Solano Real Estate Scene: Too much information

For our fellow Americans under 45, David Brinkley, Tom Brokaw and Walter Cronkite have been forgotten but fortunately our younger generations are getting their news from several hundred sources on the internet. The problem with this phenomenon is that much of the news isn’t accurate and a lot of the “news stories” are loaded with theories and opinions. Remarkably, another thing I have noticed with young people is that many never watch or read the actual news. Many younger folks focus on blogs and podcasts that they find entertaining because of the huge number of conspiracy and opinion pieces posted all over the internet. I am all for technology and the modernization of our civilization, but the only way the U.S. is going to dig our way out of our big problems is by having an informed, educated and concerned population. You may want to watch a few of the Jay Leno videos, “JayWalking: Civics Test,” on YouTube where Jay walks around Los Angeles asking basic civics questions to average Americans. The answers are funny, embarrassing and occasionally disturbing. CPAs, doctors, lawyers and real estate brokers are trained professionals, and nowadays they must deal with patients and clients who have been doing their homework on their IRS, medical, legal or real estate questions via Google, Facebook and Bing. I must admit that I have done this myself on numerous occasions. I have asked medical questions to my health care professional, and my doctor or advice nurse immediately responded by asking me if I have been on Google. The same thing happens in the real estate and mortgage business because of the thousands of websites, blogs, podcasts, competitors and articles on the web. There is nothing wrong with doing some research online when it comes to real estate, but the main reason an entity publishes information on the internet is to capture your contact information and sell you something. Real estate brokers and experienced mortgage professionals spend many years and thousands of hours in license-required education, and my recommendation to all my friends, family and clients is to always call a local real estate broker or mortgage originator for your questions and needs because they live in your neighborhood. After you buy your house or take out your mortgage, they will run into you at Safeway and their long-term business success is totally dependent on your success and your referrals. I may not be a trained writer and I use way too many run-on sentences, but I did stay at the Holiday Inn Express a couple times over the years.