Neighbors for Neighbors

As a graduate of the MIT City Planning Program, I applaud your efforts. Is there somewhere on the site one can visit to view testimonials? My email addresses three points:

1. Please note under your neighborhood reviews, “Realtor,” is the name of a member of the National Association of Realtors. Since some real estate licensees, like me, prefer not to be a member of that private organization, wouldn’t it be more appropriate to use a more generic term?

Real estate agent refers to a class of license, that works under a real estate broker. So maybe it would be less confusing to simply say, “Real estate professional.”

2. I believe that social networks like this have the potential to help people find housing without using a real estate professional, or with minimal help paid on an hourly or flat fee rather than commission. On the flip side, is it possible to use the platform to help sell without an agent, or at least to let neighbors know that your home will be going on the market at some point in the future and to invite friends and family to contact you if they are interested?

3. Lastly, the housing market begins to turn locally and nationally, it seems that neighbors may begin to turn to each other to inquire about whether prices in the neighborhood are holding up, not necessarily because they intend to sell, but because they are concerned about the erosion of their home equity. Have you seen any evidence of that happening already, or do you have tools that would help them address that question?

Bill Wendel
The Real Estate Cafe
RECafe@mac.com
617-661-4046
https://realestatecafe.com
http://www.realestatecafe.blogs.com