The real estate business is changing dramatically right in front of our eyes, and don’t believe for a second that it isn’t changing for consumers like you. It is. Many of the changes are obvious to buyers, like being able to use the Internet to search for real estate, and being able to do so much advance research online before you ever decide to move to a community or hire a Realtor. But there are major changes behind the scenes that consumers are quite unaware of, and many of these changes are compromising your best interests. There are a few things I think you might want to know. I’ve written a book on this subject, The New World of Marketing for Real Estate Agents, but here I want to share just two changes that have a huge impact on you.
Real Estate Business Change No. 1
How buyers search for real estate is now full of traps for the unwary. Yesterday I got an email from a buyer who found a home on Trulia. Trulia showed it as an active listing, and she was excited and wanted to know more about it. The information on Trulia is quite limited, but I had to tell her that this listing was already sold. Trulia did not show that. This is true of Zillow, too. I had some clients who found a home on Zillow, but it was sold two years earlier. Oops. I also sold a home that Zillow misrepresented at half its value (based on the actual sales price). For nationally syndicated sites like these, the rule is caveat emptor (buyer beware). The real estate business is changing and not all the changes are good for consumers.
What’s the answer? Use an online site that is 100% accurate and includes 100% of the Sequim and Port Angeles listings. I designed and programmed such a site for buyers, and you’ll find it at Sequim Homes for Sale. You’ll find a video on that site that shows you exactly how to search for and find your dream home.
Real Estate Business Change No. 2
How buyers hire their agent is another way the real estate business is changing. Buyers are driving this change, and I think it’s great. But there is a second trap for the unwary consumer when it comes to selecting a buyer’s agent. If you’re searching a national real estate site, do not assume the best buyer’s agent is the one whose photo is in the right margin or at the bottom of the listing. Do you know why their photos are there most of the time? Because they paid to have it there. That means any agent who can write a check can have their photo there. Any agent. Thank about that. Advertising and lead generation on the Internet for Realtors has gone wild, and whose watching out for you? As the saying goes, “Follow the money.” What’s the answer for buyers like you? Choose your Realtor carefully, and I recommend this Agent Interview Checklist.
The real estate business has been changing dramatically, but who is watching out for consumers like you? I am. Every day. With professionalism, knowledge, experience, and integrity. I never stop working to do a good job educating prospective clients like you with free information and tools, and I never stop working hard for my clients. I’m aware of how the real estate business is changing, but my clients are still at the center of the Universe no matter how the industry may sell its soul.
By the way, the image above, iRealty Virtual Brokers, is my dba. We are Sequim & Port Angeles Real Estate, and we are also iRealty Virtual Brokers. Even our real estate business is changing.
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