The Internet is making some jobs obsolete, and once upon a time (way back in the late 20th century) it was feared that real estate agents would be among the professions tossed to the side of the road. But a funny thing happened on the way to the scrap heap. Figures show that membership in the National Association of Realtors has increased from 716,000 in 1997 to more than 1 million in 2011.
One of the reasons people thought the Internet would negatively affect an agent’s job was because of all the housing information that would be and is available at people’s fingertips. Search for a home. Click. Look at pictures. Click. Get information about the market. Click. Therefore, who needs an agent?
That last question would make sense if a real estate agent’s job was simply being an intermediary. And we all know how untrue that is. A negotiation between a buyer and seller is just the beginning of the process, and an agent is at the center – make that forefront – of the effort to get things done.
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