Realtors and the Internet

A new white paper by Real Living called Women, Technology and Real Estate: Leveraging the Connection found the following:

The real estate agent of the future: Finding new ways to deliver convenience is key to evolving role.

Historically, consumers relied on real estate professionals for almost all information concerning the buying and selling of a home - a transaction model which positioned real estate professionals primarily as information disseminators. According to Real Living, women now rely on the Internet to gather information upfront, often before contacting a real estate agent. However, women who are short on time and long on needs place a high value on the agent to guide them through the home buying process once they have used the Internet to educate themselves and narrow down their home search criteria. This shift in behavior now positions real estate professionals as negotiators, time-savers and efficiency experts - demanding that brokers and agents find new, innovative ways to serve consumer needs for convenience and control.

Real Living advises that brokers and agents of the future must fully integrate technology into their normal course of business in order to maintain a competitive edge with today’s increasingly connected consumer. Key suggestions outlined in the white paper include:

* Offer anywhere, anytime access to robust listing information (such as property details, virtual tours and mapping) to drive efficiency, convenience and control for consumers

* Deliver online customer communication, comparables and transaction forms to add value to the agent-consumer relationship

* Leverage the Web as a real-time-marketing medium to provide home buyers with immediate access to all homes available for sale on the market

* Target female decision makers through integrated, robust Internet marketing strategies supplemented by traditional advertising mediums such as print, radio and television

* Meet consumer needs for efficiency and convenience by serving as a source for one-stop-shopping referrals for related services such as mortgage, title, relocation and home warranty services.

“The way people buy and sell homes is changing - and we’ve been proud to help lead that change by leveraging the Internet to improve the productivity of our agents and deliver convenience and efficiency to consumers,” said Harley E. Rouda Jr., CEO and managing partner of Real Living. “This research is exciting because it affirms that Realtors continue to play a vital role in the real estate transaction process. As new business models continue to change the real estate industry, the most successful agents will be those who partner with ’smart brokers’ who deliver online tools and resources to strengthen the agent-consumer connection.”

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