Realtors® Reshaping Real Estate Technologies. Josh Gonzalez, a Realtor in Clifton Park NY with Coldwell Banker Prime Properties Assiting Buyers and Sellers in the Capital District.

Realtors® Reshaping Real Estate Technologies.  Josh Gonzalez, a Realtor in Clifton Park NY with Coldwell Banker Prime Properties Assiting Buyers and Sellers in the Capital District.

Realtors® Reshaping Real Estate Technologies.  Josh Gonzalez, a Realtor in Clifton Park NY with Coldwell Banker Prime Properties Assiting Buyers and Sellers in the Capital District.

More than nine out of 10 home buyers use the Internet as a search tool, and Realtors® at the Midyear Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo here this week are engaged in ways to improve and enhance consumers' online real estate experience.

"The Internet has helped transform the real estate industry, and Realtors® are committed to the evolution of online tools and resources," said NAR President Vicki Cox Golder, owner of Vicki L. Cox & Associates in Tucson, Ariz. "It's one more way we bring value to home buyers, sellers and investors."

Realtor.com President Errol Samuelson joined Realtors® at the "Fixing Failure Points in Online Real Estate" session. Samuelson explained that the use of mobile applications is experiencing explosive growth.

"In three or four years, more people will access the Internet with their mobile devices than with a computer," Samuelson said. "Counterintuitively, phone response will become even more important as potential clients shift more to mobile devices." To prove his point, he cited a recent test of real estate agents with an online presence and potential buyers who tried to call an agent after visiting his or her website, which found that 70 percent of consumers who got voicemail hung up without leaving a message.

Realtors® Reshaping Real Estate Technologies.  Josh Gonzalez, a Realtor in Clifton Park NY with Coldwell Banker Prime Properties Assiting Buyers and Sellers in the Capital District.

During another session, "Open Technology Discussion with Industry Thought Leaders," Realtors® shared strategies for reaching and communicating with consumers more effectively by building on already popular social media channels. The recently released 2010 NAR Member Profile shows that half of all Realtors® use social networking sites, up from 35 percent in 2009. Social network users are growing at an annual rate of 20 percent.

"Realtors® are already engaging consumers online via social media sites like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter," said Golder. "In this culture of instant gratification, we need to not only meet the consumer where they are, but also figure out what they're looking for, how they want to receive the information and then provide the content."

With so many social media options available, Realtors® can sometimes feel overwhelmed or think they must engage consumers across all available channels. Realtor® Heather Elias, who maintains a successful online blog, warned against jumping into too much too quickly. "Only use tools that directly advance your business' strengths," Elias said. "If you're engaging and informing the consumer, they will come to you."

More than anything, Realtors® are using new technologies and social media as just several of many tools to enhance their ability to connect with clients, because nothing replaces face-to-face interaction. According to NAR's 2009 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, only 37 percent of recent buyers believe technology skills are very important in selecting a real estate agent. In contrast, more than four out of five home buyers thought characteristics such as honesty, integrity, knowledge of the purchase process, responsiveness, knowledge of the real estate market, communications, and negotiation skills were very important.

The National Association of Realtors®, "The Voice for Real Estate," is America's largest trade association, representing 1.1 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.  (NAR)

Realtors® Reshaping Real Estate Technologies.  Josh Gonzalez, a Realtor in Clifton Park NY with Coldwell Banker Prime Properties Assiting Buyers and Sellers in the Capital District.