If anyone has an Inman subscription I would love to have the full text of the article emailed to me pls.
Here is the link to Inman News, but you do need a membership to view the entire thing:
Here is a snippet of the article
Gaming the real estate market
Online Monopoly goes hyperlocal, uses Google Maps
By Erik Pisor, Tuesday, September 22, 2009.
Negotiating purchase prices, selling assets, and collecting rent isn't just a part of real-world real estate -- these are key features of Hasbro's Monopoly CityStreets, a new online version of the classic Monopoly board game that incorporates Google Maps as its game board.
"It's definitely a way to learn about real estate cash flow and investment," said Nick Roman, a Realtor with Melbourne, Fla.-based Tropical Realty of Suntree.
On Sept. 9, the day the game launched, about 1.7 million people worldwide attempted to log on and play, which led to server delays and the eventual restarting of the game on Sept. 17, said Donetta Allen, Monopoly spokesperson.
Of those who logged on, a portion included real estate agents like Roman.
"If anything, I thought (the game) would generate a little real estate publicity," said Robert May, a Realtor with Lethbridge Mortgage and Real Estate Info in Alberta, Canada. "I'm surprised they didn't work in real estate advertising and do some geo-targeted marketing," May said.
Both Roman and May began playing on Sept. 9 and quickly exhausted their initial $3 million in Monopoly money to acquire streets within the cities they currently reside, as any street in the world can be purchased and built up with various properties.
While using Google maps as the Monopoly board brings a realistic aspect to the game, the price paid for a street is not.
According to Allen, the value of a street is determined by its length, as the longer a street is the more building potential it has.
For instance, Downing Street in the U.K., home to the prime minister, initially cost $231,000, while Pennsylvania Avenue, which joins the White House and the U.S. Capitol, cost $2 million.
"They're not differentiating between residential and commercial zones," May said, adding the value of a street is also determined by how many lanes it has.
"There are better Web sites they could have used (to determine street values), like a postal or ZIP code system," he continued. ...
Thats all I can read of the article without a subscription, so if anyone has one to Inman news, feel free to post the rest or forward me a copy please.
Here are a few of my favorite past articles from my Lethbridge real estate and mortgage blog you might have missed or wish to recommend them to a friend.
Lethbridge Homes for sale - YES, there are still good deals to be had in Lethbridge
Lethbridge Basement Suites - Advice for every landlord
Lethbridge Condos - Condo living is great for student but also for seniors!
Buying real estate in Lethbridge - Single women are huge in Lethbridge
Lethbridge Mortgage Application - Avoid these financial mistakes
Get Your Credit Score UP - Invaluable insight into your credit score for Lethbridge residents
Lethbridge Manufactured Homes - Some great deals on manufactured homes in Lethbridge
Lethbridge Rental Property - Thinking about buying or selling rental property?
Robert May is a Realtor, as well as the broker and owner of Rainbow Realty of Lethbridge Alberta . He is also a licensed Lethbridge mortgage broker and financing expert with Canada First Mortgage of Calgary Alberta. He has been in the Lethbridge real estate industry since 1993 and offers full Lethbridge MLS real estate services to Lethbridge and surrounding area, as well as Lethbridge mortgage financing, mortgage refinancing , preapprovals, and Lethbridge loans financing to Lethbridge and Southern Alberta. He can be found online at this link: mortgage broker Lethbridge
Let me share my 16+ years experience in the local Lethbridge real estate and financing market with you! It is the first step towards making a profitable real estate decision.
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