Roll Call: The 300 Edition

We Spartans have descended from Hercules himself. Taught never to retreat, never to surrender. Taught that death in the battlefield is the greatest glory he could achieve in his life. Spartans: the finest soldiers the world has ever known.

Spartan King Leonidas


The reason why I bring up this quote is due to an incident that occurred in San Diego. According to Inman news Trulia and Zillow showed up at the Prudential Real Estate show when they were told to pack up their s**t and leave.

This all occurred just before the doors were about to open. According to Inman they determined the following reasons why this occurred.

Both companies booked exhibit booths and flew execs to the show only to be told to pack up and leave before the doors opened. Trulia COO Sami Inkinen said his company was told they weren't welcome by none other than eRealty founder Russ Capper, because Trulia competes with the exclusive agreement Prudential has with Yahoo! Real Estate (Capper and Yahoo! wouldn't comment).
That agreement puts Prudential brokers' listings on Yahoo! Real Estate, then makes their agents pay referral fees when they close a deal using a lead generated through the arrangement. Trulia and Zillow let (beg?) brokers to send them listings and they don't charge them fees (unless they want to buy ads).
Ironically, Capper -- who ended up as president of Prudential's e-commerce subsidiary, Prudential Real Estate Services Co., after Prudential bought eRealty for its technology -- seems to have made the transition from the outsider shaking up the establishment to defender of the status quo.


Being badass motherf**kers as they are, Trulia brushed it off as the cost of doing business.

This is really unprofessional and childish on part of Prudential and eRealty and someone should be held accountable for their actions. Not only only should Trulia nd Zillow have their registration fees returned but they should also be reimbursed for traveling costs and issued an apology.

Hey. It’s your f**king party, you can do whatever you want but you should have refused them entry the moment you received their checks and not waste their time. I would like to think this was an oversight on part of the organizers of the event but I would not be surprised that this was done on purpose as a way of flexing their muscle.

If Prudential and eRealty think by taking the Xerxes approach that their competitors will get on their knees, they are sadly mistaken.

Zillow and Trulia are the 300 and just because you have an army of Persians on your side means absolutely nothing. They have already proven to be quite a formidable force in a very short time. Acting in this manner is not going to stop them. It will just motivate them to give you a one way ticket to the smackdown hotel.

Here’s the thing. The online real estate business model is one that has no barrier of entry and if you think you have dominion over this model then you are setting yourself up for a Battle of Plataea.

There are a multitude of real estate sites out there and there will be more to come. Some will fall and some will blow their competitors out of the water but you can be damn well sure Prudential and eRealty is going to have to do more than just play bouncer if they want to be considered a serious player in the field.

I think Obi Wan Kenobi says it best.

Darth Vader: Your powers are weak, old man.
Obi-Wan: You can't win, Darth. If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine.

Of course I think this direct quote from Bad Boys sums it up what the consequences will be if this douchebaggery continues.

Marcus Burnett: He steals our s**t, kidnaps Julie, shoots at my wife. Oh, we beatin' him down. We beatin' him DOWN!




Here’s the rundown from Gothamist about an incident that occurred last week.

A 17-year-old Catholic school student tells the Post she was beaten on the B82 bus for looking "Chinese." Marie Stefanie Martinez, who is from the Philippines, says that when she boarded a bus last Friday, a group of black teenagers laughed at her and refused to let her pass - and then they pulled her hair, opened her book bag, and punched her in the mouth.

To add insult to injury when she asked the bus driver for help, his response was “go talk to a priest.”

I would like to present a series of points to the parties involved.

Mayor Bloomberg
Get this sh*t under control now. If you want these areas to gentrify properly and bring more tax revenue to the city then insuring the safety and well being of any rider, regardless of race, creed or color is imperative. If it means putting cops on buses for a period of time, fine. Just make it clear this type of bulls**t will not be tolerated.

MTA
That bus driver needs to be made an example of. I realize he has a hard job but I have no doubt there is a set of directives that he needs to follow in these situations. And I am sure religious advice is not one of them. Also I recommend that the MTA does not ignore or spin this situation. Take care of this girl and her family. If you don’t, well I have three words for you. Montgomery Bus Boycott.

The attackers
I am not here to lecture you because if are unable to figure out that what did was wrong at this point in your life, well it would be a waste of my time. I would like this opportunity to give you a quick history lesson about the Filipino people. Besides Imelda Marcos and nursing, the Filipino people are also well known for being excellent knife fighters. When I mean excellent, I mean being vicious as f**k. One particular Filipino art is called Eskrima and the female practitioners have a reputation of being better than the men.




I bring this up because the next time you spot a Filipino women on a bus (or “Chinese looking” since you idiots are too f**king stupid to tell the difference.) I would advise you to let her pass and leave her alone. Because if you mess with the wrong woman, you could end up with an impromptu face lift.

Please do not mistake my words as concern for your safety. You are just flotsam in the sewer of life and you are just going to waste taxpayer dollars if you require medical attention.

Marie Stefanie Martinez
I implore you to forgive these people. I realize this is something very difficult to ask of you considering the trauma you faced but as a friend of mine pointed out, forgiveness is actually a selfish act since you are not helping your transgressors but yourself. Any hostility or fear you harbor against these people will only prevent you from moving on and in the end these people will have just compounded your pain. I also ask that you do not hold their ethnic origins responsible for their actions. They obviously do not represent the best of their race.

However, I encourage you to utilize the legal system to its fullest and pursue justice. This type of element is best suited in Riker's Island.

For young girls to act in this manner simply displays their own insecurities and helplessness. It is a shame that at such an early age that they are imprisoned in their own hell and mistake violence as their refuge. What they do not realize is the path of violence will only lead to their own undoing.

They will always be alone, for who would want to associate with such venomous people? This cycle of pain they inflict on others will end very, very painfully for them once they tangle with someone who is bigger, stronger and is unaware of the concept of compassion.

Marie, love your family and love yourself, be a good person and study hard. You have a bright future ahead of you but only if you let yourself have it.

Below are some announcements.

MMEDIA ALERT

EVENT: NEW HOUSING NEW YORK -- VIP Exhibition Opening

DATE: Thursday, March 22, 2007: 5:30-6:30 pm

PLACE: Center for Architecture, 563 LaGuardia Place, New York, NY

SPEAKERS: Shaun Donovan, Commissioner, NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development

David Burney, Commissioner, NYC Department of Design and Construction

Joan Blumenfeld, President, AIA New York Chapter

A VIP reception will mark the opening of an exhibition highlighting the first juried competition for sustainable and affordable housing in New York City. Known as the New Housing New York (NHNY) Legacy Project, the competition emerged from a collaboration between the NHNY Steering Committee, the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), the AIA New York Chapter, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), Enterprise Community Partners, and the Center for Architecture Foundation. The initiative is part of Mayor Bloomberg’s New Housing Marketplace Plan, a 10-year $7.5 billion plan to build or preserve 165,000 affordable housing units citywide.

A design jury -- consisting of prestigious architects, housing experts, and community officials -- chose five finalists who received NYSERDA stipends to be used towards the creation of full development proposals. The exhibition will feature presentations by these five finalists, including the Phipps Rose Dattner Grimshaw winning team.
The winning proposal, titled “Green Way” or “Via Verde,” will be built on a 60,000 square foot city-owned brownfield in the South Bronx. The project will consist of 202 residential units as well as retail and community spaces, and parking. Residential space will range from high-rise apartment buildings to mid-rise duplexes and townhouses. Approximately half of the units are designated for low-income households, while the remainder will be available to moderate-and middle-income households.

CENTURY 21 NY METRO ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH PREMEIR REALTY ADVISORS TO OFFER EXCLUSIVE SALES OF THREE TAMPA CONDOMINIUM CONVERSION PROJECTS TO THE NYC COMMUNITY

Official Sales Event: Florida Real Estate Expo Held at Sheraton LaGuardia East Hotel,
135-20 39th Avenue, Flushing , NY
March 23, 2007 12pm-6pm [Broker event only]
March 24, 2007 10am-5pm [Consumers]
March 25, 2007 10am-5pm [Consumers]

( New York , New York , March 14, 2007) Century 21 NY Metro, (C21NYM), a full-service residential rentals and sales brokerage announced today they have partnered with Tampa ’s Premier Realty Advisors, (PRA), the sales and marketing team for Pointe Development properties, to provide exclusive sales of three Tampa condominium developments to the NYC community. Pointe Developers offers affordable and attainable housing for the Tampa , Fl market. C21NYM, in coordination with PRA will bring this offer to NYC first-time home buyers, second home buyers and investors.

“This was a great opportunity for us to expand our customer base in the New York area through a unique partnership arrangement,” said Mike Simon, president, C212NYM. “PRA has a product that appeals to a customer prominent to New York that Century 21 can effectively reach though its marketing and referral channels.”

“Pointe Developers has given us the opportunity to market and sell affordable housing in Tampa , FL. After great success in the Tampa area, we are extremely excited to offer this same housing to New York and New Jersey residents,” says Jane Kinen, president, PRA.

The official sales to the NY community will begin on March 24th at the FL Real Estate Expo to be held in Flushing at the Sheraton LaGuardia East Hotel. The Event will run for three days, with the first day being exclusively for the brokerage community.

C21NYM will be selling homes in three development complexes, all of which are priced $100K-180K and are in Tampa, FL. Bay Pointe Colony is conveniently located in New Tampa, just minutes from the University of South Florida , providing the perfect home for students and families alike. With easy access to I-275 and I-75, residents will enjoy a short commute to Tampa International Airport , Downtown Tampa and area beaches. One and two-bedroom apartments range from 624-812 sq ft.

Amenities include: two pools with barbeque area and gazebos, lush landscaping and a lake, a new 2,000 sq. ft. clubhouse with plasma T.V. and party area, a controlled-access community, a new state-of-the-art fitness center. IPod-smart homes, new cabinetry, fixtures and hardware, new plush carpet and ceramic tile throughout , new appliance package, washer/dryer connections, private yards per plan and new A/C unit and water heater in every home.

Palmera Pointe is a 20-acre community, also in Tampa , offering eight different floor plans ranging in size from one-three bedrooms. Amenities include: three pools, fully equipped business center, high-speed internet, state-of-the-art fitness center, clubhouse with bar/kitchen/billiards, trellis-picnic areas and manicured gardens with connecting courtyards.

Stone Creek Pointe is also in Tampa and offers four floor plans ranging in size from one-two bedrooms, from 718-1060 sq. ft. Amenities include: Resort-style pool with cabanas, sundeck and gas grill poolside, state-of-the-art fitness center, meditation garden clubhouse with plasma TV, kitchen and party area, tennis court, enclosed balcony or screened patio, washer/dryer connections, and is pre-wired for high-speed Internet and cable.



· To find out more about any of these properties contact C21NYM or visit: http://www.795condos.com.