What's Hot: Where Are People House-Rich in DC? | Rendering Revealed for One of the Largest New Residential Developments in Friendship Hts
WaPo: Be Wary of Agent’s “Boosterism”
The Washington Post had an interesting piece on Saturday that looked at how a real estate agent’s sunny outlook on the market (regardless of how it is doing) can have a disconcerting effect on prospective buyers.
Post real estate writer Elizabeth Razzi talks with a couple that was looking to buy late last year, but put their plans on hold when the economy began to tank. Their agent recognized their hesitancy and indicated that it was the “media” that was blowing the turmoil out of proportion. For a number of reasons, they switched brokerages and eventually bought last month.
The article is a good read whether or not you believe agents are guilty of “boosterism.” Here is one particularly interesting passage:
Even as the public has grown more skeptical of real estate industry boosterism, the National Association of Realtors, with the help of public relations giant Burson-Marsteller, has been training brokers nationwide to more effectively talk up market positives. Since February 2008, their “Surround Sound” public relations program has taught 3,500 brokers to counter negative news reports about the housing market, according to Liz Giovaniello, who directs the program for NAR.
“We really aren’t in the business of turning people into cheerleaders,” she said. “And for some people, buying a home isn’t the right thing. We’re just trying to tell the other side of the story, that every market is different, and some markets didn’t have high foreclosures. . . . We didn’t feel that it was always being told.”
This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/wapo_be_wary_of_agents_boosterism/1027
Most Popular... This Week • Last 30 Days • Ever

The eight-bedroom, 35,000 square-foot home known as The Cliffs hit the market Wednesd... read »

The most detailed rendering yet has been unveiled for the 310-unit redevelopment of t... read »

Developments both big and small are continuing to churn throughout the Anacostia area... read »

A look around DC to find the most equity-rich neighborhoods.... read »

A report on the DC region's housing market in April reveals how interest rates above ... read »
- $39 Million + A Basketball Court Over the Potomac: The DC Area's New Most Expensive Home For Sale
- Rendering Revealed for One of the Largest New Residential Developments in Friendship Heights
- The 17 Developments in the Works Between Anacostia and Buena Vista
- Where Are People House-Rich in DC?
- The 5% Effect in the DC-Area Housing Market
DC Real Estate Guides
Short guides to navigating the DC-area real estate market
We've collected all our helpful guides for buying, selling and renting in and around Washington, DC in one place. Visit guides.urbanturf.com or start browsing below!
First-Timer Primers
Intro guides for first-time home buyers
Unique Spaces
Awesome and unusual real estate from across the DC Metro