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Funny Questions (and Answers) on Trulia

By
Managing Real Estate Broker with Howard Hanna Rand Realty License # 49FA1074963

The butterfly in my basementIt sort of amuses me to see questions asked by people online these days, such as on Trulia Voices. I was inspired to comment on one with the "foreclosure mentality" of many buyers, but it was actually posted a long time ago. Everybody wants a foreclosure. The perception that they are a wonderful bargain is overblown, but you can't fight the tide. And the questions I see on Trulia Voices do amuse. Many of the answers are classic too. 

I want a foreclosure in <insert absurdly exclusive, wealthy suburbs here>! Why can't I find any? The answers are a bunch of agents screaming "pick me, pick me!!" when the people are asking for homes that in all likelihood do not exist, not agents who are all too plentiful. 

How come my mortgage loan officer asks me for so many things? Because when the banks didn't ask for much from the borrowers we got this economy

I have a really complicated, nuanced situation and I am going to give you really sparse facts. What should I do? Beats me. This is another crazy thing- how people can put more credence into anonymous online advice rather than that of their hired professional. 

Can you tell me if my co-op will allow <whatever>? This is a good one because all co ops are different and their rules on renting, purchase, board approval requirements and other arcane things can vary enormously. They can always call their co op, especially given that they don't tell us what co op they live in. Yet there are agents (pick me! pick me!) offering answers on a co op they know nothing of. 

There are others, but the platform seem to be drying up, at least in our area. There are questions from 2008 and 2009 showing as "most recent," most likely because the value of such interactions are so limited. If you have a question, ask your agent or broker. He or she has a vested interest in your well being

 

Bob & Leilani Souza
Souza Realty 916.408.5500 - Roseville, CA
Greater Sacramento Area Homes, Land & Investments

Phil, the last one I got (and deleted) was someone asking which neighborhoods agents would recommend in a particular city...and which neighborhoods to stay away from. Can you spell S-T-E-E-R-I-N-G? ;P

Leilani

Nov 24, 2010 06:28 PM
Alex Morris - Austin Real Estate Agent
Austin, TX

Ahh, the online community provides so much fodder for sheer, unadulterated entertainment value!  Thanks for the chuckle.

Nov 24, 2010 08:59 PM
Scott Fogleman
New Home Team - Richmond, VA

I read and answer questions there from time to time, when I come across questions like that, I used to patiently respond to the people. I just don't have time or patience for it anymore.

Nov 24, 2010 10:48 PM
Debbie Gartner
The Flooring Girl - White Plains, NY
The Flooring Girl & Blog Stylist -Dynamo Marketers

This is quite funny and quite sad at the same time.  Can't tell which is worse - the questions or the answers.

Nov 24, 2010 11:13 PM
J. Philip Faranda
Howard Hanna Rand Realty - Yorktown Heights, NY
Associate Broker / Office Manager

Wow, Happy Thanksgiving to you all. =)

 

DeeDee- I think you have it right- they don't buy what their agent says. 

Dave- it is everywhere. 

Cindy- I don't think they bother to look at the date. 

Michael- glad you liked it!

Rita- I am detecting a trend in how the use is falling off. 

Roger- witnessing that is embarrassing. 

Carla- these days I am always open to something to amuse. 

Susan- it gets tiresome. Who picks anyone who acts like that anyway? 

Fred- that would be a sign of the times. 

Tammy, the butterfly has been in our family for 36 years or so. It was a prop in my 1st grade spring pageant, and when they threw it out my 15 year old brother put it up in his bedroom. It hung there until we moved from the house in 2007, and we took it to the new house, where it hangs in the man cave. It reminds me of him, and I love the symbolism the thing. 

Christianne- some of the questions are so complicated and nuanced I wonder why they ask them in a public forum when it is obvious they need an attorney... or a cop!

Jack, a lawyer would have a field day with these answers if one so chose. 

Lanre- I feel the same way. Help yourself or don't, but don't advertise your dim mentality. 

Ruthmarie- it is like watching a train wreck. I admit a macabre fascination. 

Richard- God watches over the drunk and the dumb. That's how they get away with it. 

Tni-I never noticed the point system. I have my hands full with this one on AR. 

Joan- good question and I would say they are probably rare and of dubious quality. I was active on Yahoo Answers years ago and referred one lead once that didn't pan out. 250+ answers for that. 

John, that is news to me. Wise that AR dropped it. 

Richard I doubt I'll be going back anytime soon. I never mentioned the haters either, who make their own presence known. 

Amber- THANK you! I appreciate the compliment. 

Christine- It takes a measure of common sense to come to that conclusion. 

Jeff- it is the wild west. It really is. I hate it when mortgage guys attempt to broker so I know how it must feel to see agents talk about mortgages. Especially with all the changes lately- how can they really know the real deal these days? 

Jeff- my sense is that it is a waste of time and effort. 

Susan- I think "ask your agent" would suffice for 75% of these and "as your lawyer" for the remaining 25%. 

Marcy- I see the same absurdities. Some rich guy has a lis pendens filed on his million dollar house for a billing dispute and all of a sudden some schlep thinks he's going to get a million dollar mansion for pennies. 

Elieen-  pick me! PICK ME! PICK ME!!!

Sam- entertaining is a good way of putting it. 

Bryan- I have seen agents post questions themselves as if it were a message board. 

Sherry- I hate Uncle Eddy. 

Russell- Happy Thanksgiving to you, Jim and your whole family as well. 

Leilani- dangerous territory to answer questions like that online or anywhere else. 

Alex- Thanks, you rising superstar. 

Scott- I can see it getting very old very fast. 

Debbie- they are equal in train wreck value. Happy Thanksgiving. 

Happy Thanksgiving to you all! 

Nov 25, 2010 12:09 AM
Claudette Millette
The Buyers' Counsel - Ashland, MA
Buyer, Broker - Metrowest Mass

Phil:

We find this amusing (and it is) but the scary thing is that some of these people are actually getting their real estate advice this way. Why don't they just hire a professional?

 

Nov 25, 2010 12:11 AM
Gary Frimann, CRS, GRI, SRES
Eagle Ridge Realty / Signature Homes & Estates - Gilroy, CA
REALTOR and Broker

Phil, I too get a kick out of the "Pick me!  Pick me!" stuff I find on Trulia.  I recently had an agent send me stuff from another agent on a transaction that was cut and pasted from Trulia, and was probably OK from that state the writer wrote from, but not California.  Worse yet, people will keep searching until they find the answer they WANT.
These are probably the same people who would spend 5 minutes on Dr. Laura to help them solve all their marital/relationship problems.  It is for entertainment purposes only that I read some of the questions and the answers.

Nov 25, 2010 12:32 AM
Missy Caulk
Missy Caulk TEAM - Ann Arbor, MI
Savvy Realtor - Ann Arbor Real Estate

Oh yea....some of the questions are funny, vague. Some of the answers are violations, some if not most are agents in other states.

But, I have still managed to close of few from Trulia this year, so I will continue to answer the ones in Michigan.

 

Nov 25, 2010 12:42 AM
Brent Wells
The LivingWell Team - Prosper, TX
Dallas - Fort Worth

JP,

"Why do I have to have a mortgage? I don't want a mortgage, I want a house...".

I about fell out of my chair. Gotta love the internet...

-Brent

Nov 25, 2010 12:54 AM
Richard Bazinet /MBA, CRS, ABR
West USA Realty - Scottsdale, AZ
Phoenix Scottsdale. Sellers, Buyers & Relocations

I'm like Roger #6, I find it more amusing reading the answers from the agents strutting their stuff. Even more amusing are other agents asking for advice from agents...

Nov 25, 2010 01:36 AM
Renée Donohue~Home Photography
Savvy Home Pix - Allegan, MI
Western Michigan Real Estate Photographer

I love trulia Q&A and spend about 5 minutes there every day.  The sweet thing is that I am not a "pick me" agent because I have a blog post for whatever topic I am answering (with over 1500 public blog posts under my belt.)  I give a very short answer and say I have written a blog about it and please click on the link below.

My trulia traffic is actually VERY high quality traffic because of this tactic.

If I don't have a blog post written about it, this forum does make good blogging fodder.  See my recent post on "What is a Transaction Fee?"  Inspired by trulia Q & A, LOL!

Nov 25, 2010 01:56 AM
James McGary
Agents Set Free, Inc - Irvine, CA

And why does this happen?  Because some idiot "guru" told them that they could do it, and for the price of $3000 they will show them how.

Nov 25, 2010 01:57 AM
Elizabeth Weintraub Sacramento Broker
Elizabeth Anne Weintraub, Broker - Sacramento, CA
Put 40 years of experience to work for you

Yeah, @ Marcy #25, I get a kick out of those RealtyTrac questions, too. Can I buy a $500,000 home for $8,000? I think half the questions on Trulia are written by 7-year-old kids. I mean, anybody with a computer and a keyboard can go to Trulia, and sometimes it shows in the comments as well.

Nov 25, 2010 02:50 AM
Alan May
Jameson Sotheby's International Realty - Evanston, IL
Home is where the hearth is.

I think many of the questions are written by testers.  I just wonder when they're actually going to bring down the hammer.

Nov 25, 2010 03:10 AM
Brian Persons
Brian Persons Front Range Home Inspections - Greeley, CO
Certified Master Inspector/Associate Broker

Every once in a while there will be a construction specific question ,but most are too vague or require advice from a different professional.People do ask for some crazy things sometimes.

Nov 25, 2010 03:43 AM
Richie Alan Naggar
people first...then business Ran Right Realty - Riverside, CA
agent & author

I have long suspected that these questions were contrived and made up.....I used to answer with vigor and earnest until one day I noticed they started getting cornier......I bailed out....., the only good is you can call it that is that i show up on Google searches...thank you

Nov 25, 2010 04:00 AM
Lyn Sims
Schaumburg, IL
Real Estate Broker Retired

Trulia is such a bunch of nonsense. I know that there are people here that are 'valued' agents like Alan. I've told him again & again why bother with these people & waste your time? Some questions are so ridiculous & everyone as you say is screaming politely 'pick me, pick me'. Alan above mentioned testers & I also think that's true or a Trulia newbie working in the basment just thinks up random questions so we can get our license pulled.

Don't forget PICK ME!  PICK ME!

Nov 25, 2010 04:07 AM
Justin Dibbs
Fairway Independent Mortgage - Ashburn, VA
Mortgage Advisor

I have an AOL IM widget on a local MLS/wiki type search site.  When my IM widget was first placed on the site, I was excited.  Days later I started getting questions and queries.  I would engage in lengthy IM conversations with people but nothing ever materialized.  Eventually, my first question in response to their question(s) became "Well, what does your agent tell you?"  90% of the time, they are already working with an agent.  I respond by telling them they should listen to their agent as they are paying him/her for their expertise, not me.

Nov 25, 2010 04:12 AM
Chris Ann Cleland
Long and Foster Real Estate - Gainesville, VA
Associate Broker, Bristow, VA

I think you nailed it when you said, "how people can put more credence into anonymous online advice rather than that of their hired professional." That's just it.  If you've hired an agent, why are you trolling online for answers?

Nov 25, 2010 11:37 AM
Jen Edwards
RE/MAX Unlimited - Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
Broker Associate

Trulia a.k.a. Dr Phil of real estate.........opinions are like.............tv! Crazy and all over the place!

Nov 27, 2010 02:12 PM