Northsound News Round-up

I'm a bit short on time today, but I've been saving up tidbits for the blog in my Google Reader, so I'm going to round 'em up and head 'em out!

This year's Seattle Street of Dreams home show is now in progress. This SOD differs from previous years in that the show is incorporating a focus on green building techniques. Though the homes featured are still large by any definition and of course they feature all manner of bells and whistles (this is about dreams after all!) , square footage is capped this year at just under 5,000 asf. Street of Dreams takes place in Quinn's Crossing, a community of 48 homes near Maltby.

Redfin has announced that it has received $12 Million in VC funding from Draper Fisher Jurvetson, and is now open for business in the Washington DC market. This has been covered with varying degrees of seriousness all over the blogosphere, but I'm going to chime in with my own two cents here anyway.

The real estate industry today reminds me very much of the IT industry about 8 or 10 years ago. I was involved in that industry at that time, and I recall that retailers were very concerned that their brick and mortar business model was doomed to go the way of the dodo, with the advent of companies like Amazon.com, Drugstore.com, etc. There was a huge influx into the Internet marketplace of online retailers and discounters. Some of these retailers have lasted, and others burned bright and flamed out.

Take as an example, HomeGrocer.com. The media played it up that ordering groceries online was the wave of the future, and competing grocers were concerned that it was a threat to their business model. HomeGrocer soaked up huge amounts of VC funding, but never turned a profit and eventually went out of business.

Even those pure-play dot-com retailers that outlived the dot-com bust, such as Amazon, still struggle. Meanwhile, those companies that effectively combined the best of the web with a brick-and-mortar presence eventually won out. Look at Nordstrom--fabulous website, and fabulous service whether you visit their store online or in real life. At Windermere, we often look to Nordstrom as the gold standard of service and what we should aspire to in our business.

The major real estate brokerages had it good the last few years, with lots of easy sales and plenty of cash to go around--very reminiscent of the 90s dot-com boom. The industry has NOT been quick to adapt to changes in the marketplace but by and large we have a business model that still works. It could be more consumer friendly, and we need to be more proactive about adopting technology.

Technology will revolutionize real estate and the way we do business will change. But the real estate agent will survive, even if we do our jobs somewhat differently, because we provide a service that people want and need. Maybe not EVERY person will need a real estate agent in the future, but enough of population values what we do that we are in no danger of following the dodo into extinction. Though, I would say that the easy money of the last few years has inflated our ranks, and it's likely that there will be a thinning coming. And frankly, it will be good for the industry to have that happen.

What I hope from all this is that companies like Redfin will help the industry move in a more consumer-friendly direction, and that it will force the industry to embrace change, rather than resist it. But will Redfin be the one to outlast the field? I don't think so. They just don't seem to have a business model that will take them to profitability, and they don't have the kind of universal appeal that will allow them to work with the population at large. They are and will always be a niche player. But we do NEED what they are bringing, even if we don't always like it.

Okay, moving on!

There's been ongoing talk of converting the Smith Tower office building in Downtown Seattle into condominiums. Looks like we are a step or two closer to having that happen. The developer is down to the last city approval before they can move forward with the project. Seems like that would be a pretty cool building to live in, if they can upgrade the systems to modern standards. In particular, a faster elevator would be good! And it's a great way to preserve an important piece of Seattle history.

Last item. 3Oceansrealestate blog ran a great feature this morning on how to know when it is the right time to buy a home. Regardless of what the market may or may not be doing, here are the factors buyers should be thinking about:

• You found the home you really want and you can see yourself living
  there.
• It’s affordable.
• You can get a reasonable loan.
• It will serve you and your family for years to come.
• You’re not looking for perfection.
• No home is perfect.
• You’ve given up trying to beat the market.
• You’re comfortable with your compromises, whether it’s location, size,
  price, features, or condition.
• You’re confident the home you’ve chosen is desirable enough that you will be
  able to sell it in any market.

While it makes sense for investors to try to time the market, with home-buyers, it makes less sense since you are talking about a longer holding period, and also, there are other reasons--tax relief, pride of ownership, stability, etc.-- to buy besides the investment possibilities.

Okay, that's it for today. I. Am. Outta here!