Real Estate & Technology

"The More Things Change . . ."

Taken to their logical conclusion, innovations like Twitter are inevitably leading us, I suppose, to some sort of real-time, Borg-like mind meld (my apologies to Star Trek fans).

And certainly, advancing technology is affecting how real estate is bought and sold (more posts on that in the works).

However, I think it's fair to say that a good percentage of the advances relate to the speed and reach of people's communication.

So, Susan Boyle is a nobody yesterday, and famous today (and back to a nobody tomorrow?). Or, the street riots in Tehran are on display worldwide, notwithstanding the regime's efforts to suppress eyewitness accounts.

In the meantime, real estate itself is surprisingly technology-resistant.

At the end of the (24-7) day, it's still about bricks-and-mortar, or land, or some combination thereof. That's so even if the "bricks-and-mortar" are now high-tech composites, and the central nervous systems of buildings -- homes included -- are increasingly sophisticated.

"The more things change . . ."

I find that both a bit of a relief, and reassuring.

It reminds me of an experience I had in law school, when I argued a real estate case in moot court (simulated courtroom practice for novice attorneys, in front of a panel of attorney-judges).

Although I did well, advancing three rounds, I remember being thrown by one of the judge's questions.

In particular, he wanted to know why I couldn't "cite any legal authority more recent than 1892" to support one of my arguments.

A bit flustered, I said that, actually, that still appeared to be the governing precedent.

Afterwards, the judge came up to me, and told me I should have "stuck to my guns" when he had pressed me.

"A century-old case is recent when it comes to real estate law," he pointed out (correctly).