Orange County Register real estate reporter Jeff Collins interviewed the paper’s Jon Lansner about celebrating six years of blogging about real estate in California and two years of the paper’s Sunday real estate section.
Here is an excerpt:
Jeff: How did the crash affect interest in real estate news and blog readership?
Jon: When people felt like they were losing thousands of dollars a day in equity, they had a massive reason to dial in. The story line — and homeownership — is a little duller now.
Jeff: How did the print Real Estate section come about?
Jon: We wanted to find a way to highlight what we were doing for our online audience in print. And we believed the traditional Sunday business section had run its course. So a bold trade — and I think my bosses took a big risk — was made to create a news-driven Real Estate section out of what was the old Business section.
The remaining space was used to give the great Wall Street Journal content we’ve had for year higher visibility. I’m biased, but I think it turned out well.
Jeff: How has the Sunday print section influenced what you do online?
Jon: I don’t think the audience cares about the sausage making, so I’ll just hope they see both the beauty of real-time news online and a bit more thoughtful Sunday coverage.
The Register wants to be the go-to source for real estate information in Orange County. The more places we can put that information only enhances our position as the information leader.
Jeff: What do readers care about when it comes to real estate coverage?
Jon: On one hand, it’s personal: “How much is my home worth?” or “What are rents doing?” So interest may vary based on a reader’s own life cycle.
On the other hand, real estate love is sports-like: Real estate in Orange County has a cult-like following, so I think there’s a broader interest in the ups and downs. Especially in the glamorous high end. That “aspirational” slice of the interest never varies.
Read more here.
