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Friday, September 19, 2014

How to spot a trend...


This morning Alibaba stock went on sale at the New York Stock Exchange.  This is a Chinese stock that did not go on sale in China's Hang Seng's Exchange because of rules and regulations in China. The stock,like Amazon and E-Bay, facilitates trading and selling of goods.
It's basically a data base.It started trading at $25 above anticipated starting numbers.

And that makes the future of Alibaba rosy for sure. This trend of inventing "intermediaries" products has been going on for a while. You'd think we were already super-saturated.

The way we are super-saturated with Real Estate companies.

But here is the rub; there will be great many more services like this until someone will dominate and send everyone else to the dust bin.  How many nation-wide Real Estate Corporations can you name?

How many of you will walk into a mom-and-pop real estate office to buy a house or an office building? The array of services offered by a big-chain real estate conglomerate will handle so many more elaborate transactions, and they have their long-standing satisfied customers to vouch for them.

Yet, it is the mom-and-pop business that really knows what's available in the area even before it goes on sale.  The owners live in the neighborhood; their children attend the local schools; they drink the water; they know the local trades people; they understand local codes and how long it will take for that special easement to be enacted between you and the neighbor that stands between you and the highway you need to carve a path toward, so your family can have precious privacy, views, and even access to  that precious lot you plan.

Unless your transaction is across states, involving lots of rights and easements and codicils that only an expert lawyer with environmental and geological backgrounds can unravel, possessing a nose for what the local planning commission will or will not approve, you can trust the mom-and-pop business expertise.

As you can trust the ad in the local paper that will allow you to drive right up to see that " armoir" you didn't know you wanted until you saw it up for sale.

16 comments:

Marty said...

Hear, hear! We need to support the local businesses more often, and the mom & pop enterprise has more to lose and therefore is more invested in the customer's happiness.

Hilary said...

I couldn't agree more, Rosaria. Both the purchase of this place and the selling of my previous homes were handled by small, local real estate businesses. The agent for my previous place was past neighbour who loved the people on our street as friends. In fact, despite moving on for several of us, a large group of us remain friends - including the agent. It was also a local from a small office who sold us this home and he treated us like family. There is no other way to go, in my book.

Kerry said...

Two thumbs up for local businesses.

Ali Baba seems like such a terrible investment. Have we learned nothing?

Vagabonde said...

I totally agree with you. I always try to buy a local stores and eat at non-chain restaurants. Actually right now we are buying a house in Nashville with a local real estate agent. It is so sad to go through little towns and see so many empty store fronts.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Rosaria .. all creative dreams are being swept under the carpet by the tough business of being in business. And I totally agree support the local shops, outlets and encourage our local enterprises ...

Alibaba is an interesting thrust from what was a small China start up into our western global market ...

I know Alibaba is huge now ...

Cheers Hilary

the walking man said...

I simply had to look at the Alibaba web site---my only thought was huh, what do they sell? It was all contact supplier.

I will always shoot for the local folks first. The best part about living in Detroit is there are no big box stores here, some are close by but the locals are still thriving.

Unknown said...

My daughter-in-law owns a small real estate brokerage--with 7 agents working for her. glad to see the support for local realters!

Patricia said...

While we may have "expediency" in this new world it is at the price of the personal interaction that gives so much flavor to our lives. Why is it when we travel, we only want to eat at mom and pop type cafes and not miss a local "weekly market" or sit for hours sipping un caffe while watching the world go by. Even here in my little San Pedro...we look for "local shops!"

ellen abbott said...

I always prefer to shop at mom and pop establishments. support the local businesses.

kj said...

i make it a habit to support my local stores and services. i figure the closer the direct hit, the better for everyone, even the planet.

i don't get alibaba at all. but i remember those first amazon ads and i didn't get them either--a warehouse bigger than a country :^)

i seem to be shrinking parts of my life, willingly and with good results. as for real estate, isn't it still local even if some big re company now affixes their name to the local businesses?

love
kj

Maggie May said...

Yes..... local businesses are the way to go no matter what country we're in.
Maggie x

Nuts in May

ds said...

Yes. "Think globally, act locally" begins at home. With me. Supporting small businesses & services & getting much better service than from the box stores.

Amanda Summer said...

my local hardware store is gone, my local pharmacy. all taken over by conglomerates. i miss that sense of personal care, where the owner knew your name when you came in, and would love to see a movement to bring back the small business. i try to frequent them in my area whenever i can.

yaya said...

Most of the real estate offices here were started by Mom and Pop but have been bought out by the biggies in the business...thankfully the agents are all locals and we get good service from these places. Our downtown is trying it's best to get businesses back. People need to support the locals...but prices determine what they will do and being on fixed incomes makes that hard.

Heidrun Khokhar, KleinsteMotte said...

Our world is evolving faster. And not all home grown id good. I'm sad about all the pestsides nownbeing pushed in our faces:(

troutbirder said...

We try to support our little town by buying locally. But the big box stores etc. thirty miles away and the fact that five hundred locals work at Mayo Clinic there (make it tough to compete)....