The beginning of the end for mls
The day the mls went public onto the internet was the day it changed itself forever. There used to be a day when you had to call a real estate agent to find out what's available because they had those special books that had all the listings. For me that book was a gold mine, an exclusive boys club which only licensed members had access to. The mls system back then was like its own private internet. And you could only view it when in the presence of licensed real estate agent.
However those days are gone. 72% of all people looking for a home now START with the internet. They do not need a "special agent" guiding them through the exclusive listing books. If they see something they like on the web, they have the option to call the listing agent directly. The idea of an "exclusive buyer agency agreement" is virtually gone. And this is the interesting part. Along with the mls going online, is the rise of the for sale by owner market or fsbo. There has always been for sale by owner homes on the market. They would advertise their own home in local papers, put up their own sign, have their own open houses and sadly sold only 2% of the time. And this is what your "Older", trained real estate agent has been taught, the fsbo market is not a threat, not many properties are sold there, and for sale by owner prospects really do not know how to sell anyways, But again, the internet changed that too. The internet is now the special book that anyone can view. The mls and for sale by owners exist online together for any prospective home buyer to view. Fsbo web companies now have signs ( just like licensed agents do), they now offer CMA, ( just like the mls...cuz its easy you can search the mls and find what is happening in your local market yourself), they have feature sheets, open houses, virtually all the things a licensed real estate agent has to offer....and the for sale by owner market now sells 18% of their listings ( no longer a paltry 2%) and growing as people become more savvy and trained. It is only a matter of time before the fsbo real estate market will be equal in sales to the mls by sheer volume of its new lisings. Young, internet savvy buyers and sellers, will flock more and more to "try" to sell or buy it themselves FIRST before resorting to the mls. This is the opportunity of a lifetime for real estate agents. They need to see this change coming and adapt or be left to rot with the idea of remembering the "good old days" of those exclusive books
Specializing in investments and for sale by owner ( fsbo) real estate in the Barrie, Midland-Penetang, areas. Also for sale by owner in Orillia and Collingwood, Innisfil, Alliston, Owen Sound, Parry Sound, Muskoka, Gravenhurst, Bracebridge, Honey Harbour, and Parry Sound areas
http://www.manainvestments.com/
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