In January I will be flying to New York to speak about The Real Estate Brokerage of the Future at the Inman News’ bi-annual Technology Conference. Being recognized as one of the few in the industry who is building a model to take care of the expectations of the new tech-savvy real estate customer, I will be sharing with a national audience what we are innovating here at The GoodLife Team in terms of inventing new tools and implementing cloud-based technologies that are not yet understood by others in the industry.
My message is one that I think is critically important to Brokers, agents and consumers alike. For all, real estate of the future will look much different than real estate of the past. Beyond the change in the economy – there has been a fundamental shift in consumer buyer behavior and how we, as consumers, make choices. And this shift will fundamentally change the way that you interact with your Austin real estate agent. The good news – I see the real estate brokerage of the future putting you, the consumer, squarely back in the center of the transaction.
Technology-Centric & Customer-Obsessed
What do I mean by that? Well, as I mention in my recent interview with Inman News, Real estate is not immune to the fundamental shift in consumer behaviors and expectations. If real estate agents and brokers are going to thrive in this new market, they must be technology-centric and customer-obsessed. Brokers must offer their agents leading technologies, fundamental and specific marketing technology-based strategies and execution, back-end support, quality control and performance measurement in order that the real estate agent has the means to offer you what you should expect in today’s web-based market place. Sadly, most brokers, and their agents, are neither technology-savvy nor customer obsessed. As a result, most buyers and sellers today do not think they are getting an equivalent value for the price they pay their agent and the agent’s broker. Yes, it’s time to demand more from your real estate agent. Marketing and selling your Austin home requires exposure beyond just the MLS. Finding your Austin home requires knowledge beyond being able to search up a 3 bedroom/2 bath in South Austin.
All Agents are not the same
Keep in mind, if you are thinking about buying or selling in the near future, who you hire matters. ALL AGENTS ARE NOT THE SAME…and the gap is getting even wider. Choose wisely. If it isn’t the GoodLife Team, make sure that your Austin real estate agent is technology-centric and customer-obsessed. And that they can demonstrate both. Look at their website. Do they blog? vlog? Are they using social media to assist you in selling your home? How? Do they answer their phone or do you have to leave a message? How long does it take them to call you back? These are just a few questions to help you start noticing the differences in agents.
Helping you, the customer, is a privilege
I am grateful, daily, for the trust you put in me and my company to help you with your most important asset. It is a privilege to be able to serve you. As I told Inman, ‘I see that people at the top of this industry are so far removed from the public and their needs, as well as the needs of their agents.’ This ultimately causes them to lose sight of you, the customer, and trickles down through the organization. It’s too easy for these big box brokers (as I like to call them) to treat you like a dollar sign. Moving into the future, I do not think you will tolerate this. I invite you to read my interview with Inman News in it’s entirety at http://glt.bz/inman. I will continue to lead the charge in building the GoodLife Team to be the Real Estate Brokerage of the Future and NEVER LOSE SIGHT that I do it all for you, my customers.
As an end to this blog-I would like to ask …. As we move into the real estate world of the future, what would like to see differently in terms of what we as an industry offer you, a home buyer and/or seller?
UPDATE 07/15: WE WON!!! More details and celebration to come.
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