PowerBlog Review: Inside Real Estate Journal

Editor's note: This is the thirteenth in our popular weekly series of PowerBlog Reviews of other weblogs...





Inside Real Estate Journal is published by John Mudd.



John is a realtor located in beautiful Tampa Bay, Florida, USA. He also goes by the name "Mr. Real Estate."



As his blog's name suggests, he publishes a real estate blog.



OK, so you never heard of a real estate blog? Well, there are several other real estate blogs around. Most of ones I've seen are written by realtors. You can find links to other real estate blogs on Inside Real Estate Journal.



I first learned about Mr. Real Estate on the group blog, Blogcritics. I periodically post articles there. Eventually I ran into Mr. Real Estate, who also posts on Blogcritics. And I came to appreciate his insights into the real estate market. From there I found his own weblog, Inside Real Estate Journal.



On Inside Real Estate Journal you get news and insights about the nationwide real estate market, mortgages, interest rates, homeownership rates, housing prices -- you name it. If it is important to the real estate market, you can find something about it on Inside Real Estate Journal.



Mr. Real Estate even discusses useful niche subjects. In one post, he discusses the concept of buying real estate with no money down. He even shows a client property that he sold with 100% financing, pointing out that a skilled realtor can help a buyer negotiate such financing.



He also knows the nuances of his subject matter as only an expert in his field would know. In one post he describes the market for luxury beach condominiums. And he distinguishes them from luxury houses, for which a very different market exists.



I like Inside Real Estate Journal because it provides bite-sized chunks of real estate market information. I can digest it quickly and easily.



And since most realtors are the quintessential small business people, I get a sense of how they think and what drives them. Being close to their markets, they have a good handle on trends. They have a good pulse on what's happening in the real estate market from ground level. I can get a clearer, more immediate picture of what's happening in real estate by reading material from those working in the industry each and every day.



Inside Real Estate Journal has been live on the Web since March 2003.





The Power: The Power of the Inside Real Estate Journal weblog is in the subject matter coverage it provides, i.e., all matters related to the real estate market. And what better way to gain on-the-ground insight into the real estate market than by reading a weblog written by a real estate professional?