Technology and Real Estate
Technology and Real Estate
Technology and Real Estate have reached a merger in the execution of my daily responsibilities as a real estate broker. In the past technology enabled me to better represent buyers and sellers of single family homes as we sought reach the closing table. In today’s market – my responsibilities as a real estate broker could not be completed without technology.
Here are some samples of how technology has changed the real estate brokerage business
Photography now defines a property. Images of homes listed for sale become the authoritative message to potential buyers. Images determine how a property is perceived by critical players. The first perception potential home buyers have of a property is a digital photograph. Likewise, other brokers searching for properties judge a listing by the images presented by the listing Broker. Photography has grown leaps and bonds in the digital world. iPhones have amazing capacity for digital photography and video. Specialized digital photography, such as the commercial Nikon camera body and Nikkor lens I use, produce photography that approaches reality. When these images are “tweaked” using photo software like Photoshop or Lightroom – the images convey more information “than a 1000 words” in a fraction of a second. Pinterest has skyrocketed to the forefront of conveying messages through a collage of photographs.
Evolution of the Internet. Rather than a tool we sometimes used to enhance our business, the Internet is now the core of our marketing of a property. Many of us are attached by an umbilical cord to the Internet. My iPhone constantly updates me about activity on my listings, my friends activity on facebook and documents that need to be executed for real estate transactions. Using my iPhone I can look up FMLS listings, find an address, read restaurant reviews on YELP and post articles to my blog. My homebuyers are using apps like Zillow, Trulia, Realtor.com and Homes.com to find and evaluate properties. EMAIL still rules as the chief way to share information with clients and prospects (but cellular messaging is a close second).
MOBILE DEVICES Now that so many users have hand held devices like iPhones, iPads, Android phones and tablets – Internet websites have to be adapted so that the browers used by these devices can properly display the info. If your website is not adapted for mobile, visitors to your website will be very disappointed because they can not see the info on their device. Mobile enabled websites are a must.
GOOGLE could come under the heading of Internet – but hey – GOOGLE is the Internet if you deconstruct my use of Google. My clients find me through Google. Home buyers find my properties for sell using Google. As the commercial for Mio says “It changes everything”.
Cellular is still around. I spend hours on the phone. Talking one on one with clients is still very important. But my phone also makes it easy to text buyers and sellers with smaller bites of information. And texting is less invasive so I can send messages at times of the day when a phone call would be intrusive.
Social Interaction. This may not be a positive but social interaction through technology has become entrenched in our psyche. facebook, Instagram, dating sites and much more have great control over social interaction. I use facebook (not my personal account – but a page for my business – Sally English and The English Team) to advertise properties. This blog is a social interaction with my clients, prospects, other real estate agents and who knows who else! Tweeting has come to define an entire age group. I tweet new listings, blog posts, comments about the real estate industry, local news and my feelings.LinkedIn is my social interaction app of choice in the business world – kind of a facebook for business people. Google+ is a similar way of sharing information about yourself or your business.
As I write this, I realize the list could go on for several pages, but I have to leave for a non technology related event – a face to face meeting with a home seller.
I bet we look back on this article in one year and say my goodness – how technology and real estate has changed in one year’s time.
