· The days of taking a listing, placing a sign in yard, entering the listing in the local MLS, and then waiting on a sale are over, at least in the current market. Both buyers and sellers are looking for that “difference” that is going to help them buy or sell, or both.
The Internet is the new way. Yes we have heard this for some time. The problem is many heard “the internet is the ONLY way”. That assumption would be incorrect. Yes it is true that many buyers and sellers begin their research on the web. But that’s not where it ends. Studies have shown that these savvy buyers and sellers end up working with the first agent they make contact with. But what are the factors that impact that first contact decision.
For the most part, these buyers and sellers and looking for signs (not the obvious yard signs), things that tells them you are successful, trustworthy, and will get the job done. If they find your website, and see it as useful, but they don’t find other aspects of your real-estate career to backup your site, they will likely move on to the next agent. If they don’t see your name in other places, other websites, yard signs, mailings, advertisings; they’ll assume you’re probably new, got a hot new website, but lack the experience they need to help them get the job done.
On the other hand, if they see blog sites and postings by you at various real-estate related sites like Trulia, on subjects they find useful and interesting, they may be willing to forgive the other shortcomings and give you a shot. Likewise, if you’re not totally internet savvy, but you have a big ad in the local paper, or you have a lot of signs around town, they may be willing to forgive your tech shortcomings; feeling you will work harder to get the job done in the end.
So what does all this mean? It means if you’re an experienced agent with many years of measurable production under your belt, you’re probably going to do well in any market. Why? Because you are already practicing the tried and true activities that lead to a higher than average rate of referrals, that's why. These handed down activities are the bread and butter of being successful in real-estate. They say not only am I successful, but I’m trustworthy enough to have your neighbor, friend, or relative recommend you use me. I have earned my stripes, the old fashioned way, and I can probably survive, even if my website or web skills are not the best. Does it mean I may be leaving something on the table by not having great internet skills? Absolutely! But it is not as important as it would be if you were just starting out or you had not amassed your multi-million dollar database of existing clients. Remember, it cost more to capture and sell to a new customer than it does to sell to an existing one.
What I’m hearing then is that the internet is really not all that important. Not hardly. What you are hearing is that the National average age of a realtor is the high 50s. That means we have a bunch of these senior real-estate giants who still garner the lion’s share of the business. This also means we are seeing more and more of these starting to retire. This is leading to a very interesting and serious problem and opportunity.
That knowledgebase that has been handed down through the generations is being lost. It’s walking right out the door with the retiree. At the same time, new high tech agents are coming in, thinking the “old way” is dead and gone; long live the internet. We are really missing a golden opportunity. At least most of us are. Some of the truly smart “new” agents have figured out that the Internet alone isn’t going to make them the new real-estate giant they want to be. They know it’s going to take a mixture of the old with the new to make that happen. Those smart agents have probably started out as a team member of one of those “old guard” agents, and spent a lot of time learning and understanding the way of the “Jedi”. You know, the old guard protectors of the Universe in Star Wars. Mix a little old school with new market tech and you just might have something there.
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