4 ms·

This is the classical hn bias. Normal people would like to talk to humans. Hn users would rather get info, plans, etc from houses and eventually buy them and si

This is the classical hn bias. Normal people would like to talk to humans. Hn users would rather get info, plans, etc from houses and eventually buy them and sign the contract using a REST API with a node.js client..

madeofpalk 10y ago
Kind of defeats the analogy though.
neximo64 10y ago
Exactly lots of people want the experience of the salesman in picking a house, information on the neighbours and what its like to leave there & why the previous person is getting rid of it. The HN bias is a bit like the salesman is the inefficient part disincentivized to help you and trying to rip you off.
- hueving 10y ago
  The salesman is incentivized to screw you. They work on commission so the faster they can move houses, the better. Real estate agents are screwing both the buyer (feed you bullshit to get you to buy) and the seller (convince to back off of higher prices because the 0-15% difference in price isn't worth the weeks more effort on their commission).
  - neximo64 10y ago
    Like a restaurant though, if they were bad at their job they wouldn't attract new clients. Under a HN analogy if they screwed clients they'd have a 0 rating and lose future clients. The assumption you have is they are simply a market matcher but they're offering more than that. Their incentive is to get the highest possible sale price in the shortest amount of time and a good reputation. That high price has to also be clearable meaning it cannot be just up in the air and seemingly arbitrary (it can cost either time or reputation). Without them there is much more information asymmetry. Using an online version you basically have access to the same information you would as with them but without the human element to judge through nor their experience on offer.
    - jaypaulynice 10y ago
      This is not true. Some professions are based on screwing the current client and moving on to the next one. How many times do you get to buy a house? This is why most people use an agent to sell their house. They can lie without seeming they're lying (sorry was unaware of xyz...that's what the owner told me) The incentive for the agent is actually highest cash in down payment because they don't want to deal with the bank to get their money plus they get to keep the down payment if the buyer pulls out.
      - nxtrafalgar 10y ago
        Perhaps things are different internationally, but if word got out that agents from the estate agencies I work with were regularly screwing buyers, they'd sink quickly. > plus they get to keep the down payment if the buyer pulls out. What? Where does this happen?
    - user5994461 10y ago
      > Like a restaurant though, if they were bad at their job they wouldn't attract new clients. In many places, the law is forcing you to go through an accredited agent to make a deal.
tonyedgecombe 10y ago
Judging by the way estate agents (realtors in the US) are viewed in the UK I don't think anybody likes dealing with them. I suspect most people would rather learn JavaScript, Node and a REST API rather than have to deal with them.
- wayn3 10y ago
  a real estate agent can never be as shitty as javascript. (few things have the potential to get there)
jaypaulynice 10y ago
That's a rational buyer...what do you think the bank does? They run the numbers to see if the person qualifies, has great credit, etc...do you think they care how your day is going? Lol...
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
- tatabska 10y ago
  Of course they don't... But they are not the client... It's the client who needs honeyed words, and that an AI can't do..
- rimantas 10y ago
  Rational buyer is almost an oxymoron.
user5994461 10y ago
Talking to a human incurs 10% of fees when you're buying a house/flat. I don't know anyone who wants to pay that fee.

madeofpalk 10y ago

Kind of defeats the analogy though.

neximo64 10y ago

Exactly lots of people want the experience of the salesman in picking a house, information on the neighbours and what its like to leave there & why the previous person is getting rid of it. The HN bias is a bit like the salesman is the inefficient part disincentivized to help you and trying to rip you off.

hueving 10y ago
The salesman is incentivized to screw you. They work on commission so the faster they can move houses, the better. Real estate agents are screwing both the buyer (feed you bullshit to get you to buy) and the seller (convince to back off of higher prices because the 0-15% difference in price isn't worth the weeks more effort on their commission).
- neximo64 10y ago
  Like a restaurant though, if they were bad at their job they wouldn't attract new clients. Under a HN analogy if they screwed clients they'd have a 0 rating and lose future clients. The assumption you have is they are simply a market matcher but they're offering more than that. Their incentive is to get the highest possible sale price in the shortest amount of time and a good reputation. That high price has to also be clearable meaning it cannot be just up in the air and seemingly arbitrary (it can cost either time or reputation). Without them there is much more information asymmetry. Using an online version you basically have access to the same information you would as with them but without the human element to judge through nor their experience on offer.
  - jaypaulynice 10y ago
    This is not true. Some professions are based on screwing the current client and moving on to the next one. How many times do you get to buy a house? This is why most people use an agent to sell their house. They can lie without seeming they're lying (sorry was unaware of xyz...that's what the owner told me) The incentive for the agent is actually highest cash in down payment because they don't want to deal with the bank to get their money plus they get to keep the down payment if the buyer pulls out.
    - nxtrafalgar 10y ago
      Perhaps things are different internationally, but if word got out that agents from the estate agencies I work with were regularly screwing buyers, they'd sink quickly. > plus they get to keep the down payment if the buyer pulls out. What? Where does this happen?
  - user5994461 10y ago
    > Like a restaurant though, if they were bad at their job they wouldn't attract new clients. In many places, the law is forcing you to go through an accredited agent to make a deal.

tonyedgecombe 10y ago

Judging by the way estate agents (realtors in the US) are viewed in the UK I don't think anybody likes dealing with them. I suspect most people would rather learn JavaScript, Node and a REST API rather than have to deal with them.

wayn3 10y ago
a real estate agent can never be as shitty as javascript. (few things have the potential to get there)

jaypaulynice 10y ago

That's a rational buyer...what do you think the bank does? They run the numbers to see if the person qualifies, has great credit, etc...do you think they care how your day is going? Lol...

deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
tatabska 10y ago
Of course they don't... But they are not the client... It's the client who needs honeyed words, and that an AI can't do..
rimantas 10y ago
Rational buyer is almost an oxymoron.

user5994461 10y ago

Talking to a human incurs 10% of fees when you're buying a house/flat. I don't know anyone who wants to pay that fee.