16 Minutes

The following is an excerpt from an article titled… "Point2 adds more fuel for compensation discussion" by Glenn Roberts Jr. which was published by Inman News on Tuesday, May 29, 2007. I agree with these comments wholeheartedly.

Morgan Brown, a blogger who owns a mortgage company in Irvine, Calif., stated in a blog comment that that the Point2 video was "uber-lame and unfunny." He said later that Point2 "did a very shrewd thing" by creating a viral video that was targeted to their customer base. The video "generated buzz and surely won them more business by playing to a sensitive issue. On the flip side, the piece could potentially damage the industry by making full-service Realtors look catty and immature at a time when Realtors need all the 'image' help they can get."

Ron Ares, an Oregon real estate broker, stated in a blog comment that the humorous take on the "60 Minutes" segment "fell a little flat." He told Inman News that the "tone and content" of the original news program did leave itself open to satire; "the spoof doesn't exactly provide a cogent response. I trust that enlightened consumers can determine the facts from the fiction ... and the farce."

And Athol Kay, a Realtor for Prudential Connecticut Realty, said the spoof was "unbearable to watch" and questioned whether the video's discussion of Redpin pricing was "hate-filled smearing."

A blog commenter identified as "Barb" stated that full-service real estate professionals "have been tolerating some pretty ugly labels of late," and also offered up a statement that "isn't mine, but it bears repeating: 'There have always been consumers who prefer lower cost over quality. And there will always be agents willing to deeply discount their fees in order to gain their business.' To criticize or disparage another member's choice of business model is not consistent with the spirit of the Code of Ethics and unlikely to garner respect.”