Even on "Corporate Sites" such as LinkedIn, there are Real Estate Practitioners who have to chime in with, "Look at my new Listing at 123 Elm Street".

That is the nature of Open Forums and Open Discussions - there will always be someone who is out of line and out of place, someone who does not have a clue about social etiquette, or the proper time and place to promote a Listing.

But, the bad manners and poor business practices of a few, should in no way stop Realtors from sharing their expertise and their professional opinions with inquisitive Buyers and Sellers on the Internet.

-----------------
Best wishes,
Fred Griffin
------------------

Crone

If your questions and comments are going to be real-estate related --- and since Trulia is about real estate --- you are sure to get responses from folks who live real estate day in and day out. And self-promoting or not, you will also see that many of these realtors are speaking from experience, have a lot more information about what is going on, and are more qualified to discuss real estate topics than the average Joe.

Many of them will invite the poster to call/email them in case the poster has other follow up questions. You can certainly choose to ignore responses from folks whose responses you dislike...but for the most part, I have seen very good advice from several realtors who volunteer their time to answer questions.

Good luck in your future buying/selling endeavors.

Agents do not have to pay to comment here on Trulia. I learn a lot from all participants and in exchange offer my comments.

Agents do have an option to pay to "upgrade" their service and profile. So I would caution any internet user to fully understand where their inquiries go. Such as "recommended agents" "area specialists" "what is the value of my home" etc. Often times agents pay for leads and these are pay per clicks or pay for leads then the consumer is being contacted by an agent.

Crone-I'm sorry you had a bad Trulia experience. I almost left Trulia THREE TIMES just today! But thank heavens for "Report". It is annoying and frustrating to try and give input or just learn from what others have to say and see postings that look like bad pop-up ads.

But in truth, I just can't leave. There is so much great input that you have to tune out the rhetoric, "Report" abuse and hang on! Because I learn something valuable almost every time I come on here. I don't always sit and post. I find topics that touch on areas that I don't know as much as I'd like to. I just read and learn. Good threads will have adult discussions, sharing knowledge and opportunities to strengthen knowledge and skills.

I have not seen another forum such as this one. In my opinion, nothing comes close. I have seen far more quality than garbage. Cut the crust off and enjoy the sandwich!

I hope you'll stick around. By your desire to have genuine discussions concerning real estate, I am sure you have quality information and experience to contribute!

Have a great day!

p.s. I don't recommend you dig through my posts. Although you certainly may. I am not in keeping with "said" rankings next to sleazy car salesman. I get off topic at times because some of these people here make me laugh from the bottom of my toes...or make me really mad and sometimes I say so. But I still hope you'll stay in spite of me!

Hi Abraham,

Great suggestion. I'll share that with our team as well. In the meantime please be sure to heed the words of Dunes and Flag Flag Flag anytime you believe that a post is inappropriate.

Thank you,

~Emily

Emily,
I would love to have the ability to block the view of posts of some users. There are some people using this site, that claim to be professionals and are not. A lot of us know that, and I am sure would love to block their posts. Other sites have this capability.. Just a suggestion

Hi Crone,

Thank you for your question - it's certainly led to some good discussion below. As I'm sure you've gathered, there's no way on Trulia to prohibit professionals from answering a question. I'll be happy to share your suggestion with our team, however, like Debbie, I'd be interested to know what kinds of information you're looking for and who you would prefer answer your questions. The better we can understand your needs, the better we can create a feature that will work best for you.

Thank you,

Emily Gibson
Community Moderator

Hello Crone:

Thanks for your post. Personally, I've been surfing this site and answering questions from buyers and sellers around the country since March 2009. Of the more than 500 questions to which I've responded, I think I've only written twice to encourage someone to call me--once because I represented the developer the questionner was asking about, and once because the person said "write to me if you want to be my agent" and that was fairly recently. Otherwise, if you check my list of questions, you'll find answers without frills or commercials.

I wish I could say I'm completely alone in my goals not to publicize myself, but I think that's probably not true. Most of the postings from agents that I've read do not contain requests for calls or blatant solicitations. Certainly, everyone offers to help, but the questionner can chose to make the personal call or not. No one's forcing them. 'Course, I could just wearing big rose colored glasses, but I don't think so. The individuals on this site are pros and I respect their opinions greatly. I've met a few of the people in my area recently, and I've been as impressed with them in person as with their writing on the site. So, even if I were not a Realtor, I'd invite and appreciate the comments from agents here--and, I also think that there is "value" to the Trulia site because a person can get answers from a variety of knowledgeable real estate professionals. Would there be similar value to a site without Realtors and only frustrated buyers and sellers--maybe...

As to a forum that excludes solicitation, there are many from which you can choose. In addition to the REIClub noted below, there's Ask.com and even community sites in different states where real estate is discussed without the intervention of professionals. You need only look, and I'm certain you can find one that suits your needs.

So this is just my two cents or 40,000 lira depending on the exchange rate.

Sincerely,
Grace Morioka, SRES, e-pro
Area Pro Realty

Hi Crone
I am curious, and in no way being rude, but.....just what is it you want to discuss with "adult discussion"? Since this is a real estate site, the questions are real estate related - hence, for the most part, Realtors, and other real estate-related folk answer them. What subjects would you exlude agents from responding to? Do you want a " just laymen" chat section? I am just trying to get a handle on what you are questioning or asking for.

Now, I will admit, there was a question posted (by an agent) asking what consumers expect from their agents......I chuckled when I saw that all the responses were from agents, not consumers.........and I commented on that. Should the agent comments on that question be excluded? Well.....how can you?? ...and, .the truth is, no consumers bothered to answer. But, this is an open forum, and it's not really practical to exclude anyone from answering any question.

I think a lot of laymen come here, ask a question, and then leave when they get their questions answered. I believe, the majority surfing here are from the world of real estate.. They hang around (like me) answering quesitons and readling blogs. We all have different reasons for being here..

Just so you know......I am equally annoyed by the mundane, repetitive responses that some offer, but hey, those kind of comments aren't limited to agents - not all laymen make the most articulate comments , either.
So..........what to do??...... I think you sift through what is typed.......and, as Dunes suggested, report the ones that aren't relevant, or are offensive, or are spam........and, finally......... you pull what matters to you from what is said here., and ignore the rest!

Well....just my thoughts!

Joan I have the feeling you are going to be a very good Agent..Professional.

PS, It;s already damaged I just got my very first You are a RE Agent Brown Noser Email.

Work so hard to establish or build a reputation and one little slip up..BAM all gone.......

Don't know who I am anymore, Dunes ; )

Hey Dunes, you are going to have to be careful because your reputation as a cranky anti-real estate pro guy is going to suffer. I believe you are actually becoming well liked among some of us real estate pros. You simply make too much sense.
Crone, if you are reading any of these answers, I hope your view of the real estate industry has not been dimmed. I don't think most real estate agents responses to this question(I guess I would have to put myself in that group) were hostile. I think we genuinely understand the problems of having an open forum, especially on an industry website where a lot of people are hungry for business. My guess is there are always going to be people misbehaving but please don't lump all of us together. There really are a lot of well intentioned very smart people here.

Realtors and other real estate professionals are offered ways to subscribe to Trulia, in which they pay for extended Trulia services.

Trulia voices is not among them. I have been participating in Trulia voices for over a year (maybe two), and I have yet to contribute a dime to Trulia's coffers.

Real Estate Agents DO NOT have to pay post in this Forum. They can pay to get the Trulia Pro set up which has to do with Listings, Tools ect,,http://www.trulia.com/truliapro/terms/

Any agent/broker, appraiser, home inspector ect. can aquire a Profile (just like you) and select the Tag appropriate..Just like you selected Other/just looking....

Reading the Community Guideline will help understand what Trulia considers appropriate...
http://www.trulia.com/guidelines/ and the terms of use should be read by everyone... http://www.trulia.com/terms/

Flag what you feel is Wrong and then Flag what you think is wrong..

Jumping to conclusions, being rude or insulting, spamming are things Agents often are accused of but I've always wonder how much validity that complaint will ever be when it's often made by those doing the same!

Flag and Flag it's why it is there and helps Trulia know where the problems are and who.........
This is an Open Forum to actually attempt to assist people with issues they have regarding Real Estate and many excellent discussions do take place IMO. Be a part of that and share......

It's not a chat room even though that's how I treat it since I don't know anything but some nice chats do take place. There's good and bad everywhere, it's not WE GOOD THEY BAD...............It's about giving some people with Questions things to consider based on experience or knowledge. It's a place to learn....

Hey there guys....

Real Estate Agents and Brokers have the option to Upgrade their profile, if they so choose. I believe that they can just create a general profile, kinda like I did, or they can "Super-Size" their profile for a few more benefits.

http://www.trulia.com/truliapro/?src=000027

Darin

Wow - is that really true? Real estate agents have to pay to post onto these Trulia discussion forums? If so, this is the first I've heard of it. Can the agents comment please?

Jonp, I too was surprised by the hostility from the realtors. Wow.

I looked up the community guidelines for these forums and it says: "Trulia Voices is an online community in which members can ask and answer questions or publish blog posts and comments on a wide range of topics about real estate and the home buying and selling process. People can also create profiles and share facts, opinions and personal experiences to help others."

Nothing there about "You ask questions and the 'Pros' answer" (per Mr. Burns - how pompous and condescending his response was) or "The best use of Trulia for the non professional is to help identify one or more Realtors with whom you would like to work directly" (per Mr. McCord).

So I couldn't figure out why the realtors got so worked up. It turns out that they have to PAY to post here (see their TOS http://www.trulia.com/truliapro/terms/ ). No wonder they get upset about being excluded. Trulia is just a lead generation site, a modern day version of a real estate boiler room operation, populated with the same grasping characters as the movie Glengarry Glen Ross.

How lame.

Hey there Crone...

Another Real Estate Forum that you may want to check out is http://www.reiclub.com. The majority of the people on that forum are Real Estate Investors. Yes, there are some Investors who are Licensed agents but (generally speaking) Real Estate Investors and Realtors look at things from very different perspectives. Many of those on the REICLUB website are well versed on both sides of the equation.

On that forum there are various rooms which partain to different avenues of investing in Real Estate:
Wholesaling, Lease Purchase, Short Sales, and even a General category where some of us tell jokes and talk stock market.

Similar to Trulia, as Dunes has mentioned, there are monitors on REICLUB as well and there are times where Spam leaks into the discussions. There are also occasions, where it gets REALLY heated and the monitors have to jump in. But I guess you'll have that in any forum from time to time.

Give it a look, and see if that's the type of forum you're looking for. I've learned sooooooo much from the people on there it is amazing. Try (Googleing) for other forums as well. If there's a specific type of Investing/Real Estate topic you like, I'm sure there is a forum/blog as well.

Best Wishes,

Darin

Dune, your point it well taken. Crone, if I jumped to any conclusions regarding how you feel about the real estate profession, then I respectfully apologize.
By the way, there have been plenty of great "discussions" on this website. Seek and you shall find.

Crone - You have a valid point. I am surprised by the hostility to your simple request. If Trulia won't allow what you want, try the Bay Area real estate forums on Redfin. I don't see a lot of agents participating in those.

Hello Crone,
I believe that the best use of Trulia for the non professional is to help identify one or more Realtors with whom you would like to work directly. No general forum can sensibly deal with anyone's unique circumstances. Your "adult discussion" is far more likely one-to-one than in an open forum.
You are always welcome to contact any participant for a more personal and focused conversation either on-line or directly. We all have our profiles on the site.
Trulia is best viewed as a site where a a "consumer" can get free advice from a very wide range of licensed agents who use it as a means to promote themselves by demonstrating their expertise to potential customers.
I do not think is a very effective vehicle for in depth discussion.

You ask questions and the 'Pros' answer. It's not designed nor intended as a chat room where the 'amateurs' can commisserate. You might want to head on over to Yahoo.

Look to the upper left of the page. What does it say? "Got a real estate question? Get answers from locals, experts, and real estate pros." Keyword there: Question.

I agree that real estate agents probably spend a little too much time crowing about themselves. Part of that is necessary to understand what expertise and experience they may have on the subject.

Anyone can look at the answers and decide if the 'Pro' is really just a poser and a promoter. Lighten up. A lot of the comments from the 'infomercial' people are hilarious.They do themselves so much more harm than good without any help from a 'broker excluded' group chatting away somewhere else on Trulia.

I see, just as often, buyers and sellers who are not interested in hearing the right answer. They would rather complain about the agents and brokers. There is always that 1% faction of disgruntled customers in any business involving service who want to make sure their story is heard. The other 99% go about their business and on a rare occasion issue positive comments about their experiences as well. The ratio here is about 99 to 1 with the 99 feeling no compulsion to make comments because things worked out just fine.

The point of Trulia voices is to get answers from experts. It's not for people to have an 'adult' discussion (whatever that is). Questions, answers. Simple enough. Check Yahoo. I'm sure there is a whole bunch of groups there dedicated to prognosticating about how the real estate world really works. It would be naive to think that those groups are clean and pure as well.

Mark Burns, Realtor
Coldwell Banker Elite - Top 3% Worldwide
President - PRDS, Contracts and Forms for Silicon Valley Residential Real Estate 2008, 2009
President - Silicon Valley Association of Realtors 2007
DRE #00896552 licensed since 1985
but wait, there's more . . .
Chair - CAR Region 9 for California Association of Realtors Board of Directors 2009
Past President and current Trustee - Silicon Valley Association of Realtors Political Action Committee
Realtor of the the Year - Silicon Valley Association of Realtors 2006
Co-Chair - Independent Citizen's Oversight Committee for Measure B, Fremont Union High School District
Past President, Board member for 13 years - Cupertino Chamber of Commerce
Creator of the Realtors Supporting Schools Program for Cupertino Educational Endowment Foundation and the foundations for Santa Clara and Sunnyvale Schools
Past Shareholder on behalf of SilVAR for MLS Listings Inc.
Past member of Nominating and Finance committees for MLS Listings Inc.

Feel free to read my other answers on Trulia. Let me know if that looks like promotion and dumbing down of a discussion. If so, your standards may truly be higher than mine.

PS What if there was a place like Trulia for Taxes and Acoounting but CPAs were excluded? How about legal issues but no attorneys? Medical issues without Doctors and Nurses? Auto repair without mechanics? IT but no engineers? Education but no teachers or administrators?

@Joan

"The fact that you say "so-called pro" implies that you have an inherent hostility toward the profession,"

Don't think that is necessarily true, it could imply several things not just inherent hostility!

Crone could believe some behave as Pros and some do not. Might be referring to the fact anyone creating a Profile can click on the Pro selection and have Agent/Broker ect. on their Profile. (There is no verification Process by Trulia that I'm aware of) Could be Crone was upset and did not express what was meant in the way that was meant.

My point is none of us should jump to such a quick simple conclusion (I'm guilty of it often myself)

The comment "
"The fact that you say "so-called pro" implies that you have an inherent hostility toward the profession,"
could itself imply hostility to some who did not know better as it is general and an assumption made based on one comment IMO.

Crone you could try Zillow and compare.

Crone

I doubt Trulia is going to exclude the Agents from anything and would like to point out that there are many Agents (Like Erin) who are just as concerned.

I would like to suggest that if enough people would FLAG FLAG FLAG FLAG FLAG FLAG FLAG and POINT IT OUT POINT IT OUT POINT IT OUT then perhaps Trulia would not be able to ignore it.

Remember those we expect to monitor the Forum (Trulia moderator) can only work with the tools and policies those Higher up give them.

It has to become a Major issue with the involvement of many for the Higher ups to consider leaving the the safe zone of ignoring anything that doesn't involve Tweeting. twitning, facebooking, or joint press releases with Realty trac.

So again, each time you do browse thru the Voices section and you see SPAM, Arguments that ignore civility, or pointless responses to two year old questions please take the time to FLAG FLAG FLAG FLAG.

Crone, since this is a real estate website, its kind of hard to exclude the people who make real estate their job.
If you are willing to ignore the self-serving posts, you will see that there are people here, including those in the real estate profession, that really do offer valuable insight and advice.
The fact that you say "so-called pro" implies that you have an inherent hostility toward the profession, perhaps well deserved due to your personal experiences.
I am a new agent myself and I actually posed a question about what real estate agents can do to improve the profession. I received some great responses and would welcome any suggestions from you.
I have learned a lot on this website from both real estate pros and from the general public. It does take some time to sift through some of the posts but I have started learning who to take seriously, and who I should ignore.
I have 4 children- I treasure adult discussions!
I would be honored to have an adult conversation with you any time.

Why don't you try this. It's not personal, but " It would be much appreciated if agents and professionals not participate in this particular discussion".

Then you can accomplish your goal. I don't think it's going to hurt anyone's feelings.

Cheers,

Tap
Realtor
Cashin Company http://www.DavidTapper.com
650-403-6252

Suggest it to Trulia.. the shameless self promotion and BICKERING is tired indeed!

Good Luck!