In this episode of The Real Word, Byron Lazine and Nicole White discuss reality TV, the spike in Google searches on the housing bubble, and the NAR rebranding of their annual event.
Reality TV good or bad?
First on the agenda is the Inman article: “Things just got real: Ryan Serhant, Bess Freedman spar over reality TV.” The drama is up with a lively debate between Ryan Serhant and Brown Harris Stevens CEO Bess Freedman on whether reality TV is good or bad for the real estate industry.
Photos by AJ Canaria & Mercedes Santiago of MoxiWorks
Freedman sees reality shows like Selling Sunset as “very deflating” to what real estate agents do, and particularly women in the industry, because it makes the work look effortless.
She also commented on the oversexualization of women, namely the fact that the female agents in these shows wore tight, revealing clothes and overdone makeup.
“You can be an effective, beautiful businesswoman without having on a short skirt and your boobs out. And that’s very frustrating for me as a mom raising a daughter,”
Nicole pointed out that Freedman’s comments may actually offend a lot of women real estate agents who choose to wear more revealing styles – as if she’s saying they’re contributing to this oversexualization problem.
Serhant pointed out that selling real estate has completely changed, and agents need to keep up with consumer trends. People are watching these reality TV shows and, in many cases, showing more interest in the real estate industry as a whole, which he believes can’t be a bad thing, even if the portrayal isn’t 100% accurate.
“Reality TV has given birth to the future of real estate. It represents big cultural and economic trends upon us right now….”
Byron respect’s Freedman’s point of view on this as a woman in real estate but also sees Serhant’s point. Both Byron and Nicole would love to hear your take in the comments:
Do you think reality TV is a good or bad thing for the real estate industry – and why?
Google Trends reports a spike in searches on the “Housing Bubble”
Next up, another great Inman piece talks about how Google Trends is reporting a spike in consumer interest in the term, “Housing Bubble.”
Interest has spiked before, between 2004 and 2005, and the curve flattened between then and until March of this year. Since then consumer interest in the term has gone up, though not as high as it was in 2005.
Byron pointed out that as a real estate agent, you should know what consumers are searching for on the internet.
Aside from using KCM charts yourself to stay informed, you should be sharing them and talking to your clients about the data and what it means for them.
NAR rebranding their annual event name to NXT
Moving on to our marketeer of the week, Byron and Nicole discussed another timely Inman article on NAR’s rebranding of their annual realtor’s conference name to NXT – which is pronounced, “Next.”
The event takes place every November in Orlando, Florida. This time, NAR will be hosting it under a new name, with a boost in spending to make it “iconic.”
Byron pointed out the cost of this rebranding. According to the NAR website, meetings and events overall will total an estimated expense of $7.6 million, but they expect a net revenue of $1.5 million from this year’s NXT event.
Nicole has put in a vote for attending the event, and while Byron pointed out NAR’s $155K investment in a virtual platform for the event, he agreed there’s something to be said for the “immersive experience.”
Both Byron and Nicole would love to know your take on this, so share your answers to the following questions in the comments.
- Who’s going?
- Who’s excited?
- Should we go?
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