RealtyChat.com Blog http://www.realtychat.com/blog Just another WordPress weblog Fri, 11 May 2007 21:04:07 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=1.5.1.1 en Where is the market headed? http://www.realtychat.com/blog/2007/05/11/where-is-the-market-headed/ http://www.realtychat.com/blog/2007/05/11/where-is-the-market-headed/#comments Fri, 11 May 2007 21:04:07 +0000 Norm General http://www.realtychat.com/blog/2007/05/11/where-is-the-market-headed/ I am really interested to see what those out and about are seeing. Where is the market headed in your area?

]]> http://www.realtychat.com/blog/2007/05/11/where-is-the-market-headed/feed/ What defines “Luxury”? Part III http://www.realtychat.com/blog/2007/05/11/what-defines-%e2%80%9cluxury%e2%80%9d-part-iii/ http://www.realtychat.com/blog/2007/05/11/what-defines-%e2%80%9cluxury%e2%80%9d-part-iii/#comments Fri, 11 May 2007 20:59:21 +0000 Norm General http://www.realtychat.com/blog/2007/05/11/what-defines-%e2%80%9cluxury%e2%80%9d-part-iii/ Well, it would appear that still nothing has happened with this development. They are now back to rentals. They are flip-flopping back and forth so much I can’t keep track!

]]> http://www.realtychat.com/blog/2007/05/11/what-defines-%e2%80%9cluxury%e2%80%9d-part-iii/feed/ Server upgrade http://www.realtychat.com/blog/2007/03/24/server-upgrade/ http://www.realtychat.com/blog/2007/03/24/server-upgrade/#comments Sat, 24 Mar 2007 16:06:11 +0000 Norm News http://www.realtychat.com/blog/2007/03/24/server-upgrade/ As a part of our site upgrade we’ve moved to a new server. Things have been a bit buggy but the tech team is working on them. We apologize for the inconvenience.

]]> http://www.realtychat.com/blog/2007/03/24/server-upgrade/feed/ New Design - New Features http://www.realtychat.com/blog/2007/02/28/new-design-new-features/ http://www.realtychat.com/blog/2007/02/28/new-design-new-features/#comments Wed, 28 Feb 2007 15:52:07 +0000 Norm News http://www.realtychat.com/blog/2007/02/28/new-design-new-features/ If you haven’t already noticed, RealtyChat.com has gone through a complete overhaul. We are still trying to hammer out the bugs so pardon us for the next couple of days.

What’s NEW

  • Free Real Estate Blogs - We now offer real estate professionals a free place to get and manage their own blog. Extremely powerful and customizable system!
  • Brand new design and interface. XHTML and CSS. Very clean. Should be faster than the old site too. ;)

What’s Changed

  • The Real Estate Forums have been completely redone. Better layout, easier to read, same simple format and easy to use system.
  • The Real Estate Directory has been completely redesigned too. The thumbnails are now powered by Snap.com and pop-up when clicked on, thus making the load times faster.
  • The Visionary Award is no more. Web design has changed so much in the past couple of years. Sites have been changing too fast to be worthwhile.

What’s Next

  • Tons of new blog templates. Right now there are a handful. We are working on another dozen or so to release soon.
]]> http://www.realtychat.com/blog/2007/02/28/new-design-new-features/feed/ What defines “Luxury”? Part II http://www.realtychat.com/blog/2007/02/28/what-defines-%e2%80%9cluxury%e2%80%9d-part-ii/ http://www.realtychat.com/blog/2007/02/28/what-defines-%e2%80%9cluxury%e2%80%9d-part-ii/#comments Wed, 28 Feb 2007 15:33:15 +0000 Norm General http://www.realtychat.com/blog/2007/02/28/what-defines-%e2%80%9cluxury%e2%80%9d-part-ii/ A little update about that previous post…

Almost a year later and one of those condo devolpments (the one overlooking a trailer park/car lot) is STILL on the market… They first marketed them as condos, then as elderly housing, then apartments, and now back to “luxury” condos. Never see any cars parked there. :)

Is “luxury” merely having stainless appliances and granite countertops? Is that all it takes these days?

]]> http://www.realtychat.com/blog/2007/02/28/what-defines-%e2%80%9cluxury%e2%80%9d-part-ii/feed/ Signs, Signs, Everywhere Signs… http://www.realtychat.com/blog/2007/02/28/signs-signs-everywhere-signs/ http://www.realtychat.com/blog/2007/02/28/signs-signs-everywhere-signs/#comments Wed, 28 Feb 2007 15:27:06 +0000 Norm Real Estate http://www.realtychat.com/blog/2007/02/28/signs-signs-everywhere-signs/ This one is just funny…

Saw a house that had 3 real estate signs on it. I’ve seen instances where 2 might be appropriate, maybe on a big corner lot, but I’ve never seen 3 before. And then I saw another one! LOL

Now this isn’t exactly the most high-end of companies, but doesn’t it just seem a little too desperate? Yard sign, one on a tree (merely 4 feet away) and then one on a fence abutting the house (about 8 feet behind the other two). As a consumer, I would most certainly notice it, but I’d be terrified.

]]> http://www.realtychat.com/blog/2007/02/28/signs-signs-everywhere-signs/feed/ What defines “Luxury”? http://www.realtychat.com/blog/2006/04/18/what-defines-luxury/ http://www.realtychat.com/blog/2006/04/18/what-defines-luxury/#comments Tue, 18 Apr 2006 07:23:45 +0000 Norm Rants Real Estate http://www.realtychat.com/blog/2006/04/18/what-defines-luxury/ Looking around Boston at much of the new construction I see the term “luxury” absolutely everywhere…

MY favorites so far:

  • “Luxury” condos overlooking a car lot and a tralier park.
  • More “Luxury” condos no more than 15 feet from traintracks.
  • Some BEHIND other homes (sort of in their backyards) abutting traintracks, AND part of an auto-body scrapyard.

Do you think they have “beautiful views of ‘rust’” on their flyers?

]]> http://www.realtychat.com/blog/2006/04/18/what-defines-luxury/feed/ AgentConnect/Reply.com http://www.realtychat.com/blog/2006/01/28/agentconnect/ http://www.realtychat.com/blog/2006/01/28/agentconnect/#comments Sun, 29 Jan 2006 00:42:34 +0000 Norm General http://www.realtychat.com/blog/2006/01/28/agentconnect/ AgentConnect has made it to the top of my most recent list of spammers! I am being bombarded by their pitches to try and get me to buy their leads. These low-lifes have bought some outdated email lists and just send their junk to everyone.

Do people fall for this????

]]> http://www.realtychat.com/blog/2006/01/28/agentconnect/feed/ Downside of a boom… http://www.realtychat.com/blog/2005/12/13/downside-of-a-boom/ http://www.realtychat.com/blog/2005/12/13/downside-of-a-boom/#comments Tue, 13 Dec 2005 10:32:18 +0000 Norm General Rants Real Estate http://www.realtychat.com/blog/2005/12/13/downside-of-a-boom/ As I was driving around Boston today I realized the true loss during a real estate boom.

It broke my heart to see. Every single scrap of land, every yard, every lot has been built on. Houses jammed into every corner. TINY little places in many cases. Next to train tracks, behind other houses…

It is going to hurt these communities in the long run.

People buying old homes that they can barely afford, not realizing the long term costs of maintaining an old home.

This is going to be an ugly end for some beautiful communities…

]]> http://www.realtychat.com/blog/2005/12/13/downside-of-a-boom/feed/ Realitor, Realator, & Reality http://www.realtychat.com/blog/2005/10/28/realitor-realator-reality/ http://www.realtychat.com/blog/2005/10/28/realitor-realator-reality/#comments Fri, 28 Oct 2005 17:43:32 +0000 Norm Rants Real Estate http://www.realtychat.com/blog/2005/10/28/realitor-realator-reality/ To me these is little more shameful than “professionals” in any business misusing their own tradename…

I run the directory here at RealtyChat.com and one at InternetRealtyNetwork.com. I am astonished at the number of times I must correct this with AGENTS!!!

How are consumers ever going to treat this industry if no one can be bothered to learn how to spell REALTOR® properly??

And yes, it IS a trademark of the National Association of REALTORs®. Which means it needs to have the registered trademark logo next to it at all times. And if I am correct, it needs to also be capitalized.

REALTOR® Trademark Manual

Be proud to be a REALTOR® no matter what ‘reality’ you are in.

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