We are living in challenging times, even violent times. We all want more, and we want it for less. No, we demand more, and we demand it for less. Homeowners who want to sell their homes are no exception. They want more services from their Realtor, they want those services yesterday, and they want results now. Maybe it’s the culture we live in. Maybe homeowners are sick and tired of Realtors who promise the world and deliver very little.
We are in the middle of a massive change in how real estate is marketed and how buyers shop for property. Old print media, like newspapers and real estate magazines, have lost their stronghold as the most effective way to advertise real estate for sale. McClatchy newspaper advertising revenue for real estate is down 37.1% in the second quarter of 2008 from the same time last year. Wow. That’s no small shift in the tectonic plate. Yes, the real estate market is down, but that is the point here. Everything is changing.
I’m not one of those guys who boldly claims that the newspaper will be dead in 10 years. I’m like the next guy. I like to read the morning paper when I eat my Big Breakfast at McDonald’s. But that’s not the way I shop for real estate, and it’s not the way buyers are searching for their next home either.
This is why homeowners who want to sell in a slow market are demanding results, which they tell me they are not getting from traditional real estate brokers and agents. Homeowners know something is wrong. They feel it in their guts. They know their Realtor is not doing what it takes, but they hope for the best. This is why so many homeowners are going FSBO.
Homeowners are frustrated, and some are asking, “What happened to the professional Realtor who knew what to do and how to do it?” Good question. The vast majority of Realtors are in the same twilight zone as homeowners. That’s what a massive paradigm shift feels like–a twighlight zone. Confusion reigns, and frustration turns to anger.
A word of encouragement to homeowners who want to sell their homes. There are professionals who do understand what to do and how to do it. Your assignment, if you choose to accept it, is to find that Realtor. Do you know what to look for? How will you know when you find him?
Last Updated on September 15, 2008 by Chuck Marunde
