What We Lost Will Never Come Back..Is that Good?
We start the first month of the year with a great challenge Things we Have Lost to Internet hosted by Kathleen Daniels, Probate & Trust Specialist and Gary Frimann, CRS, GRI, SRES. I obtained my license in 2002 when everything was a lot different from home shopping to contract to close. I get asked by newer agents if it was more difficult to learn the business back then, I can’t say that it was as we didn’t have many of the systems we have today. We did what we had to do with the tools that were available. There was definitely more human interaction.
As a new agent, I printed and practiced on a blank contract, listing agreement and all the documents needed, knew every page, paragraph by heart. Those of us who have been in the business for a minute most likely operate the same way as we know and understand the importance of these legal documents.
Sadly, I have worked with plenty of newer agents who didn’t have the same type of knowledge since everything is at their fingertips and can be filled out in minutes. Sure, it is a lot easier to fill out a contract today but if we didn’t have the legal description available in MLS, would they be able to find it? How about the zoning, the mileage rate and the list will go on. I think we have become too dependent on the internet and stopped learning. I remember physically going to the appraisers’ office, zoning department to obtain information. Now, I just visit the site and boom..it is right there.
Is real estate still a people business? Most would answer this question yes, however, it is not the same as before the internet. We didn’t have all these sites displaying homes for sale or make cash purchases without ever marketing the home. We can talk about this every single day for hours but the facts will remain the same. iBuyers and sellers do exist. I guess some prefer convenience over profit. 
How we find our buyer and seller clients has also changed thanks to the internet. Some pay to play to lead generation companies, some pay to get email addresses and phone numbers to call..ohh..wait..some agents hire others to make these phone calls. There are auto dialer softwares that dial the numbers all day long and connect the two parties. This didn’t exist twenty years ago. It is a huge service to many but a curse to those who don’t believe in cold calling(by the way, I am on that list).
What you see is not really what you will get. Virtual staging and photoshop are tools many use so the homes look more appealing to online shoppers. I don’t think these are good tools to utilize even when it is disclosed as we know the consumer doesn't read everything. Just because we can doesn’t mean we should. I have literally seen utility poles removed from photos. As a local agent, I can tell but someone who lives in another state would have no idea. Imagine if they purchased a home just based on pictures because they can.
What We Lost Will Never Come Back..Is that Good?
What We Lost Will Never Come Back..Is that Good?
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