Comments on: Be Careful How You Answer

By: AgentGenius

AgentGenius — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 04:54:26 +0000

#agnow i agree with the post, you should never use Trulia to steer business away from other agents...that kind of s... http://bit.ly/alKP7I

By: Jimbo Thompson

Jimbo Thompson — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 22:26:11 +0000

i agree with the post, you should never use Trulia to steer business away from other agents…that kind of stuff is just not cool in ANY industry…and I agree with Fran….you are (or should be) on Trulia to educate the public, not pad your pocket in unethical ways..

By: Laura Cannon

Laura Cannon — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 05:10:47 +0000

Teresa, –you had asked why I use Trulia Voices. That’s a good question. I was initially pretty excited about the forum. I had hoped to gain exposure in my community, lead people to my blog, and have interesting conversations. (I can be a little naive at times. . .)

Unfortunately, the conversations turned ugly or inane very quickly. To be honest, some of the contributors were not well-informed; others were uncivil. So, after about 6 or 7 exchanges I gave up.

I have had better luck maintaining a kind of mini-blog on Trulia that gives a little information and invites people to visit my main blog for more detailed explanations. Nobody has commented on the mini-blog, but I do get leads to barringtonlocal from it.

By: Paula Henry

Paula Henry — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 03:18:35 +0000

Okay – I need an edit button tonight. Inline would be good for roller hockey – I meant online:)

By: Paula Henry

Paula Henry — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 03:12:23 +0000

Trulia could be a valuable tool for agents on a local level. One thing all agents should remember when answering questions online is maintaining their inline reputation. It only takes a few bad answers to eradicate any semblance of professionalism.

By: Linsey

Linsey — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 05:29:28 +0000

I have answered questions on Trulia and I currently have some wonderful people that I am working with as a result of those interactions.

I will say that I often am shocked at some of the responses. At the end of the day, Trulia Q & A, I really believe, is an online illustration of our industry. There are truly wonderful, professionals assisting consumers with a real sense of service. There are others that are clearly irresponsible, uneducated,and unethical.

Are we really surprised? Or are we just surprised that people are willing to commit these acts openly and online for the ‘world’ to see?

By: Missy Caulk

Missy Caulk — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 20:30:18 +0000

I use Trulia Voices but only for Michigan and specifically for Washtenaw County, Ann Arbor.

When it was first introduced, I used it for all over, it was that competitive thing. LOL

Now I try to answer thoughtfully for folks inquiring on questions or houses in Ann Arbor.

I have got several responses from it, one pre-list appointment, which their home has lost to much value to sell. But, so far it is good. Once there was a question that I felt they wanted legal advice and I told them so and gave them my attorney’s name.

After that everyone else said, “Missy gave good advice” get an attorney.

I will use everything and anything to bring in more business. I just signed up for Trulia Pro and so far so good.

By: Vicki Moore

Vicki Moore — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:41:51 +0000

I’m not my brother’s keeper. If someone wants to make a complete ass of themselves on Trulia it’s fine with me. I’m not the boss of them. I’m not the moral compass and I don’t determine the guidelines for what’s acceptable, ethical or reasonable for Trulia. Sorry – not my job or responsibility.

By: Teresa Boardman

Teresa Boardman — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:30:26 +0000

“Adherence to the COE is a matter between agents and brokers and their REALTOR associations.” Frances that is why I wrote the post, and why I need to write more on this topic. The brokers and associations are out of the loop on this, it is agent driven.
I like Benn’s question: “As an agent yourself, what do you think of this type of activity? You say you moderate, but I was wondering what your measure is… clue us in to what you think…” and would love to see your answer.

By: Frances Flynn Thorsen

Frances Flynn Thorsen — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:07:35 +0000

We endorse good real estate cyber citizenry that is aligned with proper legal behaviour. Our measure is found in our Community Guidelines.

http://www.trulia.com/guidelines/

We are not enforcers of the REALTOR Code of Ethics. That said, we offer advice to agents privately on a regular basis when something seems amiss. Adherence to the COE is a matter between agents and brokers and their REALTOR associations.

We moderate the posts and take appropriate actions when posts violate our Community Guidelines … sometimes we remove posts without warning … sometimes we work with the poster to reframe a blog post …

A comment like “advice that looked to me like legal advice” and similar blanket statements issued without corresponding links do not merit a judgment in my estimation. “Show me the beef,” as they say

I work with Trulia content, Trulia Voices, and Trulia blogs for many hours each day, seven days a week. I am inclined to be a discerning judge of content. I am increasingly impressed by content overall … there is a new crop of bloggers coming up and Trulia that is going to have an impact on the market. Lots of them are brand new to blogging. I am awed by them.

Time to get back to the Trulia Community … for the remainder of the day you will find me there if you need me. 8-)))