I just got a news release for the 2007 Seattle Condo Expo:
With so much information out there changing on a daily basis – how is a homebuyer expected understand the infinite complexities of our local condo market? There’s more choice than ever these days – where do I start my home search? It seems everyone’s an expert – who can I trust?
Finally, there’s one simple answer – THE GREATER SEATTLE CONDO EXPO.
You can bet Urbnlivn will be there to keep the agents, marketers and developers honest! Though at $6000/booth we will not have a booth. So it’d be great if everyone e-mailed info@seattlecondoexpo.com recommending that they have the consumer represented on their panels. Also, any suggestions for some collateral we can make and distribute to increase awareness of Urbnlivn and the consumer discussions here?
Foster also rightly points out that paying $10 to have the privilege of attending this advertising expo is a little ridiculous. Suggestion: If I were a struggling sales center I would give away tickets to visitors of my sales center so they could check out the expo. It might bring in some much needed foot traffic.
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Comments so far ↓
1 Foster // May 3, 2007 at 3:52 pm
Tickets are overpriced! They should be so lucky to have us milling about their expo.
2 Nark // May 3, 2007 at 4:51 pm
It’ll likely only be Windermere and Vulcan projects. I don’t think MCM or Williams will be there. I like the concept, having a single place to see a number of different projects at once.
3 EconE // May 3, 2007 at 6:07 pm
Not only should the tickets be free IMO but there should also be a free no host bar and lots of yummy free food.
4 The Tim // May 3, 2007 at 9:38 pm
Yeah I just heard an ad for it on my way home from work. They didn’t mention the ticket price in the ad, but I had the same thoughts as you. Paying to be advertised to? Huh? Then again, it’s not that much different from cable TV I guess…
5 EconE // May 3, 2007 at 10:21 pm
Maybe it would be a good idea for the “resellers” at the Cosmo and 2200 to get a booth. I’d say that there is enough inventory to qualify. Or would the developers not like that?
6 jo // May 4, 2007 at 10:25 am
haahahahaaahahaha, they’re charging people to get in? haaaahahahaaa…i’m dying over there
7 EconE // May 4, 2007 at 11:06 am
Matt…you know soon I’m gonna have to start my own blog.
It’ll focus directly on the developers…
oh…yeah…and rental agencies that list their “rented” rental prices at the original “asking” price rather than what it actually rented for.
it will follow the Housingpanic.com theme.
I think that consumers will find it very informative.
8 Matt // May 4, 2007 at 12:19 pm
EconE, guest authors are always welcome here!
9 EconE // May 4, 2007 at 6:47 pm
Matt…you know I’m always willing to contribute to your blog…but I need to start a bunch that have more of an “edge”.
Note…multiple blogs. I want everybody that googles Seattle and condos to find my blogs. Heck…I want anybody that googles a particular Seattle Condo to find my blogs.
I’ll admit…they will be fairly negative. Feel free to cut and past all you want from it. I should have a few up and running shortly after relocating (part time of course) to Seattle (soon…real soon).
I already have lots of ideas of what domain names I’ll use. The developers will hate them I’m sure…but they’ll be catchy nevertheless!
I even have a GREAT marketing plan. I’ll employ about 100 homeless people to walk around the downtown area with sandwich signs that advertise my blogs. That way…every one who sees them will wonder what the hell that XXXXXXXX.com site is.
Don’t worry…I’ll pay them. And there is nothing in it for myself. I’ll be doing this all for FREE!
but then again…who knows…maybe someone will offer me a job of sorts and then I won’t have the time to blog blog blog.
But until then…I’ll have plennnnnnty of free time on my hands.
You said you needed a volunteer didn’t you?
10 EconE // May 4, 2007 at 10:03 pm
ok…just reviewed the condoexpo site.
it’s pretty hypnotic no?…the way the words slide by fading in and out…it spoke to me.
it said…
consuuuuuummmmmmeeeeee.
Other than that…funny that it’s sponsored by the people that make the big $ off RE…the media through advertising dollars…and the builders (we know they sure aren’t in it for the philanthropy)..even though the sponsor list is still vacant.
I think that it is an insult to the Realtors out there that they are being charged to attend…after all…they are the ones that SELL the condos for these builders aren’t they? Or are they just being suckered into buying extras…there are plenty of owner/agent ads on CL for new condos. Not to mention…they market in a way that says…
hey…Realtors (imagine that there is one of those little r’s in a circle after Realtor)…you want the chance to buy your ticket BEFORE everybody else? I also love the “the excitement is building” quote.
Anyhow…if I were a Realtor…I’d go…even if they are being as…well…even if they do make you pay 10 bucks.
Why?
First…I’d want to know if there was an independent economist on their panel of “experts”
then…I’d ask question after question after question.
like.
Why should I sell your (mr developer) “yet to be built” condos rather than concentrate on selling the units that belong to people (your former customers) that are trying to sell their “investments”?
How much do you (mr developer) profit after selling a building?…no spin on the numbers please.
What percentage of your (mr. developer) condos were sold to Realtors and out of that number…how often was the sales pitch of “saving on commission” used in the sale?
Once again…how much did you make Mr Developer?
and while we are at it…how much did you make mr. mainstream media?
and finally…I’d ask…very loudly so that everyone could hear…
WHY DID YOU CHARGE US (as realtors) TO ATTEND SOMETHING LIKE THIS (EVEN AFTER WE MADE YOU ALL YOUR MONEY BY SELLING ALL YOUR CONDOS) MR DEVELOPER?
I’d ask lots more myself…different questions also…but that’s just me.
11 Nark // May 5, 2007 at 5:33 pm
EconE – don’t need to pay 10 bucks to know who the panel economist will be.
Crikey, looks like there’s going to be 78 exhibitors. Urban/WOS don’t even have that many properties.
12 Jim // May 20, 2007 at 11:13 pm
Why wouldn’t you expect to pay for an event that All sounds kind of foolish to me… $10.00 can’t buy you a meal at taco time folks and it certainly seems like a fair price to be informed. I am sure putting these shows on are not cheap.. and last time I checked realtors made commissions right? I didn’t realize you guys where only in this to make the builders money..
13 Justin Bowers // May 21, 2007 at 6:57 am
Hey Matt. I was able to make it to the expo long enough to grab a bag of literature and catch some comments by Matthew Gardner, but I missed a presentation I was very interested in hearing. The Seattle condo expo website has some flash designed on it’s homepage posing the question of whether or not it’s a good idea to purchase presale vs. resale. With the interesting sales record of 2200 Westlake and the Cosmopolitan I’m wondering what the “experts” had to say. Did you hear anything on that topic?
14 jo // May 21, 2007 at 12:48 pm
A fair price to be informed? Informed by who? The condo marketing company who put this entire thing together? Funny how Williams and MCM were absent. That’s not what I call being informed – having two of the major condo marketers absent from the Expo. It’s what I call being sold to, and I’m not about to pay $10 to attend an advertising expo.
I pay to attend the new car show every year. I pay because nearly every major car manufacturer is going to be there. It gives me an excellent opportunity to see all the models at once rather than driving around to 10 different dealerships.
If Ford was going to put the car show together, and it was mainly Fords at the car show…would I pay to attend? No way. I’d like to see all the other manufacturers represented as well.
This stupid condo expo would be the same. Until they either make it free, or represent nearly all the major marketers in the area (which I’d happily pay to attend), you won’t see me going. I’m just that hard headed. :)
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