It is hard to believe, but I am actually giving seminars to my fellow real estate agents on new programs and technology available to them from our main broker and our national affiliation. Now mind you, the reason I find this a little hard to comprehend, is the fact that I have been using these different tools since I first started in the business or as they became available with no second thoughts. I am not of the generation x nor the generation y group, but rather part of that baby boomer generation who was not afraid (for one reason or another) to take the plunge and learn. So I now bring in my overhead projector once a month, and explain to seasoned agents the various programs that will not only save them time, but are becoming part of the process in our office for being more efficient with the various departments. I hear moaning and groaning and "we got along just fine before all this" comments.
I sit back and realize I am witnessing the Darwin theory in action. Those who can adapt will survive and those who cannot will not. The strong will take over the weak. The weak will eventually disappear. We are being bombarded by information, mainly negative, of how the profession of real estate is changing and how agents need to change also. This is not the first time in history this has happened. There was a time when agents fought the whole idea of not carrying around books with listing information prior to having the MLS available online...there was a time when you had a regular master key to get into homes....there was a time when you could say almost anything to a potential buyer to protect the interest of the seller for whom everyone represented...there was a time when their were payphones and long playing record albums!
What I am trying to get at is the coorelation of available information and technology constantly being thrown out there where agents who are use to simply answering the phone for leads and putting deals together with no effort, are shutting down with frustration and almost a sense of trepidation. They are the negative forces in the office. They are the ones who sit and complain and wonder why someone else is doing so well...must be secret leads from the manager.
This coorelation of available information is also affecting the clients today via different sites on the internet. They use to have to go through a listing agent just to get general information about a home...they now know more than a lot of agents when they call on a particular piece of property and neighborhood. I especially enjoy working with this group...it is one of the reason I refused to be a substitute teacher for any grade lower than highschool...I like to have intelligent conversations!
I think we have entered into the realm of TOO MUCH INFORMATION and how does one process it all. The national news is telling us how the housing industry is nothing but doom and gloom, yet there are first time home buyers purchasing (with LITGITIMATE MORTGAGES) there are sellers who are selling their homes still having equity...We need to attempt to address this situation just like we EAT AN ELEPHANT..one bite at a time....one piece of information at a time...and the realization that the national news is not our local condition report.
Agents will do fine if they can simply take it one step at a time, and the clients will also thrive if they can find an agent who can disseminate all the details for them. We had a hard time adjusting to various changes in our society in the past, but we eventually all learned to do away with the outside plumbing. We just need to all take a deep breath and start one bite at a time to achieve our goals. Including real estate agents who need to improve their learning curve..and the clients who ultimately need an agent to put all the pieces together for them...Just like eating the elephant!
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