09 Sep For Real Estate Agents, Technology Is a Curse and a Blessing
According to a joint study from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and Google, real estate-related searches on Google.com have grown 253% over the past four years.
Google Head of Real Estate Patrick Grandinetti said, “Increasingly, online technologies are driving offline behaviors, and home buying is no exception. With 90% of home buyers searching online during their home buying process, the real estate industry is smart to target these people where they look for and consume information—for example through paid search, relevant websites, video environments, and mobile applications.”
Incidentally, it’s more important than ever to be in this space, but for many real estate agents, they can allow technology to distract them from doing what they do best: selling homes. That’s why it’s so important to put together a technology strategy that’s focused and specific.
Social media, for example, is one form of technology that most agents know is good for their business. It’s all about building relationships, but if you don’t understand how to make it work for you, it can easily distract you from your foremost objective. There’s a fine line between managing these relationships and becoming bogged down with updating your Facebook and Twitter statuses every few hours. It’s easy to spread yourself too thin and undo everything you’ve worked so hard to achieve.
Both technology and social media should be used to generate more business while remaining organized and effective. Of course, there are different programs and apps out there that can streamline your day-to-day tasks which will give you more time with your clients, but if you’re incorporating technology into your business, you need to be disciplined and focused. Set clear goals and decide how technology can help you achieve them.
Consider joining a group that shares valuable tips and advice on how to build a social network, or use technology to build your brand. While technology won’t solve all of your problems as a real estate agent, it can definitely help your day-to-day operation. Just keep in mind that your number one goal is to sell homes, and experiment with ways that technology can complement your current strategy.
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