Derek Overbey

• Manage |RSSConnect NY 2009
• Manage |RSSConnect SF 2008
• Manage |RSSReal Estate Bloggers
• Manage |RSSReal Estate Marketing 2.0
• Manage |RSSReal Estate Trends
• Manage |RSSTechnology, Tools and Tidbits

I always try to think about this when it comes to blogs I comment on. People like to feel the information they are putting out there is relevant and worth the read. Sometimes it takes just a couple of minutes to read and jot down a comment but the rewards can last so much longer than the comment itself. Derek Overbey Senior Director of Marketing & Social Media – Roost.com Web - http://roost.com Blog - http://blog.roost.com Twitter - @doverbey

In this sea of information, we tend to lose sight of what is important in life and business.....relationships. You and I have known of each other for over a year through "technology" but it wasn't until we got to sit down for lunch in Scottsdale earlier this year that we really got to know each other and start to build a lasting friendship. The method of our interaction is sometimes the most important part of starting a relationship. We often forget the simple things (like pen and paper) can make a favorable impression that no technology could ever replace. Derek Overbey Senior Director of Marketing & Social Media – Roost.com Web - http://roost.com Blog - http://blog.roost.com Twitter - @doverbey

This got me thinking Marc. Is the brokerage model broken from a brand perspective because of the nature of the relationship between the brokerage and the agent? How does a brand flourish if the very agents who "work" for that brand diminish its value by making it a secondary aspect to their own brand? Hobbs Herder has made a good business out of teaching agents to promote their brand over the brokerage they hang their license at. So when they become successful, the brand that they "work" for doesn't really matter and they can set up shop pretty much anywhere. The independent contractor model has always fascinated me from a marketing perspective because you never know which brand is the primary focus...the agent or the brokerage. I think that this is a much larger part of the issue than any technology or social media implementation. Derek Overbey Senior Director of Marketing & Social Media – Roost.com Web - http://roost.com Blog - http://blog.roost.com Twitter - @doverbey