Capn' Obvious

⇑Well done to those companies who have realized that large parts of the print industry are writhing in their death throes. So much of how we work now is digital, and does not involve letterheads and envelopes and licking stamps.The art of reading books is not dead – even though the literary standards of many may point to it. It is  simply that reading for many now involves a screen (of some varying size) rather than a printed book or magazine. So it comes as something of an aberration  that glossy and coloured magazines are still very much stock in trade to some companies. Are they deliberately demeaning their clientele with the message that they are technologically backward and know not how to read a screen ? Or are these magazines simply another version of the vanity press?  The content is inevitably outdated, and in the current market at least, confirms the adage for serious investors that “if it is in print, it’s too late”.
Despite the protestations of many, we know that real estate signs cluttering the streets outside industrial properties are primarily there to promote the agent who has their name on the signs – rather than the property. Are the magazines which fill our recycling bins another version of the street sign – there to promote the agency rather than the property – but at the expense of the vendor?

⇓Whilst real estate companies are mere shopkeepers for the wares of others, the type of wares they promote will influence their reputation. If your shop sells sex toys, then undoubtedly you will have an enthusiastic clientele. But you will also have a sector of the buying public scurrying to cross the street so that they are not seen in your vicinity.
Those real estate companies who are enthusiastically promoting syndications with returns more usually found at the base of rainbows brand themselves in the eyes of many as modern day snake oil salesmen. To my knowledge they are all male,and intent on purveying a product to the unwary and uninitiated that is largely untradeable and illiquid. Add in that the promised  returns are either illusory or unobtainable, and those real estate companies may reap handsome commissions, but at what risk to their reputations ?  And does that reputation also to some extent also rub off on others in what is essentially  a very small industry?

⇑The New Zealand property industry has for a long time been focused on an agent being a conduit for an owner selling a property. But is the current state of the market helping to promote an alternative concept – the buyers agent? With a dearth of available stock we are seeing some energetic agents taking the initiative and seeking out properties that meet the needs of their clients. There is a place for the shotgun approach in selling. But it is an increasingly isolated place. Just broadcasting to everyone who may possibly have an interest is not marketing. It’s only marginally more useful than buying a lotto ticket. We now live in a very targeted world. If you think it’s creepy that adwords follow you around the internet, then by the same measure it is sad so many agents don’t realise how easy it is to specifically target buyers who are already pre-disposed to purchasing your product. And the reverse is obviously true. If your client wants to buy or lease, then it is a valuable service to be able to seek out the appropriate property for them. Our congratulations to those agents using their initiative.