The Tide is Turning

In the class, “What Customers Want” we look at the trends that are shaping public opinion, thoughts, and responses to you as a real estate agent. The overall trend in the way people shop, buy, and communicate is shaped by the phenomenal growth of Internet personalization. Looking  at social networks and blogs, gives us a sense at how fast this trend is growing. 

If we back this up a bit and look at how this trend effects you as a real estate agent, we find the obvious (and maybe not quite yet obvious…but approaching) changes.

This post is going to focus on the turning tide of perception about agents. A growing perception (I’m not saying universal, or even majority…just a new buzz) that real estate agents may not be as necessary in the future as they were in the past.   The other buzz is that the commission structure needs to change. What’s causing this perception?

Here’s some of the things we’ll explore:

1. The world of DIY (do it yourself). The world of possibilities is exploding. From making your own wine, booking your own world travel, learning how to do your own home repairs and decorating, to self publishing, if you can think of it….you can find information about how to do it. Selling your own home looks pretty simple. There’s no shortage of information and resources to help you do it yourself.
2. Craigslist. Enough said.
3. Edgeio – new kid on the block that believes services that try to restrict how users create and consume information cannot ultimately be successful. Could they be talking about the MLS? 
4. Social media, social networks, and innovation.

At the end of the day, people look at their options. If people have the option to save money, and in the case of 3%-6% of the price of a home, it’s a big savings. Enough to turn the tide.  

Links to some of the availiable search engines and aggregators:

 search engines and aggregators

 http://www.edgeio.com/

http://www.trulia.com/#start

http://base.google.com/

http://www.oodle.com/

http://www.propsmart.com/

PodTech:Small is the New Big: Seth Godin Speaks

Thinking small may be the single biggest shift in marketing today, and impressing four people (not four thousand) is how the best companies practice their craft. For many reasons, Godin believes that marketers now have the greatest moment of opportunity since the invention of the television, but taking advantage of the moment requires courage.

[podtech content=http://media1.podtech.net/media/2006/12/PID_001590/Podtech_Marketing_Voices_Seth_Godin.mp3&postURL=http://www.podtech.net/marketingvoices/marketing-voices/1242/small-is-the-new-big-seth-godin-speaks&totalTime=905000&breadcrumb=CRparent.1176753035.79]

Hello world!

Thank you for stopping by! This site was started with the intention of providing a way to keep our conversation going after class and to provide additional thoughts, resources, and tools.  If you haven’t attended Intentional Training & Developments clock hour class, feel free to poke around. Our classes are only available for agents in the Pacific Northwest but we would totally dig conversations with real estate professionals in other areas.