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Why Dinosaurs Still Rule the Real Estate World

By
Real Estate Agent with Coldwell Banker Professionals

I've been reading quite a few blog posts recently about why old time agents suck, or agents chortling about "big agents" sales production slipping away. Tweet or die seems to be the mantra these days. 

And it's all a load of crap.

In my area we saw the production of the larger producing agents drop significantly. Agents who were too professional to become whores for the banks who have been trying go get into our industry for decades. And new, so called tech savvy agents just lined up to open the door and let them in. Listing houses they never saw, never priced, never participated in advising their seller clients in negotiating. Just take those bank owned listings or short sale listings, list them at a fire sale price, and watch the buyers line up!

Screw the neighbors. Screw their own past clients (if they had any). Too good to pick up their phone. MLS instructions to email your offer and don't leave a voice message. Too good to talk to other agents.

I guess they had to be somewhat tech savvy. They had to email the offers to their seller. 

Well now those days are over and those agents are disappearing. And the dinosaurs are back!

The dinosaurs who still have 20 or 30 years of past clients who sat pat during the downturn. Dinosaurs who never took to cyberspace to disparage others ways of doing business. Dinosaurs who know more about pricing, marketing, and actually talking to their clients. Dinosaurs who actually know the meaning of the word fiduciary. Dinosaurs who know the difference between advertising and marketing and realize that print really ain't dead. Nor is direct mail. Or customer service.

I was one of the first in our area to get a computer. I think I had the only decent web site for years- a site I had to learn HTML in order to edit or build out. But I never criticized the older experienced agents. I learned from them.

Those agents who seemed to disappear  the last 6 or 8 years... They're back. I pass their signs. Their listings are showing up in my CMA's (those would be SOLD listings). I see their print ads and their faces on the seats in the grocery store carts.

Because one thing that never changes. Real estate is a service industry and the dinosaurs know how to interact OFF LINE. 

Posted by

Jackie Hawley, Realtor, ePro

ReMax Encore
Cell: (248)736-6406
Jackie@JackieHawley.com 
www.MiRelocation.com 

 

Comments (5)

Anita Clark
Coldwell Banker Access Realty ~ 478.960.8055 - Warner Robins, GA
Realtor - Homes for Sale in Warner Robins GA

Jackie: I am seeing the polar opposite in my area. The dinosaurs here are definitely becoming extinct. Mostly because the Web/social media savvy agents are reaching the majority of non-retirement consumers first, as well as getting repeat/referral business because they are willing to have face-to-face interactions AND stay in touch via "new" methods (FB, blogs/newsletters, long-term drip campaigns, etc.). It is always interesting to hear about what other areas are experiencing.

Oct 21, 2014 09:03 AM
Jeffrey Jones
AZ Home Seekers - San Tan Valley, AZ
AZ Home Seekers, azhomeseekers.com

I know an older agent in Seattle who prides himself in his dinosaur ways, and his client pool is dwindling and so is his business. I am not saying that technology is the answer, its a tool. And any tool used correctly can build great things.

Oct 21, 2014 09:10 AM
Jackie Hawley
Coldwell Banker Professionals - Oxford, MI
Southeast Michigan Real Estate

Top producer in my area has a crappy web site and advertises in the homes magazine. Sold $20 million last year in an area with a less than $300K average sales price. 

South of us in the really high dollar areas of Birmingham and West Bloomfield. Practically no web presence by any agent. Just to test it I wrote 1 blog post for that area and was on page 1 of Google with it. And this is an area where million dollar plus homes are common.

My rant isn't really about which is better. It was about so called tech savvy agents bad mouthing non tech savvy agents

Oct 21, 2014 09:17 AM
Jeffrey Jones
AZ Home Seekers - San Tan Valley, AZ
AZ Home Seekers, azhomeseekers.com

Jackie I think you have valid points, but your example of SEO is biggest issue.

When I need to refer an agent out of my state, I evaluate recommendations but I also look for an internet presence. Again the agent in Seattle will dilligantly mail out hundreds of cold call letters based on expireds, FSBO's, title company data base, but without any web presence can that be taken seriously? If a recepient recieves a letter from an agent they don't know and they google him and he's a ghost, what are his chances. I honestly think that the 45-60 year old agents are in the sweet spot. Old and experienced enough to have serious credibilty but young enough to embrace enough technology to be relevent the the genX,Y and melinials. Again you brought out some great points.

Oct 21, 2014 09:30 AM
Jackie Hawley
Coldwell Banker Professionals - Oxford, MI
Southeast Michigan Real Estate

Jeffrey- I was mostly ranting about some posts I read recently about high tech is the only way. Me personally- I embrace the internet. 1 good web site. 1 crappy web site that I'm in the process of re-vamping. A half dozen blogs. And I'm in that sweet spot age- 51 (though I don't think outside of MLB there are any more wooden bats thus no sweet spot). I personally use a combination of both high and low tech. But we do have a LOT of high producers who have great reputations and get a lot of business from it. They go out and personally socialize- not social media.

When I was new the MLS books were about all we had besides a dummy terminal in the office for MLS searches printed on a dot matrix printer with no photos. When I got my computer, scanner and color printer in 1992 I did not criticize or castigate the older agents. I learned from them.

And you are correct- out of state referrals all come from the internet now. In the old days we went to the Century 21 or Coldwell Banker relo book. Now I send and receive referrals to non ReMax agents

Oct 21, 2014 09:43 AM