Inman

Colorful Realtors, fraud and blogs

In recognition of the Thanksgiving holiday, the news team at Inman News has a list of things to which we owe thanks.

Here’s what we are grateful for:

1. Our story sources who go out on a limb and trust us with confidential and controversial information in the interest of getting the word out to colleagues. We respect your courage and insight and will protect you to the grave.

2. Real estate is ripe with scandal, antitrust, kickbacks, fraud and other conflicts so we have plenty of news articles each day. Read the Inman News special report on real estate fraud.

3. Google. The geeky search engine is a reporter’s dream come true, providing a sea of story leads, sources and statistics.

4. Real estate innovators who constantly raise the bar to provide efficiencies in an industry that’s long been resistant to change. You know who you are, working toward a paperless real estate transaction, creating new ways to display and transfer listings data, and providing new marketing concepts for real estate agents.

5. That NAR is bringing the Realtor show back to San Francisco next year–our backyard. We hope next year is as packed with new ideas and innovation as past years. This feeds our hunger for great stories all year long.

6. Opinionated readers who yell at us through e-mail messages each night. We’re grateful to hear all points of view.

7. Economists, academics, psychics, real estate newcomers and old hats who offer glimpses into the future of the housing market, as scary or rosy as it may be.

8. The indomitable drive, colorful character and unstoppable talkativeness of real estate professionals everywhere. They are what makes real estate real. They keep the industry moving and shaking, and they circulate news faster than the presses can roll.

9. Cendant, the mega-consolidator that can alter the industry’s course with a single brush-stroke. It is always interesting to watch this company in action especially because everyone is watching.

10. Our publisher Bradley Inman now has the Inman News Blog, so he doesn’t bother us as much anymore.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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What’s your opinion? Send your Letter to the Editor to opinion@inman.com.