Meatball Sunday

I'm listening to the book on tape by Seth Godin, Meatball Sunday. It's all about todays marketing versus traditional marketing. The one idea that stands out to me is that the customer is now in charge of the marketing. "Blogs have turned readers into writers and YouTube has turned viewers into directors". I may have paraphrased slightly, but the concept is there.

With respect to Real Estate, how does this apply. Are Buyers and Sellers in control now of their marketing efforts. Do Realtors and Mortgage Companies need to become listener and watchers? How does permission marketing apply to the Real Estate Industry, or does it?

I'm interested in your responses.