Two Real Estate Agents Sue Over CSI Episode

Melinda and Scott Tamkin, two associates with Keller Williams Realty in Beverly Hills, Calif., are suing a writer for the CBS show “CSI” because they allege they were portrayed unkindly in a show because of a real estate deal that didn’t work out right.

The "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" episode featured a real estate practitioner named Melinda who dies. Her husband Scott, a mortgage broker, is suspected of killing her.

The Tamkins believe they were portrayed in the episode and sued writer and producer Sarah Goldfinger for defamation and invasion of privacy. They are seeking $6 million in damages, alleging that the show kept potential customers away.

The Tamkins represented the owners of a home that Goldfinger wanted to buy in 2005, according to the lawsuit. Goldfinger pulled out when the sale was in escrow.

Source: The Associated Press (05/23/2009)

Traffic Up on Weichert.com

Homebuyers are out there and ready to buy, as evidenced by a recent increase in hits to Weichert.com.

During January, 1.34 million unique visitors went to the site, a 19 percent increase over January 2008. In addition, total visits to the Web site were up 38 percent over December 2008.

Weichert.com's well-designed layout and easy-to-use search functionality continue to win raves from buyers. In fact, a client recently told her Weichert Sales Associate that, "compared to Brand X's Web site, Weichert takes the cake. ... I found this Web site so much more useful in one hour compared to the 14 days I've spent on Brand X's Web site."