a two year build out. My point is that we didn't complain, then, about the media- it was a nice ride. And, it will return, and when it does, we won't complain- the new agents will spend every nickel and complain, but the veterans will save the loot, and wait it out...again.

I'm up in Atlanta and I talk to quite a few people trying to escape the high housing costs in Florida. They often complain about the high taxes and the high cost of insurance. They are also are tired of the hurricanes. I really don't think most of Florida's problems have much to do with the press.

Florida has no State Tax, Property tax is the only tax we have. If you don't have insurance FEMA will bail you out. Before Bonnie, Wilma and Jean we haven't seen a hurricane for over 16 years. They make enough of a mess for people to update they homes and those homes that aren't Concrete built suffer.

Altanta is a different market NO OCEAN FRONT, NO TROPICAL CLIMATE, No year round GOLF. Nice City love the Versity, downtown.

Educating buyers and seller take time, and they often value the opinion of the press more then us professionals, that sad.

I think much does have to do with the press. Notwithstanding our property taxes and insurance costs and the possibility of hurricanes, there are tons of people here thinking of buying - most of them are scared off by what they read in the press, thinking that whatever they pay, the home will be worth much less in a few months.

I am sick and tired of the negative press myself. Yet we all spend money advertising there.

The media is a typical momentum chaser, they did the same thing spurring the industry on the way up.

It's so true - people flock to negative information.

The press knows that - and even if things were 100% positive, the average person would rather hear about some minor bad story.

Truly pathetic.

How about: THE NEWS REPORTS A BAD MARKET, THE PUBLIC RESPONDS...and we do whatever we can to get the homes sold. Which involves solving the current puzzle, not by blaming either but by offering services that will be flexible.

Its up to us to educate the public with the facts... not what spin the media chooses to put on things this week.... it is very frustrating to know that they (the media) does fuel our industry.... what can we do??

Mike,

Perhaps you should ask the PB Post if you can do a Press Release of your own (I hear they are actaully in favor of these things). In the release talk about how the market is showing signs of improvement. Create your own hype of the current market upswing in S Florida. Fight the bad news with good news.

Oh, and congrats on your first featured post (gold star)... I am surprised that neither Chris or Marc caught that.

Hi Mike,

Congrats on your feature post!

Like you, I was also the editor of our school (truthfully h.s.) newspaper, "The Californian" at AHS in Ca. As said by others, newspapers are a business, to sell papers, that's it! No doubt most newspapers have lost significant circulation/revenues. I also cancelled my subscription a few years ago, yet for different reasons... In my "opinion" and I don't mind saying this online for the first time, the OC Register (in CA) has absolutely NO INTEGRITY at all. In our r.e. section it's only about who pays ;the most $$$ for ads. So thanks but NO thanks!

As Realtors and lenders, we need to be willing to take the good with the bad when it comes to the ups and downs of the market. Yet, if we feel something is not accurate, we need to be willing to step up to the plate to make a difference. Ler's be an hones positive influcence when we can.

Thanks for sharing!

Mike,

I understand your frustration, but you guys were pretty much riding the gravy train down there for quite a while. What goes up must come down. Hopefully far enough down that I'll be able to swoop in and buy a place. :-)SS

APR

2007

FL is great. I visit other states and wonder why people stay there. The rest of the country can be georgous at time, but FL is great all of the time.

As far as news goes, bad news sells, good news never sold a thing. Good job canceling your newspaper subscription.

Mike,

Your raise a good point. In my area of the country (the Massachusetts North Shore), reporters are constantly telling us how GOOD the market is doing. The problem is that they are wrong and I can prove it. Each month I write a Market Update that I post here at ActiveRain that clearly spells out how many properties came on the market and how many went off (under agreement). The trick is to use the SAME DATA PARAMETERS every month. We can all make the numbers go whichever way we want by using only certain data. If we use the same, consistently, then we get a true and accurate picture of the marker.

Of course, that may not sell newspapers!

Regards...Jay

Have you noticed that the newspapers always have to report an extreme in one way or another? So the market is either great, or it's terrible. Sometimes both... when everything was way up most everywhere, you got headlines about that at the same time that there were other headlines screaming "housing bubble."

It's all about what sells papers!

Got to love the press. Our media is killing us in Michigan. They keep reporting on how we are losing jobs, that we are the 2nd worst in the nation behind Alaska as far as our economy goes etc.... There are community posts that read, "Where are you moving? and When are you moving out of Michigan?" I would love to see the media talk about the good things that are going on in the region. It would give the buyers more incentive to BUY and help the economy all around. That's why it's important for us to be talking positive, not negative!!!

I also stopped my subscription to the paper. Advertising in print went from 6000.00 to less than 2000 in 2006. What's the point ? The A2 News laid off 400 employees. They still don't get it, charge an arm and a leg for a small small ad and no one comes

Mike: that photo is awesome!!! As to the bad press: AMEN brothers and sisters. The media is doing the same thing here in CA--Southern, Central and Northern. Scares the heck out of ALL the buyers I have that are sitting on the doom and gloom fence.

Great photo. I'd love to be there.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised how newspapers write the news.

In the Cincinnati Enquirer yesterday, splashed over the front page was how bad our market is.

Unbelievable!

No wonder the real estate section of the newspaper is shrinking. Who wants to advertise in a
medium, where your industry is being slammed. Yes, the market is softer right now with more
homes for sale, but there are buyers out there purchasing homes as well.

Real estate goes through cycles. The newspapers should be coming up with ways to help their
advertisers.

Oh well, in the meantime, the internet continues to grow!

Mike,

I believe that is an excellent topic for a post. Good job! I came to an opinion long ago that events do not make the news....the media does. Unless the media decides something is newsworthy an event or issue will most likely die in relative obscurity. It seems that bad news does sell much better than good news. If the media (all sources) focused on a better balance of good/bad, pro/con our attitudes would be greatly improved. If its on TV or in print.....goodness .....it must true! To many people afflicted with "tunnel vision".

I spent several months in Florida a few years ago and I couldn't put my finger on it, but there was something that bothered me about it.....then it dawned on me...no hills! everywhere was flat! Once I realized what it was, I was ok with it, but I guess that I'm an ole Missouri Hill Billy at heart!

Bob

I live in Port Charlotte less than a half-mile from the Peace River and Charlie came right over my house in 2004. Granted, there was a lot of damage but by the time the press got done with it you would have thought the entire town was leveled. As long as we have people like Jim "I live for bad weather" Cantore (?sp) and his sensationalistic crew over at the Weather Channel, Florida's going to get a bad rap anytime a storm comes within a thousand miles of the coast! O.K., maybe 500 miles. Sheesh! I just wish these people would report the facts and leave sensationalism to the National Inquirer. Maybe space aliens have taken over the news rooms.

I can top that Jim, I was in Sedona, AZ when Wilma hit. We watched the news terrified, not because of the store, but because we knew we weren't getting the truth. They showed every are in town that holds water or floods during a regular rain. The standing water had little to do with if it was a hurricane or not. THEN THE DRAMA. A news woman, sitting in a canoe with her hair blowing crying the blues about the mayhem and disaster.....all the while not knowing that a man walked behind her in ankle deep water. The media lies. That woman should have been jailed for such a stupid attempt to cause panic.

I'm with you on the negative press. It drives me absolutely nuts, but I'm not following your comment about Oklahoma. Clarification please?

MAY

2007

I STOPPED investing in expensive newspaper ads and started in investing in BLOGS. They have much more meaning. Thank you all for your comments. They are ALWAYS appreciated.

I couln't agree more! It seems to be everywhere! i don't take the paper and I personally do not take out any extra advertising with my paper either.

MAY

2007

I agree with you I think the papers think they have to have negatives to sell papers. I am in Palm Beach Gardens as well and my phone still rings every day.

JUN

2007

HI MIKE,

LOVE YOUR WEB PAGE, AND I DO AGREE WITH YOU 100%. THEY ARE KILLING FLORIDA WITH THE TALK ABOUT HURRICANES, HOUSING MARKET,JOBS, THEY NEED TO FIND SOME REAL NEWS, STOP TALKING ABOUT HURRICANES IN DECEMBER. I AM A LIFE LONG FLORIDA RESIDENT AND I WOULD NOT WONT TO LIVE ANY WHERE ELSE I LOVE FLORIDA. THESE NEWS PEOPLE NEED TO BE SHOWING AND TALKING ABOUT HOW GREAT SOUTH FLORIDA IS.....

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