We’re Not Hearing Voices

Earlier this month the folks at Trulia were delighted (their words not mine) to announce a “big step forward� in reaching their overall goal of helping consumers find homes for sale and make smarter real estate decisions.

And that big step was the launch of  “Voices.�

They describe the new service this way:

“Trulia Voices is an interactive real estate question-and-answer service designed to help real estate professionals and enthusiasts share their expertise and connect directly with an online audience of serious home buyers and sellers.

“Consumers now have a tool where they can ask those very specific questions about neighborhoods, schools or just get a sense of the ‘curb appeal’ by tapping into the local knowledge and insights from millions of residents, experts and agents from all across the US.�

I checked out the service and one of the biggest problem is waiting for an answer…that and you have no idea if the person who posted the answer is any brighter than you are. Plus the quality of the material leaves something to be desired.

One Q & A went like this:

Q: How many Realtors work in Cumberland County Tennessee?
A: I’d say about half.

Now if that wasn’t worth waiting for I don’t know what is.

Save yourself a lot of time and trouble and do what everyone else does and look online. Not only do you get plenty of answers, but, in most cases, you see where they’re coming from.

Better yet, if you’re looking for real time answers, how about picking up a phone?

Everything about the phone is real time. Back when I was a kid, you could call the reference desk at any library, and they’d be happy to look something up for you. The phone means you don’t have to check back every twenty minutes for a posting (because I really have nothing better to do) and with all these helpful message boards taking up the bulk of the work, the people at the reference desk are probably faster than ever.

Jeff

P.S. By the way, we here at Real Estate Convergence would like to announce the launch of our real estate help section. It’s open 24 hours a day offering top of the line research options. Check it out: Real Estate Answer Desk.

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