The good press keeps coming for me and BiggerPockets in 2009.

I was again interviewed by US News & World Report, this time before the new year for an article that just came out today called "5 Top Blunders of Internet Home Buying". Its a great article and I've got quite a few quotes in it (be sure to check page 2 of the piece as well).

Please check it out and be sure to pass it on to everyone!

Comments (8)

Thanks John. There are lots of talkers out there, and everyone is trying to make money in this space. That leads to higher odds of someone looking to split you and your money for their own benefit.

Joshua Dorkin, over 15 years ago
Hi Joshua, As I find my way around the site, I keep finding little jewels like this article. Congratulations. There is allot of truth in it about scammers. As more people flock to the internet, more people will look at it as an opportunity, both good and bad. Bellow is a wall street journal article about buying on line. It fits in with yours, but 5 or 6 years ago. They called me after learning I bought a house in Florida without seeing it. My wife did the talking. Moving from the OC to Punta Gorda was THE culture shock of our life. Stopping at a grocery store at 8:30 at night to get milk for breakfast in the morning, and the store being closed, will never be forgotten. Or being the only family on the street with kids, and one of three in the area proves Florida is Gods waiting room. You do not see that on a web site ad. We bought in July, moved in, in Nov of 03, and hurricane Charlie took it from us in August, on Friday the 13th. We were in the Cape before Sept. So my wife got her wish. Thanks again for all you do here! http://www.realestatejournal.com/buysell/markettrends/20040518-fletcher.html

John Andre, over 15 years ago
You absolutely have to be careful, Regan! There are definitely sharks out there in all sides of the business. We promote caution to everyone out there, and work hard to ensure that BiggerPockets protect our members as best as possible. Of course, we can't prevent bad things from happening, but we do our best to educate our members and teach them how to look out for themselves. I'm glad you also liked the article. There's a bunch of other great ones I had the opportunity to be a part of that you can find on our press page - http://www.biggerpockets.com/press.html Best, Josh

Joshua Dorkin, over 15 years ago
Yes, Josh, great article! It's a shame that there are those who are unethical and take advantage of others. I let myself get burned upon purchasing my first investment property. I say "let" because I saw the red flags, but I was so eager to get started and I trusted these people. I blundered ahead believing they had my best intentions in mind. I was very foolish. And I found these particular "professionals" online on a very reputable real estate web-site. Now, I'm on the other side of the line, and I find that it can be difficult to ensure my trustworthiness to those would be clients. I became a Realtor so I could help others in the professional and ethical manner that is obligatory to this position. But, oh yeah, there are some real "sharks" out there! However, there are some really good people, too. You just have to be careful.

Regan Brookins-Longville, over 15 years ago
Thanks for the Congrats, Niman! I'm willing to bet that you're right about the 5 blunders in Internet Home Buying changing over the next year. 2009 should be a really interesting time in our business. BTW - Nice avatar!

Joshua Dorkin, over 15 years ago
Hi Josh, Congrats on getting interviewed. I agree with you about Craigslist, and I often feel like I am the only one on that boat :) I think many of the trends mentioned in the article are only beginning to emerge. For example, I recently heard agents in CA were inflating BPOs in hopes that lenders would reject the short sale, foreclose on the property, and give the BPO agent an REO listing. I didn't know agents could act so unethically to secure a listing, and I also imagined banks would be smarter than to give the listings to the same agent... but like fake listings, I guess anything is possible in the current market. I wonder how the top 5 blunders in Internet Home Buying will change over the next year or so. The article mentions it's a mistake to assume the web is all you need to buy a house unless you are an experienced real estate investor. Investors are an emerging market segment, and I think they will play a dominant role in 2009. Internet home buying will certainly change, as many services will need to adapt to the real estate investor - maybe someday, the web will be all we need to buy a home. By then, we might have a brand new set of top 5 blunders for Internet home buying. What do you think?

Niman S., over 15 years ago
Thanks Mike. The internet is rife with scammers, and as you know, the real estate world is particularly full of them. You always have to watch yourself out there in this day and age.

Joshua Dorkin, over 15 years ago
Josh, Congratulations on the article. It was very interesting! I didn't even know that there fake home listings on the internet or that there were watermarks on legitimate home pictures. I guess that there's a new scam a minute on the internet! Mike

Michael Rossi, over 15 years ago