There’s No Place Like Seat 16E
There has been much debate in the media lately about why the Internet hasn’t made buying homes more like buying an airline ticket. This is really a ridiculous notion, when you examine it, because homes are nothing like airline tickets. Here are 10 ways they differ:
10. You don’t have to live in an airplane seat for an average of 6 years.
9. Nor will you be paying for it for 30.
8. All the seats are the same (except perhaps for the dreaded middle).
7. There are no schools for your children on that flight from New York to LA.
6. You don’t have to worry about whether your furniture will fit in that aisle seat.
5. The only inspection involved when you fly takes place at airport security.
4. If your seatmates are encroaching on your space, you only have to put up with them for a few hours.
3. You don’t have to get a lender’s approval – complete with three years of W-2s, a list of assets, and a credit history report – to take that trip to Maui (although with today’s gas prices…).
2. Once you buy your ticket, it’s unlikely the airline will decide the deal’s off.
1. Most people don’t get emotionally attached to their seat.
The Internet has created more informed consumers, but it still can’t cure an illness, protect you in a lawsuit, or help ensure that the biggest investment you’ll ever make is a good one.
Comments
The seat you buy is only a temporary arrangement, whereas a house is as permanent as you chose it to be.
Posted by: Linda Eden | July 10, 2006 04:59 PM
This is a terrible comparison. You will soon be able to handle everything in your life on the Internet, the same way you handle your retirement, buy/sell stocks, manage your entire accounts (including mortgage, cars, bank account, etc.) and everything else. Will Realtors ever go away??? No. There will always be someone who doesn't have time to show their home or market it themself. There will also be Realtors out there selling their services, however, the Internet has already affected Realtors' salaries.
Posted by: Steven Johnson | July 12, 2006 11:09 PM