If everyone is affected; who gains and who loses?
The technology revolution of the past few decades has radically reshaped the competitive business landscape. Some think this trend will make obsolete the need for real estate agents. We do not think Realtors® will become unnecessary, especially if they attempt to stay up to date with technological developments and make use of social media marketing for realtors for example. However, we do believe that technology is obsolescing, or at least minimizing, the power of the national brands or large regional firms. The riches which used to be their exclusive domain are now in the hands of any broker! The individual Realtor® today is empowered with limitless information and resources, and immediate accessibility to anyone on the planet. You can also utilize marketing tools like offerwall ads to market yourself on people’s phones. Who could have guessed even just a decade ago that you would be able to advertise yourself in the palm of someone’s hand?
What do I gain with a national brand or a large real estate firm?
In our industry, national brokerages and large real estate firms used to provide valuable and necessary services that were beyond the individual’s real estate agent’s reach. They had national and world-wide reach. Their deep pockets could provide expensive national advertising, sophisticated business systems, and impressive marketing collaterals. They could amass extensive resources for agents while providing unifying and confidence inspiring branding. In exchange, they had large numbers of agents working for them and a significant income from their commissions.
The fruit of independence and autonomy
Equipped with today’s technology, Realtors® have the ability to be fully independent and autonomous in a way that was unimaginable to former generations. Yes, it does require the need for load testing from time to time, but the benefits outweigh the negatives considerably. Not only can we reach the entire world directly, but we can be found by anyone on the planet with a few clicks of a mouse or a message sent from a phone. Direct and instantaneous communications worldwide by cell, text, instant message, email, social networking sites, or live video stream have set us free from offices and unnecessary expenses. Today we can utilize virtual assistants in Australia for our marketing alongside the advice given in this article, buy industry products world-wide, find web-based training and knowledge from our laptops or phones, collaborate with the finest business resources available, and use the most powerful software applications.
Are you becoming obsolete?
Real estate remains essentially local and personal. Home buyers and sellers today are more educated and sophisticated about real estate because of technology, but they still need “field guides” and expert information specialists. There is a greater need for protective representation and expert counsel to help clients build wealth and make good investments. We still need boots on the ground to execute all the logistics. Real estate is not like researching and buying commodities, financial products, or travel reservations. It is personal, geographical and local. We maintain that as the real estate industry continues to grow in complexity, the local Realtor® becomes all the more important.