Real Estate related Social Networking

In the last week+, I’ve crossed my own picket line at Trulia Voices a couple of times for reasons I can’t even put a finger on myself.  I suppose you could say it was to see if there really has been any change since I went public with the strike back in October.  Others would probably use a derogatory 4-letter word for my behavior, and that’s ok with me.  I deserve it.

But here’s the really strange thing, and why I’m writing about it today.  Twice this week, folks that asked the questions I responded to on Trulia Voices actually contacted me outside Trulia.  That’s indeed a first.  Both times, I was able to ask them what they thought of Trulia Voices, and the way in which some (certainly not all) of the professional agents act in their responses.  They both acknowledged that its fairly obvious to them the difference between a good and back Voice.  I won’t go into all of the things they pointed out, which were spot on perfect, but it was very reassuring to know that the non-pro does see a difference.

In a recent question I noticed a response from a Virginia and Florida based agent about a local Arizona market question.  This type of agent is now easier to spot on Trulia Voices, as they’ve included your city next to your name when you answer questions.  Here’s an excerpt from my response:

I hesitate to offer further advice, given that our colleagues from Virginia and Florida seem to have their fingers on the pulse of the Arizona market, but…

For my efforts, I promptly received the well intentioned Thumbs Down.  It’s my favorite form of flattery over on Trulia Voices.  It really keeps me coming back for more.  Somewhat like Lani Anglin’s affinity for Luby’s (or was she kidding about that?).

Going forward, I’m still going to be highly selective in answering questions at Trulia Voices.  The positive feedback about my responses is indeed nice, but maybe I’m just getting lucky.  When I do choose to responsd, I’ll probably continue to ruffle a few feathers.  But some of what these 2 folks said to me sunk in:

…if you posted you wanted a house in Tempe somebody would say they have a great deal on a condo in Tucson.   Those ones are pretty obvious.  It is however an amazing site to get feedback like I did.

So there’s no denying that buyers and sellers find value in Trulia Voices, even if the signal to noise ratio isn’t ideal.  And the bottom line for me, is that I’ve always been far more concerned with providing legitimate help, than with the potential for lead generation.

In the meantime, I still prefer what the folks at PropertyQube have started. There aren’t nearly as many agents answering questions, or as many questions being asked, but the quality on both fronts is very good. As a result of the smaller agent base, I do occassionally answer questions asked by folks from outside of Arizona. I don’t answer the, “How much does an apartment cost in NYC?”, but if the question is a more general real estate question I’ll throw in a “In Arizona…” response.

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