As you may recall, I was interviewed back in December by a staff reporter for 60 Minutes (off camera, and no, not by Andy Rooney) for a story they were going to be doing on the current state of the real estate industry. I thought the story was going to run as early as February, and I kept watching for it, but I didn't see it. I asked around to others I knew had been interviewed and no one knew. At first I wondered if the topic just didn't make the cut and they were going to drop it. By April I was sure that was what happened.
Of course I was wrong. I got word that the real estate segment was going to be on and eagerly set my VCR to tape the show (yes, I am really advanced with the TV technology-no tivo for me). I watched the segment and it was much different than I thought it would be but overall I thought it was good. The segment certainly documented that innovation is taking hold in the real estate industry and it will never be the same. They found their flashy, eloquent broker to focus on. I would have picked different people to interview, but I understand that a story gets harder to follow if you take good little stories from numerous people to make the point.
Some of the traditional real estate brokers I know didn't like the piece, I think they really wanted the show to tell people that they should stick with full priced traditional agents to sell their home. The segment did quite the opposite, it told people to check out innovative companies like flat fee brokers because consumers love them. I'm glad that message is getting out because that is my experience--consumers love having the flat fee MLS listing option. It is not for everyone, but it is a good match for many and an opportunity to save thousands of dollars on a home sale.