real estate blogosphere just got smaller

that did not take long
Back only on May 14, I posted sad news about a giant in a small world, www is big / RE blogosphere is small. That giant, Joe Ferrara, would be a giant in most worlds, and I am sad to say that he lost his battle with a brain tumor. Sad, sad, sad.

I doubt that many Manhattan Loft Guy readers were aware of Joe, but he was A Good Guy. Funny, passionate, dedicated, ambitious, resourceful, idealistic … I could go on and on.

I don’t read Inman News much anymore, but I tracked down this piece last night, after seeing some comments elsewhere that hinted at the sad fact of Joe’s death. I assume the link will break, so I am going to cheat, by posting this entire thing that will probably be behind their paywall soon (they can sue me):

Ferrara, known to his friends as "Joe," passed away last night in a Pennsylvania hospice with his wife, Sandra, at his side. He had been diagnosed with brain cancer in mid-March and had been fighting the disease through chemotherapy and radiation treatments, according to Scott Forcino, Ferrara’s friend and business partner at Real Estate Advocates Inc., a lawyer-based brokerage company they founded last year.

Ferrara was also the publisher of the Sellsius real estate marketing and technology blog, an Inman News technology columnist, a real estate broker and attorney, and founder of TheClozing.com, which aggregates real estate news from mainstream media and social media.

Ferrara and his wife both grew up in Staten Island, N.Y. He graduated from Monsignor Farrell High School in Staten Island in 1973 and earned a degree in accounting and financial management at Pace University in 1978.

See related article: Thank you, Joe Ferrara

Shortly thereafter, he received a law degree at the University of Houston. He worked as a real estate and intellectual law attorney and was a partner at Posner & Ferrara for more than 22 years, until December 2005. He launched Sellsius in January 2006.

Ferrara is survived by his wife of 30 years, Sandra, and his son, Joseph Ferrara Jr. A wake will be held for him on Friday, Aug. 6, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Fitzgerald Sommer Funeral Home: 17 South Delaware Ave., Yardley, Pa. 10967. The burial ceremony will take place at 10 a.m. Saturday at St. Ann Catholic Church in Bristol, Pa.

Jay Thompson, a Phoenix real estate blogger and a friend of Ferrara’s, began a fundraising campaign for Ferrara’s medical expenses a couple of months ago.

"Joe Ferrara was one of the most gifted men I’ve ever known. Not just intellectually, but morally as well. He was truly a world-class human being with a heart second to none. The world is an emptier place without him — but a better place because of him. I miss him already," Thompson said.

The fundraising campaign collected $6,875; donations are still being accepted at joe-ferrara.com. In a statement relayed by Forcino, Mrs. Ferrara thanked well-wishers and donors to the fund.

"Thanks for all the outpouring of concern and feelings. The money raised and contributed by the members of the real estate world actually paid for Joe’s nursing. It went for nothing else and it was basically in the appropriate amount that he needed."

Some friends of Ferrara remembered him on a blogtalkradio session this morning. Many brought up his pioneering 2007 Blog Tour USA, when Ferrara and his then-business partner Rudy Bachraty drove across the country meeting with real estate bloggers. Ferrara was instrumental in bringing bloggers together in person for the first time, speakers said.

"When Joe and Rudy took that coast-to-coast tour in 2007 they helped us all get to know each other. Joe was a natural leader," fellow Inman News columnist Teresa Boardman told Inman News.

"I knew Joe well. He was smart and had a wicked sense of humor. He had a passion for truth, transparency and justice, and always helped the underdog. He was always there for advice, and I loved arguing with him, too," she added.

While a formidable opponent in a debate, he was kind-hearted and loved people, his friends and colleagues told blogtalk listeners.

"He always made people feel like they were the most important person in the world no matter who they are," Boardman said.

Kris Berg, also a fellow Inman News columnist, met Ferrara online first through their respective blogs, around 2006.

"Joe was one of the finest people I have ever been privileged to know and call a friend. He was unconditionally supportive and quick to give positive feedback and encouragement, yet just as quick to call me to the carpet when he felt my tone or message was straying. To all of us in the online real estate community, he was giving of his time, of his intellect and of himself," Berg said.

"A breath of fresh air in our uber-competitive industry, he did not have an arrogant or self-righteous bone in his body but only wanted to inspire us all to be better and do better. And he did. His honesty, wit, passion and compassion will be missed."

Amy Chorew, a real estate technology strategy trainer, met Ferrara at a Real Estate Connect conference in New York three years ago and, as many people who met him said, had an instant connection.

"We have sat on panels together, and best of all, Joe and I had discussions offline on issues that I was addressing in my classes about the ethical and moral content of being ‘in the space.’ A lawyer who gave me free advice. A beautiful soul. I am crying today," Chorew said.

Dozens of industry colleagues also remembered him on Twitter and Facebook, sharing memories and photos.

"Joe, my law partner, was like a brother to me. This tiny planet of ours will be a much poorer place without his incredible sense of humor, endless kindness, and eclectic creativity. Taken by cancer much too young," wrote Gerald Posner on the Friends of Joe Ferrara Facebook page.

"Never would have thought I could feel so much for someone I never met. Condolences to his family and friends," said Daniel Hunter, a Florida Realtor.

"(Rest in peace) Joe – thank you for all you have done for us," said Tom Ferry, a real estate coach.

"I will remember Joe Ferrara with love and gratitude for his legacy to the real estate industry. Heartfelt condolences to his family," tweeted Realtor and blogger Frances Flynn Thorsen.

"Joe will be sorely missed. Long live the king!" said Laurie Manny, a California Realtor.

Inman News invites you to contribute your thoughts and memories in the comments section below or send us an e-mail. We will compile the comments to share in a later article.

same problem, different text

Here is what Glenn Roberts had to say in the related article on Inman:

The real estate industry will miss you, Joe Ferrara.

When the creators of Sellsius — Joseph "Joe" G. Ferrara and Rudolph "Rudy" D. Bachraty III — first approached Inman News back in 2005 about their plans for yet another property listing site, there were skeptics of the proposed business plan — and the name itself.

But the duo proved visionary — in perhaps unexpected ways — in the conversation, engagement and buzz that they created around their idea and around real estate as a whole. Their Sellsius blog, which preceded the launch of their listings portal, firmly established the pair among the pioneers in the real estate blogosphere, social Web and RE.net as we know it today.

I was a beat reporter at Inman News when I first wrote about their plans in 2005, and would later turn to Ferrara as a source on a range of topics. He could be counted on to deliver educated and thoughtful insights about online ethics issues, the sharing of property data, creative marketing techniques … you name it.

See related article: Joe Ferrara, blogging and social media pioneer, dies

He was a thought leader who helped the industry grapple with — and sort out — a myriad of issues as it found its way online. He was a provocateur of sorts, in a positive, progressive sense of the word. He didn’t mind stirring things up in order to prod the discussion, and the industry, in a forward march. Ferrara died Tuesday after a battle with brain cancer.

In response to the Federal Trade Commission’s call for comments on the topic of real estate competition in 2005, Ferrara weighed in on the "ownership" of property listings information, which has been a historically hot topic for the industry.

"Brokers ‘own’ listings only by virtue of their relationship with sellers, who give them authority to advertise/promote for the purpose of selling. And that authority may be revoked by the seller at any time. Their so-called ownership is merely a temporary right; ultimate ownership of the listing abides with the seller," Ferrara wrote.

"Since the brokers are agents of the seller, it seems that the seller, as principal, should be heard on this issue. As a seller, I would want my property disseminated to the widest possible audience of potential buyers. I am not a party to the broker/(multiple listing service) contract and should not be bound by it. The MLS does not speak for me. If the MLS restricts my listings dissemination, it is not acting in my best interest."

He viewed technology as an asset and ally. He tested new technologies, shared his discoveries with others, and generally embraced innovation. He coined the phrase: "Unzillowable," which he defined as a property that could not be adequately valued by Zillow.com or other automated valuation models.

An attorney for 25 years, and a real estate broker and technology consultant, Ferrara was himself an innovator who worked to launch TheClozing.com, a real estate news aggregator he launched last year with partner Anthony Barba.

He loved writing and had a natural knack for it. He often mixed in humor and quirky tidbits to his real estate posts at the Sellsius blog that offered comic relief for readers and sometimes went viral across other real estate blogs and websites.

Last year, Ferrara began writing a tech column, "Tech Tool Shed," for Inman.com, and it quickly became one of the most popular columns among our readers. He shared information about new technologies and trends that he viewed as relevant to the real estate industry.

In the summer of 2007, Ferrara and Bachraty toured the country together in an RV — the journey was dubbed Blog Tour USA.

They met with several other prominent real estate bloggers during their cross-country trip, which encompassed 30 cities and 10,000 miles in 31 days, and in the process forged strong and lasting bonds among a core of tech-savvy real estate professionals while promoting the need for more online engagement and interaction by all real estate professionals. (Inman News was a sponsor of their memorable road trip.)

In an interview with Inman News Publisher Bradley J. Inman prior to embarking on the tour (see video below), Inman and Ferrara discussed a post at the Sellsius blog, titled, "The Real Estate King Takes a Gabby Queen."

That post, featuring a royal portrait, begins, "The fortunes of online real estate sites were based on the notion that property listings were king — the more listings, the more traffic, the more success. Every real estate website chased the almighty listing."

Ferrara said in the interview, "We’ve all heard the term that the listings are king of the real estate sites, and everyone’s racing to get as many listings as they can.

"But, you know what? There’s a queen … showing up on the scene and we think it’s conversation, it’s user-generated content, it’s interactivity. So we think the queen has entered the stage and (we’re going to see) if her conversation is interesting enough."

While there have always been real estate discussions occurring offline, Ferrara noted that the Internet has been a game-changer. "Those (offline) conversations — we say it’s like words written on water. They come and they go. But once you put them on the Internet, it’s permanent. It’s like now I’m carving it in my newly laid concrete sidewalk so it’s there for everyone."

Such concepts seem old hat for the real estate industry because of forward-thinkers like Ferrara and the movement that he drove home.

The real estate industry will miss Joe Ferrara. Let’s remember him with a smile.

Sad, sad, sad. Joe’s wife Sandra has my thoughts and prayers today.

© Sandy Mattingly 2010