“Idiot Phoenix Realtor” — John Wake Battles the Bubbleheads

by Jay Thompson on November 24, 2006 · Comments

in Real Estate

Whilst searching for Phoenix real estate news, I came across this little gem on Google Blog Search:

“Idiot Phoenix Realtor says housing was not a bubble because it’ll only drop 10%” It’s from the Chicken Little mindset “Housing Panic” blog.

Given the title, I figured there was a reasonable chance this bubblehead blog was either referring to me, or someone I knew.

And sure enough, they were attempting to mount a frontal assault on John Wake, author of the excellent Arizona Real Estate Notebook. A recent post of John’s had gotten these folks all fired up.

Now I’ve never met John personally, but we read each other’s blogs, share thoughts, and we even “guest blogged” together on a local radio show. So I do sort of know John. Certainly well enough to know he’s not an “idiot” and a “dolt” as Housing Panic so maturely proclaimed. I suspect I know John better than “Keith”, the guy that runs Housing Panic, does.

Incidentally, why is it that so many Bubble Blog owners and commenters refuse to use their full names? I find it interesting that the *vast* majority of comments on Housing Panic are by “anonymous”. Is it because these people are afraid to own up to their own opinions? Hmmmm…. but I digress.

I was all set to fire off a comment in defense of John and all my fellow idiot/dolt/lazy/stupid Phoenix Realtors out there. But as I suspected, John doesn’t need my help. His response was outstanding — tactful, classy and backed up with data. And of course devoid of the silly personal attacks/name calling that “Keith” and his readers resort to.

Well done John…

[tags]real estate bubble, bubble heads, housing panic, immature blog owners and commenters[/tags]


 

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  • Jay - That exchange is the reason I've posted my last 'bubblehead' post for awhile. They're angry, jealous people who are still upset nobody believes Big Foot really DID show up at their BBQ in 1986.

    At this point I've consigned them to unintentional comic relief.

    John Wake did an exceptional job of explaining his position while laughing his coffee out his nose. :-)
    You just can't make this stuff up.
  • Was it John's turn this week?

    I took them on a week or so ago ... great for blog traffic, lousy for my stomach lining.
  • "Incidentally, why is it that so many Bubble Blog owners and commenters refuse to use their full names? I find it interesting that the *vast* majority of comments on Housing Panic are by “anonymous”. "

    I made this same observation after visiting some of my local bubble blogs! 99% are anonymous commenters. Strange indeed.

    Seems like the less a person thinks he can be identified, the less he deems it necessary to base arguments on logic and fact (this isn't necessarily a criticism of bubble bloggers/commenters - just a general observation).
  • I shouldn't have used the phrase "logic and fact." (Don't want to get any bubble bloggers pissed at me ;) What I meant was, anonymous bloggers/commenters can much more freely argue on an emotional level, rather than a rational one - and emotions can often get ugly...
  • Tyler - I think you were more correct the first time, though the second comment is also clearly valid. And if that get the bubblehead's pissed at me, oh well. I'm just an evil, stupid, lazy, idiot Realtor, so they've already passed judgment on me anyway. They are free to think whatever floats their boat.

    Now that said, not ALL of the bubble lovers are like that. I've had very civil (and intelligent) exchanges with a couple on this very blog. And I respect them a lot. I don't believe they are right, but I respect them.

    On the other hand, someone that makes immature and asinine personal attacks on someone they don't know from Adam deserves and gets zero respect. "Keith" and SOME of his commenters remind me of when my kids were in roughly the third and fifth grades. I swear, sometimes I think the next thing we'll hear out of the mouth's of Keith and "anonymous" will be something along the lines of, "Nanny nanny boo boo. You're a bunch of poo-poo heads!"
  • Class always wins. No better to lose your credibility than to lose your cool. Glad to see John kept his. Look at it this way- seems those bubble heads were trying to drive traffic by riding on the back of another popular blogger. Very sad when there are so many other more respectable methods out there.
  • Hi Jay et al,
    Some of the bubble bloggers launched one of their typical attacks on me after my blog was featured in an article on Inman awhile back. It wasn't the blog you mentioned, it was some other similar bubblehead blog. I was too busy making money in real estate :) to bother with them and I never blogged about them on BlogArizona because I didn't want to give them the attention they are apparently starved for. I was especially surprised by the amount of hatred these people have for anyone associated with real estate. They even hate average homeowners and can't wait to see the housing market crash so everyone who owns real estate suffers. Why would anyone wish bad things on an huge segment of our economy like the housing market? Many of these bubble bloggers think a keyboard and an internet connection make them experts on housing markets in states they don't live in. Normal, rational human beings don't wish hateful things on other people they've never met, or even interacted with, just because those other people own real estate or work in the real estate industry.
  • By the way, I hope everyone out there in the blogosphere (even the bubble bloggers!) had a safe, happy Thanksgiving weekend :)
  • I post on HP from time to time... Use my full name and even appear with the photo from my own blog. I don't get involved with namecalling (save for Keith since it is his blog and if he is going to treat his guest a certain way then it is fair to treat him the same way).

    I do my best to offer well reasoned responses and often I get lambasted as a liar or a shill for NAR's chief economist (whom I've met on occasion), or am told about some sale at a grocery store for Top Ramen noodles (I still like ramen noodels as I lived on them while in my younger years... spent the real money on beer).

    It is easy to hold your own on sites like that when all you get in return are attacks against you personally. I tell the readers of that HP site that there is no need for any of 'them' to ever hire a Realtor... they are simply too smart for that. And while 'Keith' may have a few thousand readers, there are millions of others around the country that continue to choose to hire representation to help them in a property transaction.

    I'm still waiting for the day when I have to even cold call for clients. When the day comes that I have to hold up a client at gunpoint to authorize an agreement for sale... then HP and the others will have made a point. But it is not going to happen in my lifetime.
  • John Wake is a fantastic agent and he help me with my real estate problems for over a year with me getting a 200% return!!!!!!! So what are your problems ....do you know what you're doing????????
    Debra
  • Debra - are you talking to me, a commenter here, or to the dolts on the Housing Panic blog?

    Sorry, I'm just a bit confused. No one here even remotely suggested John wasn't a great agent.
  • Russ
    I wonder why John Wake removed the archived page showing his November 2006 "buy signal."
  • lawrenceyun
    Phoenix real estate prices down 50% and still falling

    Who's the idiot again?
  • Actually, in many segments of the Phoenix real estate market, prices are rising again.

    But why bring facts into the argument. Name calling is always more effective and mature.
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