The end may be at hand for Real Estate agents.

Are real estate agents living on borrowed time?

                                               Obsolete

      Insiders believe many service industry jobs and others will vanish over the next 10 years to be replaced by technology.

      Could "Real estate agent" be one of those careers?

      We hardly notice it, but entire industries are disappearing every year, or at substantial risk of becoming obsolete  due to technology or changing methods of operation.

      This becomes obvious when you look at the way real estate is transacted today compared to only 3 years ago.    The industry has already seen a huge decline in the number of agents who could not compete in today's changing world.   Imagine how it will change again in the next 3 - 5 years.

      There are strong hints that many service industries will disappear as we move to a "do it yourself world," made possible by technology.    Does anyone remember elevator operators or service station attendants?     Bank tellers may soon be a thing of the past with the advent of ATMs.    Even venerable institutions like public libraries and the Post Office could disappear thanks to eBooks, email, Fax, Facebook, Twitter and all manner of instant, free high technology.   Today the world is at our fingertips from a park bench.   How much more convenient will it become in 5 years?   How will this affect you as a Realtor?

Nothing becomes outdated quicker than yesterday's technology and those who subscribe to it.

Millions of once promising careers have vanished across America because people failed to look into the future, or refused to read the writing on the wall of where the marketplace is headed.     The automobile industry is a prime example.

The age of the cradle to grave jobs has been gone for decades.   Many are now working on one or two year contracts....and their next job is dependent on how well they can anticipate the next big demand and prepare.    Millions will never receive a company pension because of the new paradigm.

The questions is......how are you preparing not to become obsolete in a high tech, do it yourself world?  

Making the transition will be a lot easier for young people than oldsters who are often set in their ways.

The next 5 years will see a further decline in the ranks of real estate agents and an upswing in technologies which will make Realtor careers more tenuous.

There will always be room for those who are able to move with the times.   Those who have read my blogs for years will recall my 5 buzz words for survival.

Read, Learn, Change, Innovate and Adapt.    And then...put your knowledge into practice.