LONG BEACH, Calif. — The opening session of what is billed as “Tech Tuesday” at the California Realtor Expo 2006 provided a somewhat unvarnished glimpse into how some Realtors are responding to real estate websites that are lifting the veil on home valuations and other previously hard-to-find real estate data.

In short, some Realtors take offense at such sites, which they see as giving consumers a false belief that much of the research involved in a real estate transaction can be done without the help of a Realtor.

“I don’t think value is being inserted,” said an impassioned Allan Dalton, president of Realtor.com, to a big round of applause from the audience.

Dalton had just finished comparing online home valuations to parlor games and sarcastically suggested that maybe someone should look into the astrological consequences of house value.

“I think that someone tried to tackle something that can’t be tackled in that way,” he said, and this time some people stood while applauding.

But not everyone in the room agreed.

“I think it’s just an evolution where the consumers will get more information and Realtors will be relied on for expert advice,” said Lloyd Frink, co-founder and president of Zillow, who shared the stage with Dalton and Brad Inman, founder and publisher of Inman News.

Inman, who had preached the gospel of transparency and Web 2.0 earlier in the session, said he believes that the new wave of real estate information available through the Internet should not detract from the valuable services Realtors provide.

“Don’t let anyone demean your value by suggesting that information should be threatening to you,” he said.

In the world of foreclosures, with transactions that tend to be more complex than the mainstream real estate market, a knowledgeable real estate professional could be even more valuable for potential buyers, investors and sellers. But we’re curious if you think that’s the case. Do you believe you could successfully purchase or sell a foreclosure without the help of a Realtor or other real estate professional? Or have you already done so successfully? Comment on this blog or send us an e-mail at editor@foreclosurepulse.com.