Let’s tell you what you already know: the world wide web has transformed the entirety of modern civilization- including the whole of the real estate industry.
Twenty years ago, real estate buyers were in the dark. The decisions they had were a series of abbreviations and a picture of the exterior of a property.
Real estate professionals, on the other hand, were wizards. They had the secret knowledge of the trade, and customers could benefit from this knowledge to get a price.
Welcome to the twenty-first century. There are no secrets now.
Buyers can see live video feeds of the region, read testimonials of your bureau, get views on the area from current residents, access the authority’s stats on traffic and environmental dangers, check the vendor’s asking price against tendencies for the surrounding region, take virtual tours of each area, even sign contracts digitally.
Though clients may have increased access to information, brokers also have increased clients. Marketing technology and social networking are altering the way agents interact with their customers. Facebook did not exist 15 years ago; over 80 percent of property professionals are currently using the social media giant for their businesses now.
This has led not only to changes in communication but more importantly, changes in advertisements and promotion. The world wide web has come to dominate property advertising. This means there are increased opportunities to reach prospective customers more efficiently, and more economically.
On the flip side, this also means there is more pressure on brokers to embrace the tools that come with modern technology. But agents who whine by responding that they simply do not understand technology are ignoring their business sense. Trends and fads become norms online for a reason: because they make life easier, they make life simpler, and they make people money. True, there is a learning curve for agents who did not come of age but there is no excuse for ignoring it.
A competent realtor continues to educate themselves and keeps current- they embrace change and adapt for the business. That means talking with people in the know who may be younger and letting go of ego to humble yourself. Additionally, there are more formal techniques to educate yourself. Read books. Take classes. Show up to conferences. Put in the time and the results will come.
It’s essential not to forget that when it comes to technology, simply because you must understand it does not mean you have to be a specialist. You have the choice of recruiting your technology to be handled by someone else. You’ll need to know enough to make certain you’re not throwing away your money. Hiring someone to build your site is going to be a waste of time if what they create is based on the requirements of last year’s clients.
This brings to mind a point of using it, maybe the challenge is that it is always changing. But that’s even more reason to be about embracing it busy. Do not wait for some grand epiphany: seek out knowledge. It is part of your work.
