Why Tech Will Never Dominate Real Estate

by | Jul 30, 2018 | Jobs Featured

Tech Works, But Human Interaction Invigorates Real Estate

Today, when looking for housing, most people start out by searching online. New technology makes it easy to find a suitable match and prospective residents can read listing information, look at photos, and even take virtual tours of different properties. Such convenience seems a far cry from the days when you had to visit a real estate agent in person or look for open house listings in the newspaper. Get to know the industry better, though, and it becomes clear that tech will never take over the field. At its core, real estate is a deeply social industry.

The Personal Touch

The most important part of working in real estate is having a great personality. Digital interactions can be very impersonal, and clients are going to share an intimate part of their lives with you. By offering some details, stories about your life, and what you’re passionate about in your professional and personal life, you seem more like a friend than a bank teller. Your personality is your most important marketing tool, so use it to your advantage.

Creative Communication

New visual marketing tools like virtual staging, drone tours, and 3-D video are now considered must-haves among many real estate agents who are trying to connect and communicate with clients, and in premise, they’re a good idea. Such tools help people understand a space before they visit, determine whether it meets their needs, and can save time and money overall. What these creative communication strategies overlook, though, is that communication needs to be between two people. These models send a message, but they fail to create a connection between clients and agents.

Instead of emphasizing these new tools so heavily, real estate agents often connect more successfully using old strategies such as business cards and mailings. By designing a distinctive business card with your contact information to hand out to potential and current clients, you ensure you’re their first call when they’re interested in a property. You also make it clear that you’ll act as a resource throughout the entire search and purchase process, not just when it’s time to close the sale.

Hit The Streets

GPS and Google Maps can tell you a lot about a city, but the only way to really understand an area is by walking around and exploring on your own. Clients, especially those from out of town, rely on your knowledge of different communities when making a purchase. You should be able to speak knowledgeably to new construction, what schools properties are zoned for, and what stores, parks, and other resources are in different areas. If you don’t know the neighborhood first hand, how can customers trust you to do your due diligence on their future home?

The Importance Of The Agent

As a real estate agent, you offer a lot of benefits that go far beyond what technology provides to clients – and the final and most important element is empathy. Your clients are going through a stressful time in their lives, and you need to demonstrate that you understand and want to help them find the perfect solution to their housing needs. A computer will never form that kind of personal connection with clients, and while technology can help improve and streamline property sales, individuals make the sales. That relationship can’t be replaced.

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