One cheeky PikeNet subscriber suggested that a survey of investment buyers' performance might be helpful. Did the buyer remove contingencies on time? Did the buyer actually close the transaction? Other readers pointed to EBay and Zagat as successful arbiters of "community opinions." One even speculated that GreatBoyFriends might be a useful model for real estate. (No guarantees!)

There is at least one interesting real estate model called AptRatings.com ("Apartment reviews by real people"). AptRatings.com claims that renters have posted opinions on more than 37,000 apartments in the U.S., and, based upon a quick perusal of apartments in Anaheim, CA, these folks certainly don't hold back ("Horrible complex AND bad management.")

In an entirely different league, Harris Interactive publishes its authoritative RQ (ReputationQuotient) Poll of the most visible companies in America. Johnson & Johnson, Harley-Davidson, and Coca-Cola led last year's list with WorldCom, Global Crossing, and Enron (not surprisingly) bringing up the rear. Harris determines each company's score based upon thirty-minute interviews with over 600 people per company. It's a huge task and probably not very practical for the real estate industry.

--Peter Pike