Today there are many different places a person can go and get information on what’s happening in the real estate market. Realtors, traditional media sources, economists, family friends and many more.

I’ve been an actively involved and committed full time real estate agent for the past 16 years and have always been dedicated to building my knowledge base on things like market trends and consumer behaviours along with a variety of traditional real estate educational courses like architectural styles or negotiation styles and tips.

What and who you choose to listen to has always been an important factor in shaping your thoughts and possible actions when it comes to buying or selling real estate. In my opinion this importance has been intensified over the past 3 or 4 years and  fiercely crucial right now and moving forward as we work through the shifting market upon us.

Lately I have witnessed recently licensed real estate agents with little experience being quoted in magazines, newspapers and on television. Personally I couldn’t care less if an agent chooses to put themselves out there for whatever their reason. But from a real estate industry perspective I have a big problem with a rookie agent commenting on market trends when they probably have sold 20 properties in their life! What trends would they be able to offer expertly on?

Journalists and economists who report or quote on real estate are well trained in getting their points across which often doesn’t include entirely factual reporting or providing the consumer  with information so they can make an informed decision. Then you bring in editors and producers who further manipulate the process so their end goal is reached which is to get more eyeballs watching their program or reading their magazine or newspaper.

The biggest joke is when you have fund managers telling whoever will listen it’s better to rent then buy and you would make better returns investing that money instead in the markets! First of all they are two completely different markets and pretty much the only thing they have in common is fighting for the consumers dollar.

Today everybody is an expert and getting press and media attention is incredibly easy as there are thousands of venues fighting each other for content and news. Be careful about where you get your information and who you base your buying/not buying or selling decisions on. The outcome can end up costing you incredibly.