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jeudi 2 avril 2015

How Can The Traditional Real Estate Brokerage Survive?

By Ernesto Berturand


The traditional real estate brokerage may have a future of change according to a number of investigative reports. Predictions that the next few years may mark the ending of an era of real estate brokerage service as it is known it right now. It is unlikely that change is unavoidable as a result of proliferation of big property portals, fee for service style brokerage companies, drastically changing online solutions, and the significant restructuring and release of data from listing services.

What has resulted is two things: continuing consolidation into larger and larger real estate brokerage companies that control multiple segments including mortgage origination and relocation or a new paradigm real estate model that supports buyer representation, agent employed, technology driven fee for service. The impact of this plus the push to change the traditional role of the agent as only a transactional middleman, places a downward pressure on commissions.

Brokerages must evolve to provide a larger variety of transactional services before, during and after the home purchase to supplement declining real estate commissions. Business services have expanded into mortgage, title, insurance, warranty and home repair type services.

A new form of real estate industry has manifested in response to communication technology advancements online. The public comes armed with more detailed information obtainable through the use of nation wide real estate portals which include Zillow and Trulia and starts a home investigation well before communicating with a real estate agent. These web sites make a lot more real estate data available but have introduced a middle man in between agents and clients. As a result a great deal more money is allocated to merchandising properties targeting consumers. The "preferred agent" on many of these web sites is not the most qualified realtor but instead is the individual who paid the greatest amount of money to be at the top. The portals' published information is typically less reliable, out of date and somewhat less wide-ranging than that of local agents.

The days of simply placing a for sale sign in a lawn or an classified advertisement in the local paper to gain success are bygone days for realtors. Only through mastery of numerous skill-sets that propel their business venture and becoming an expert in their niche will agents prosper. Real Estate has historically had a relatively small hurdle to admission, an opportunity to work independently as well as having high financial potential. Real estate agents in the past simply needed to express very minimal competence to successfully pass a licensing exam and after that were left unaided to get additional training.

Nowadays, new agents face more stringent education requirements, continuing education and years of transaction experience to advance. The mindset of the traditional agent, fueled by competition and the attitude of putting their commission before the needs of the client, has ultimately been the undoing. Agents must now provide the highest level of service to everyone by becoming a master of technology and expert advisor rather than behave as a traditional agent who guards their best secrets and fears the competition. Real estate agents who are committed to the success of others around them will find more success. They will need to understand a variety of things in addition to real estate, such as marketing, people, sales, negotiation, and finance.

Productive realtors will likely differentiate themselves as providers of counsel to customers and co-workers while continuing to learn about each and every part of the real estate industry. This position of sharing increases trustworthiness and nurtures clients who respect the real estate agent's wisdom, consider their competence and receive reputable hints together with foreseeable ultimate results.

The only way to avoid becoming obsolete is to reinvent your role before the marketplace does it for you. When the concept of real estate brokers arose, there was no Internet. Brokers controlled all the information so that from afar, there was no way to know anything about a property. There were far fewer ways to advertise properties too. The role of the real estate agent needs to focus on what services can you provide that a client can't already do online. This means collecting, managing and sharing information rather than simply using the same information that everyone else has. Be absolutely trustworthy by doing the right thing proactively. Find a way to create and shape a role that significantly benefits clients.

The disruption taking place in real estate will affect traditional brokerages that have recruited, partnered and supported independent agents. Agents still provide a valuable service that most of us need and want. The traditional broker business model centers around recruiting more and more agents who are ineffective in customer service, ethics and sales and thereby reduce the quality of real estate services in general. The broker gets a bigger split from poor performing agents who create a reputation problem for the industry. Better producing agents get a bigger commission cut because they provide the most value which means there is diminishing value of the broker.

The only way to cultivate consumer respect in a sector where the general public has an abundance of information and facts is to change the way business is conducted. The opportunity for the revolutionary brokerage firm really should be to collect data for their customers, analyze and interpret comparables, and dispensing critical information with prospective buyers, home sellers and property investors. Brokers can adopt the same technique to boost their agent relationships by making appropriate software selections and solutions. As a added value to their agents, brokerages must provide the service of continually analyzing technological innovation and helping to make choices for the realtors.

A small brokerage firm is now able to work effectively with significantly fewer employees to manage everyday business tasks as a result of huge advances in computer systems and technology. Brokerages are able to deliver full value to a group of sales agents through cooperation as an effective technique for addressing business crisis. Delivery of high levels of customer care along with coaching agents on a shared software platform promotes top-quality capabilities amongst agents due to the supportive office environment. The simpler, more enduring delivery of quality services for the client is just one of the many advantages of teamwork within a brokerage. Another advantage certainly is the greater sense of inclusion which can minimize agent turnover. Agents working together cooperatively promotes specialization and skillset expertise amongst the team. The professional team strategy is superior in enabling an individual's successes.

The consumer trend is to seek trust, transparency and a better real estate experience. Mobility, speed and personal service are critically important in serving today's savvy consumers. Success in real estate requires that agents understand local markets and sharing that information with consumers through their preferred communication channels (email, phone call, text, social media, etc.) Most buyers now prefer to spend hours searching portal sites like Realtor.com and Zillow largely because of the trust issue with real estate agents. They are demanding greater transparency at every stage of the buying process. But when a buyer is ready to act, they want an immediate response. Consumers are also relying on their Facebook friends and other online sources for referrals to real estate professionals. Social media is where everyone looks but you have to build trust online and provide valuable information not sales pitches. Consumers still rely on agents for help sorting through data, negotiating the transaction and walking them through the whole process.

More supervision of agent education, software and customer service delivery allows the creation of a formidable brand awareness by real estate brokerages. Typically, brokers must take on the business of lead generation and investigate innovative methods to provide increased value for their realtors. By developing a prominent online presence, creating videos and communicating with the consumer, brokers are able to ensure that their agents deliver outstanding service to the customer. The general public is substantially less dependent upon real estate professionals because local real estate information readily available via mobile device, social and electronic technology. Agents who ask the right questions and offer wisdom will make themselves invaluable as a vital source for clients. Streamlining throughout all areas of business will provide an industry advantage to the real estate agent and broker.

The ActiveLife Realty Team has embraced this brokerage model and places emphasis on outstanding service to clients. By fostering a culture of cooperation and collaboration amongst the team members, the brokerage empowers agents who work together to ensure the best possible real estate experience for clients. As in any business, when the team members are happy, uncompetitive and confident in their abilities, this positive atmosphere is transferred to the client.

Under the guidance and tutelage of Broker, Alice Gardiner, the boutique brokerage was formed in 2009 as Gardiner Real Estate. Joined that same year by Sandy Hanner, the real estate firm was founded on the principles of a strict code of ethics and hard work on behalf of each and every client. The focus at that time was on the niche market of Sun City Texas since the founders' expertise was in working for the development builder, Pulte Homes. With a combined work history with Pulte of over 25 years, familiarity with every aspect of new and resale homes in Sun City Texas is a valuable body of knowledge that provides a distinct advantage to each client of the brokerage.

In 2011 the brokerage rebranded itself as Sun City Realty to identify the specialized niche serviced by the real estate brokerage. It became apparent that the active mature market would experience a boom in Central Texas and that other home builders would want to target the enormous population of retiring baby boomers. Sun City Realty subsequently reinvented itself as the ActiveLife Realty Team and added 2 more realtors to assist clients. In the later part of 2014, the general contractor of Sun City Texas finalized the purchase of an additional 1500 acres of land to continue expansion of the community. This announced growth has stimulated the ActiveLife Realty Team to broaden their marketing to include all Central Texas master-planned neighborhoods in addition to active adult communities.

Now the ActiveLife Realty Team has developed methods to manage clientele, transactions and promotion, delivers instruction and support to real estate agents, administers and sustains the best quality of real estate transaction operations, and also encourages a cooperative group mentality to every facet of client service. The brokerage firm has undergone many changes to provide greater value to consumers. Having always been dedicated to offering high quality leads to sales agents, the ActiveLife Realty Team has produced a web site that delivers so much information to potential customers that there is consumer trust. As soon as these individuals agree to sign up for a newsletter or to receive a free "Buyers Guide," potential customers have discovered a trustworthy and transparent source for real estate information and are pre-qualified. The simple fact that the ActiveLife Realty Team of real estate agents are strictly buyers agents and the website educates consumers about the clear benefits of receiving impartial advocacy in real estate deals, confirms that trust. The ActiveLife Realty Team certainly is the way forward in a rapidly changing industry to deliver customer oriented results.




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