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Todays Realization....My Sellers are Faceless !

By Michele Connors

Real Estate Agent with The Overton Group, LLC Pitt & Carteret County NC 213723 Broker

June 25, 2007 12:44 PM

Todays Realization...My Sellers are Faceless

As I review my ads for the upcoming Crystal Coast Homes Magazine it occurred to me that 12 of my 16 listings were from clients I have never met in person!

Most came to me via my personal website and all corresponding has been via technology unavailable to my profession even 10 yrs ago. I remember typing contracts with carbon paper, using snail mail to get listings signed by out of town sellers and waiting of course for them to get back to my box. Something that took a weeks turnaround now takes just a matter of minutes to send and receive back signed.

I strongly admit I prefer the face to face interaction, there is a tangible bond. Certainly I understand that living on the coast my clients are typically second home owners or investors. Technology blazes like the speed of light making face to face contactsomething I am seeing less of. Now a days it so much easier for a seller to just email and efax than to hop in the car and drive maybe 3-4 hours each way just to execute a listing agreement.

I understand.I guess I am admitting outloud that sometimes change isnt so easy to swallow. You can call me old fashioned, but I enjoyed the chatty conversations and getting to know my clients on a more personal level. Could it be possible blogging is filling the void I just realized I had ?

So, my question is two fold:

Has my business truly become a web based office space ( and )

am I to assume my website personality is bringing me the business or is Mr Google calling the shots as to who gets the clients ???

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Christopher & Bernadette Hurley

Go Hurley Group - Sugar Land, TX

Sadly, that's what is happening in our world today- we are becoming faceless. Face it, it is easier to sit at your desk and spend 2-5 minutes typing out a well-thought-through message to send to someone, than it is to sit down with the person we are communicating with and stumbling over our words and thoughts. Sadly, the generations-to-come will struggle with this as long as the internet is alive. The Generation 2.0 can possibly become 'hermits' in their 'cave' of a room 'chatting' with the world around them. They will be able to type faster than they talk and will hardly be physically courteous.

This is the gloom and doom side of this generation. They will be constantly trafficking information and will definitely be smarter than we are today. You think the world of realty has changed from years ago to today? Technology is tripling every year, and in 40 years, it is estimated to be tripling every month. Things will change and it will be hard to keep up.

So our businesses are only going through some change. Since the internet has truly shown its potential, our businesses have only conformed to it. I bet that in 10 years, every computer will have built-in web cams designed for video conferencing (Apple has already started this). That is when the internet will no-longer be faceless, for we will be able to connect like we have never been able to before.

So conform on, business. I can't wait to see where we go from here!

Good luck,

Sugar Land, Tx
Where Life is Sweet

Jun 25, 2007 01:26 PM

Michele Connors

The Overton Group, LLC Pitt & Carteret County - Greenville, NC

Your Eastern North Carolina Realtor

Thanks for the comment-

If you can-take a few minutes to watch the video linked to the words in my post.. "the speed of light " - it is fascinating and speaks volumes to the shift occuring in technology.

Jun 25, 2007 01:29 PM

Patrick Harfst

Realty Executives - Phoenix AZ - Gilbert, AZ

Michele,

Yes to your first question. And your own personality is what makes clients out of eyeballs. Mr. G just helps point those eyeballs down your way. You are doing very well, and it shows!

Jun 25, 2007 01:52 PM

Susan Trombley

Trombley Real Estate - Wake Forest, NC

Broker/Realtor, Raleigh, Cary, Wake Forest, Youngs

Good for you. congratulations. I agree, we would not be where we are now without the Internet. It is a great business move. I would have loved finding my first home via the Internet.

Jun 25, 2007 02:13 PM

Michele Connors

The Overton Group, LLC Pitt & Carteret County - Greenville, NC

Your Eastern North Carolina Realtor

Thanks Patrick and Susan. I am hoping that human interaction doesnt disappear at some point- I like that aspect of my job!

Jun 25, 2007 02:28 PM

Ginger S

Wilkinson & Associates, Wilmington NC - Wilmington, NC

Wilmington NC Real Estate & Relocation~

Wow Michelle, 70% of your listings are faceless! That is phenomenal!

How often do you communicate with them via phone?

You posed the question are they choosing you because of Google Juice or your online Persona. Well most likely a combination. Google will get them to you, but you got to have something to keep em' there to get to them!

It's your winning personality for sure!

Ginger

Jun 25, 2007 03:10 PM

ASHEVILLE REALTY REFERRAL RESOURCE 828-776-0779

REAL ESTATE REFERRAL NETWORK - Asheville, NC

CONTACT janeAnne365@gmail.com

Michele~

You knowhow you could be on your patio on a moon-less night and you would still know where you were by the sense of place you have?...Or how when you are out on the ocean, you can "feel" the energy there? I think that's how it works on the WWW. Maybe your readers are "faceless" for a little while...until y'all meet...but they recognize you on a level that really matters.

Jun 25, 2007 05:02 PM

No Longer Active

Real Estate - Fallon, MT

Wow.... with three quarters of your business coming in from passive advertising on the web site I need to learn your secrets...

Jun 25, 2007 11:17 PM

Beth Butler

Beth Butler - Big Mouth Consulting - Miami, FL

MIchelle - isn't it amazing how the way we acquire business has changed? Congrats for being ahead of the curve.

Jun 26, 2007 12:39 AM

Michele Connors

The Overton Group, LLC Pitt & Carteret County - Greenville, NC

Your Eastern North Carolina Realtor

Ginger and janeAnne- my hope is that we dont lose the personalization of our profession as the last thing I want to feel like is a paper pusher. I enjoy the interaction with both buyers and sellers.

Dan- I cant take full credit- I am a coastal county that has an island of five municipalities- alot of beach housing .....second home owners, investors, rent producing properties- sellers live elsewhere. They do find me on the net- which 10 yrs ago wasnt the protocol. Back then it was about calling a particular company out of a phone directory to get "someone to help sell a property" or many times a shot in the dark- the AGENTS WERE FACELESS!

Hey- maybe we as Realtors have been faceless until the net??? What a new twist to my issues!

Beth- I am trying to keep up and maintain a sense of connection. It has become part of the business plan.

Jun 26, 2007 01:11 AM