The Value of a Real Estate Agent, Can They Be Replaced?
One of the excerpts of the chat between Bob Stewart and Dave Liniger, the founder of RE/MAX was a response to a question presented with the respect to a real estate agent being replaced within the transaction or as a practical part of the process. This question alone, coming from an employee of Zillow by way of acquisition, piqued my interest.
Mr. Liniger feels, or at east my interpretation is, that the real estate agent really owns the deal, and as long as the agent maintains control and manages the listing properly, it can't be taken away from him. I feel this is also the case, and as long as the real estate industry functions with a network of local MLS agencies and their agents, the agent will have a need.
There may well be attempts to bypass the agent and the system, there are numerous sites that tout selling homes on your own, but the effectiveness of that format has demonstrated itself to be weak and not always to the best advantage of the seller.
The agent that works the listing for the seller and takes the burden of responsibility for selling away from the seller demonstrates their worth. As real estate is local, and the Internet is an equalizer for agents to compete with franchise operations. The agent's ability to effectively market the listing will allow that agent to utilizes secondary sites such as Zillow and Trulia to sell their listings.
The approach taken by that agent to sell their listing will also bring in the buyers which also can circumvent an Internet marketer such as Z and T.
I do believe that the agent has a strong position in the matrix of a sale and until that position of strength and be replaced by some Internet algorithm, the position is secured.
The Value of a Real Estate Agent, Can They Be Replaced?
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