patrick.net

They just don't share.

Do you mean they don't want to feed so you have to input all the data by hand?

David Losh says

They just don't share.

Do you mean they don't want to feed so you have to input all the data by hand?

Yes, that's what I mean. They won't give me a nice feed of all their listings to republish, even if I agree to link back to them.

CaptainShuddup says

buyers are looking for partner

For a good Real Estate agent it is all business. The touchy feely crap is best for the huggers, and schmoozers.

There are a lot of agents in Florida who have been really busy working like dogs to make ends meet. So, yes there was probably a lot of rude responses.

My point is that really good Real Estate agents are really busy. It is very hard for an "outsider" to find a good agent. I've discussed that topic in other forums.

You do have to interview, and be willing to be interviewed by agents. It's a give, and take.

I personally would go to open houses of agents who have a lot of listings. Some of these people can be fast talkers, or you may talk with an assistant, but they would be a good resource. They may refer you to a buyer's agent they know, and work with.

David Losh says

For a good Real Estate agent it is all business. The touchy feely crap is best for the huggers, and schmoozers.

We could have just agreed early on then.

Ooh all of my post were disliked.

...and here I thought I was finally getting through to you.

it wasn't me.

CaptainShuddup says

Soooo, you're saying I'm so mean, Realtors hate me?

I'm saying you tend to get what you expect. It's no different with men who hate women or women who hate men. They always seem to find the bad ones. Battered women get battered in practically every relationship. Is it just bad luck? Is it that all men are wife beaters? No, it's bad choices. Sick women picking sick men. Is it really that all Realtors are crooks? Or, is it maybe possible that you're unwilling to take some personal responsibilty for your failure to do what it takes to learn how to screen an agent? How to treat people with respect so you get it in return? Birds of a feather flock together, and so on and so on and scooby dooby do....

ELC says

your failure to do what it takes to learn how to screen an agent

OK, you've kind of crossed a line with this comment, but let's stick with the fact that the Real Estate community is very closed, and cloistered.

No agent is going to come out, and be a buddy. Real Estate agents get a lot of rejection, if they aren't being rejected, they aren't talking to enough people. That leaves agents guarded, even though they may be bubbly, and effusive.

I've had this conversation a lot over the years on different forums. I know agents, and agents know me so I can kind of know who is good, and who isn't working. The public has it much, much harder.

David Losh says

I personally would go to open houses of agents who have a lot of listings. Some of these people can be fast talkers, or you may talk with an assistant, but they would be a good resource. They may refer you to a buyer's agent they know, and work with.

I would look for an agent who has a lot of listings and try to get them to take you on. I've found Realtors who handle a lot of buyers are for lack of a better term, losers. Losers are found at open houses too. The value of an open house is to scrounge up buyers for other houses. It rarely helps sell the open house. It's dishonest and inefficient. An agent's time is ALWAYS best spent getting new listings. Period. Not sitting in open houses or chauffeuring around "maybe" buyers. But that takes skill and ambition. Contrary to what most Realtors seem to believe, realty is selling, and selling is about getting someone to sign on the dotted line. If an agent isn't asking you to sign a contract they're a begger relying on the kindness of strangers. Expending time and gas without a written agreement is no way to do business. The only buyers I got involved with was if I had listed their house and was finding them a new home or was doing it as a favor. And boy did I regret those favors. Don't get me wrong. Thank heaven for the people who like to bring buyers or feel they have no choice. Thank heaven for people who work at McDonalds and who dig ditches too. Where would the world be without them. Just don't hire someone with a ditch diggers mentality to find you a home, "your single greatest "investment."

David Losh says

let's stick with the fact that the Real Estate community is very closed, and cloistered.
No agent is going to come out, and be a buddy. Real Estate agents get a lot of rejection, if they aren't being rejected, they aren't talking to enough people. That leaves agents guarded, even though they may be bubbly, and effusive.

Like I said in the previous post. It's really pretty simple. Prolific listing agents are going to be the ones you want to deal with. The ones who don't list are either part time, the soccer mom, the newby, the lazy, the ignorant. Go to personal or company websites and take a look at their listings. Look for someone who lists properties similar to the one you're interested in. Also try to speak to the broker because that's who you might have to go to if you're having trouble with the agent. Also stupidity often trickles down. If you like the broker ask them who they recommend for your situation but insist that they be a top LISTING producer. It also helps to deal with a RE/MAX agent. Once someone becomes a top producer they often wind up at RE/MAX because the commissions are highest and the hand holding is the lowest. You're basically renting office space. Franchises like Century 21 harbour idiots and newbies who thinks people hire them because of the brand. It's important they answer their phone too or at least return their voicemails at least twice a day. The rest is just getting a good gut feeling that you can work with this person. Don't follow the advice of websites that give you a list of stupid questions to ask like, "do you have any references." "How many homes will I see before I'm expected to buy." etc.

But the main point is that agents with lots of listings aren't part-time, they aren't starving, and they aren't inexperienced.

CaptainShuddup says

when I would call the number on the yard signs of houses I was interested in.

Knock on the door. Don't be ascared. Serious sellers usually won't bury you in their back yard or say something to you that will make you cry.

No but they will tell you to call the name on the sign.
But in all reality, at the time. These were vacant homes with RE signs in the front, where the owners weren't living in them, for what ever reason, but I'm sure not covering the mortgage had something to do with it.

Let's not kid our selves here, 2007 -2010, no one in their right mind were selling a house for normal classic motivators. If it was for sale, that usually meant, the last guy couldn't afford it.

CaptainShuddup says

2007 -2010, no one in their right mind were selling a house for normal classic motivators.

Classic motivators have always been "the three d's." Divorce, Death, and Debt.

CaptainShuddup says

These were vacant homes with RE signs in the front, where the owners weren't living in them

There was a long period of time when banks weren't approving short sales, or were back logged with offers they had accepted on bank owned properties.

Yes, that's what I mean. They won't give me a nice feed of all their listings to republish, even if I agree to link back to them.

I can't believe your can't write a program to take the data and reformat it for your own site.

For example, Owners.com, have the computer search for homes by zip code, Have the program click on the first price listed (field is called "span.price"). copy the address information into address field for your program (h1 description of property, h2 is the street address, h3 is the city, state, zip code), search for the word Beds

I posted some html code from the owners.com website, but your site keeps editing it out.

add number to bed field, search for Bath, add number to baths field, and so on. It will probably have to be custom written for each website it searches, but it should be possible to swipe all of this information from other websites to create your own records to add to your own database. Duplicates would have to be eliminated, and some manual checking would be involved. A web page is just a list of code after all. You would have to run your data stealer program at least once a week to keep the information updated as new listings appear.

The Professor says

I usually "Like" Apacalypse's posts and then read them. I am occasionally appalled by his profanity but he usually has something wise to say.

Ditto.

TechGromit says

I can't believe your can't write a program to take the data and reformat it for your own site.

For example, Owners.com, have the computer search for homes by zip code, Have the program click on the first price listed (field is called "span.price"). copy the address information into address field for your program ...

Yes, I can pretty easily do that but I would definitely get sued for doing it!

For example:
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/29/when-craigslist-blocks-innovations-disruptions/

The problem is legal, not technical. Pretty much all the "Terms of Use" of real estate sites explicitly forbid copying data from them.

What can I do about that?

The problem is legal,

Yes, the problem is legal, but I had an idea a few years ago that I thought would work.

You already have the Open House forum, but do you recommend any homes to buy?

As an agent I can't say what is or isn't a good deal, but you could.

I choose to stick with the positive, and say what's good, it's easier than listing a bunch of negativity.

I go to Broker's Opens, and Sunday Opens. If there is a sign outside inviting you in, it's Open.

As long as you are making positive comments most agents don't mind.

So I pick what I think is a good deal, a property worth buying, and why. You already have the forum.

OK, but what is the business model then? Subscriptions to data about good deals?

TechGromit says

I can't believe your can't write a program to take the data and reformat it for your own site.

For example, Owners.com, have the computer search for homes by zip code, Have the program click on the first price listed (field is called "span.price"). copy the address information into address field for your program ...

Yes, I can pretty easily do that but I would definitely get sued for doing it!

For example:

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/29/when-craigslist-blocks-innovations-disruptions/

The problem is legal, not technical. Pretty much all the "Terms of Use" of real estate sites explicitly forbid copying data from them.

What can I do about that?

There is a solution but it requires careful sleuthing, networking and planning. You put up the service as planned but the servers reside in another country that has hardly any copyright laws (don't use New Zealand), there are plenty of those. You also need a trusted partner in that country and an official business overseas I am sure the real estate gangstas would try and go after you but there is a point of diminishing returns for more and more effort and eventually they may give up. Since the data is not really private, mostly text and a couple of pictures or vids you could even go the distributed route where the content is spread out over various peers similar to bit torrent. After all, Chinese investors are apparently giddy to gobble up all that real estate here, so why not bring the data to them ;) But I am sure you are envisioning a more peaceful and practical life going forward..

sounds like capitalism should step in and create some jobs!

there is a solution to mls

create your own

i can do it.

'
sounds like they got lazy, corrupted or worse.

I CAN DO BETTER!

The information exists.

The Professor says

I usually "Like" Apacalypse's posts and then read them. I am occasionally appalled by his profanity but he usually has something wise to say.

Ditto.

Local color

what is the business model

By being a trusted resource you have more opportunity.

The way your site presents now it is just a bashing site for the Real Estate industry.

Internet speed is something I have never seen on any real estate listing. In this day and age, where video and voice have become essential and huge bandwidth hogs, how can they NOT list internet speed.

The lack of speed killed an offer I was about to make on a Santa Cruz mountain property. The realtor didn't know any of the providers or what the speed (up/down) was in the area based on provider. I spent hours of my own time and got Comcast to investigate. Turns out the area is owned by some random company and Comcast cannot do business there unless this company sells. Strange, but I should not have had to waste two days of my time going to the property. This information should be listed along with all the other utilities.

David Losh says

The way your site presents now it is just a bashing site for the Real Estate industry.

I agree. Constructive criticism is one thing but too many people here have major failure issues and are blaming it on the Realtors. It takes very little effort and money to have what they have (true MLS access). You're going to join 'em long before you beat 'em. To think otherwise is just a pipe dream.