Real Estate Articles
REALTOR®: San Jose Mercury’s McAllister Discusses Challenging Real Estate Market
At a REALTOR® tour meeting in Los Gatos this month, San Jose Mercury News reporter Sue McAllister talked to members of the Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® about the challenges of writing about the current real estate market. McAllister, who has been with the Mercury News since 1999, is the go-to writer for the newspaper's real estate section.
"This is the most interesting 12 to 18-month period in Silicon Valley real estate that I've ever covered," McAllister said of the divided market. "It has been really challenging to accurately cover this market."
When it comes to finding stories to print about real estate, McAllister looks for stories that are timely, affect a great number of people, and are original. Her e-mail address and phone number are listed at the end of each of her articles to encourage input from her readers.
"I get a lot of my best stories from my readers," McAllister said. "I absolutely welcome those kinds of calls from all of you."
With the number of stories about foreclosures and declining prices, McAllister has heard many complaints that her headlines are too scary or misleading. She encourages people to read the whole story before jumping to conclusions.
"I really do try to not paint the market with too wide a brush," she said. She acknowledged the real estate market in part of the county has been hit by a downturn, while other parts in Silicon Valley are doing all right.
McAllister has received a lot of criticism from general readers as well as the realtor population, and shared that it is nearly impossible to make everyone happy.
"Most journalists have really thick skin, and I'm no exception," McAllister said. "But if I'm being told that I'm messing up by both sides, I think it means I'm doing a pretty good job."
Jerry McCartan, the research manager for the Mercury News, shared his take on the current newspaper market. "We're certainly challenged, but we aren't dying," he said. "We're changing."
McCartan announced circulation of the newspaper has gone down in the last two years. In light of this change, he said the Mercury News is adjusting the measure of its audience by looking at how many people are exposed, instead of how many papers are sold. In 2002, there were 1.216 million readers of the Mercury News, and only 1.12 million readers in 2007. However, if both print and online media are included, the number of people reached in 2007 is actually 1.223 million.
According to McCartan, the number of homeowners who read the Mercury has also gone up. In 2007, the number of homeowners reading the paper was 802,700, up from 788,200 readers in 2005. He said in MercuryNews.com, they hope to create a strong allied presence, especially for the younger generation, who are more attuned to the electronic media.
McCartan said the newspaper is looking for new ways to help realtors and other business persons reach a broader clientele. "Certainly the Internet has been quite a challenge. It's hard to compete with something that's free," he said. "But we're looking for new ways to compete."
The Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® (SILVAR) is a professional trade organization representing over 4,000 REALTORS® and Affiliate members engaged in the real estate business on the Peninsula and in the South Bay. SILVAR promotes the highest ethical standards of real estate practice, serves as an advocate for homeownership and homeowners, and represents the interests of property owners in Silicon Valley.
The term "REALTOR®" is a registered collective membership mark which identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of REALTORS® and who subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics.
Variations of this article have appeared in local area newspapers.
For further information, please email or call the SILVAR office at (408) 200-0100.