The Widening Gap of Miami Realtors
During the last few months I have seen a dramatic change in the industry. Most real estate agents seem to be more stressed than usual and unsure what the future might bring. The reality is that the days of putting a listing up on the MLS and getting multiple offers has become a thing of the past. I know alot of realtors that have thrown in the towel and have already left the business for something more stable. Although I consider many of these people friends of mine, I am looking forward to a thinning out of the business. I think everyone agrees on this.
If your goal is to sell your listings or to market yourself to buyers, you need to get exposure. It's amazing that so few agents embrace technolgy. From websites to blogs to social networking sites, the possibilites are endless. I think realtors tend to forget that it is called THE WORLD WIDE WEB. I have worked with buyers from all over the world and many of them have found me through the internet in some form or another. In fact, 2007 was my best year ever in my 5 years of working with Majestic Properties and I owe much of that success to technology.
I am not saying that as realtors we shouldn't do any traditional advertising, but it is so important to mix the old with the new. I have never had much luck running print ads and always end up feeling like I just wasted alot of money. What's really the point of spending $120 for a little photo and 2 lines of text that only local readers can see? Like most realtors, one of the only reasons I have ever ran a print ad was to make my seller happy.
What's amazing to me is that so few agents actually take this approach. My guess is that in Miami alone there are no more than 10% of realtors who take advantage of the internet. It's pretty easy to see this; simply google any Miami real estate term and the same 20 agents will show up. I spend a good portion of my day researching and finding new ways to market myself online. I truly enjoy doing this and it has become the bread and butter of my business. I am constantly learning about new websites, uploading properties and reading and writing on blogs. I have acquired so much great information over the past few years from reading other realtors blogs and websites.
Over the course of the next few years we are going to see a big transition take place between technology driven realtors and the traditional realtors. The real estate agents who have embraced technology are going to be light years ahead of everyone else and will have the real advantage. This is not just true for the search engines, but also for gaining readership and the overall trust as being a leader in the industry. For more information about Josh Stein please visit my website.
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