Manhattan Loft Guy

Jan. 16, 2007 - please don’t bite the blogger

Angry Agent attacks author with animation and ardor, but no ammunition

I picked up the phone one day last year to catch an earful from an Angry Agent. After the (anonymous, here) AA identified him or herself, I barely got in a “how are you?” when I got blasted, starting with a heated “where do you get off talking about my listing?”

I have no idea how the AA knew I had blogged about his/her listing, but the AA did not seem to be in a mood to chat. (I had used a loft listing of the AA to make an observation about pricing and the Manhattan loft market, using information from the inter-firm data base and the AA’s own web site.) Instead of answering me when I asked if I had gotten any factual information wrong, the AA sneered at an informal adjective I used in describing some aspect of the listing, called me “unprofessional” and a few other things, said s/he would call my manager to complain, and –despite my efforts to maintain an even tone and continue the conversation – hung up on me.

I immediately walked around to my manager’s office and discovered she was not there. By the time I completed a brief email to her about the call she was about to get, my manager had already spoken to the AA. (Suffice it to say – as between me and my manager – I am still blogging.)

As far as I can tell, the AA was angry because I talked about the listing in public. In re-reading my commentary, I don’t see anything I said that is critical of the AA, the owner, or the loft. (I would quote from my blog post, but I don’t need to make the AA any more “A” with me than s/he already is.)

to the Principal’s office

I was a bit taken aback by the hurried call, as it was like being called in to the Principal’s office to get yelled at without being given a chance to explain, and having your parents already knowing everything (from the Principal’s side) before you got home. Puzzling and unfair, but not so bad (once the onslaught wore off). It is not like I missed dessert or anything….

I sent the AA an email that afternoon, saying – among other obsequious things – “I certainly intended no disrespect to you or your seller in my blog commentary and – so far as I can tell from our listing information – I provided no information that was incorrect. The one thing you quarreled about (my reference to “[adjective deleted]”) is a fair characterization on my part – I believe – considering … [explanation of adjective omitted here]”. I invited the AA to call or email me back to discuss, but the AA has declined to do so.

I conclude that some people don’t get “blogging”. I conclude that the AA is not among my target audience. I worry that the next time I have a buyer interested in a listing from this AA, I will have trouble getting an appointment (how unprofessional would that be?).

what might the Anons of Curbed do to the the AA?

I conclude that the AA will go ballistic if ever one of the AA’s listings is discussed on Curbed.com, but that is not my problem.

Mostly I conclude that I need a thicker skin.

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Jan. 22, 2007 - re: please don’t bite the blogger

Posted by Anonymous

In discussing another agent's listing on your blog, you are in effect advertising that listing under your name. Assuming the AA has an exclsuisve listing on the subject property that is un-ethical behavior on your part. You are lucky all AA did was make an angry phone call or two. I would probably have seen what ethics violations could be filed agianst you with REBNY and/or the Departemtn of State.

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Jan. 22, 2007 - re: please don’t bite the blogger

Posted by Sandy Mattingly

THX for stopping by Anonymous, but I don’t see any way in which I was “in effect advertising that listing under my name” when I identified the exclusive brokerage firm and provided the URL to that firm’s website.

I *have* checked the REBNY Code of Ethics. First, I don’t believe that my commentary on any of the loft listings I have commented on constitutes “advertising” under the REBNY Code (“to publish … in an effort to induce one or more third parties to participate in such transaction”). Second, even if my commentary is “advertising”, I don’t see that I have committed any of the prohibited activities. Third, even if one could arguably stretch some part of the Code or NYS license law (can you tell me which ones you think apply?), I don’t think REBNY or the Secretary of State is interested in preventing commentary such as the type in my blog (where attribution is always given to the listing firm).

If you disagree, please tell me where and why.

I had a REBNY member a couple of years ago who lifted the photos and description of one of my loft listings from my firm’s website, and put them on his own website as if they were his listing. Yeah, *that* was a violation of REBNY’s Code of Ethics.

Happy to ‘talk’ more about this publicly on this blog or privately via email, so feel free to continue the dialogue. Again, THX for stopping by.

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Jan. 16, 2007 - please don’t bite the blogger

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