Are Realtors Behind the Times?
You all remember when we didnt have TV, just radio shows like The Shadow Knows? Remember the miracle of TVs when we first got those? And how about the awe and fascination of finally having color TV? Then they got slimmer, smarter and sexier with an Einstein formula of bazillions of colors? Now, ... now your asking Whats a split cable? Blue Ray? How on earth do I program this remote? Hook it up to smart what? Who is Metallica, I-Pod what? And so on ... point is, today buyers and sellers are online not just on places like Zillow.
Or perhaps your more one of those downloading and personalizing an app, watching movies on your notebook or I-pad, spending more time surfing your Android browser or other mobile device than you do on your desk or laptop, and Skyping with a friend, Tweeting the cool pics, links and updates, and then Tumbling what you found on FourSquare on Tumblr.
My point is, the world keeps changing, and so does each generations. Albeit two different generations can share much, but each will always have a portion unfamiliar for the other. Its either the past or present. But as Realtors, we need to be familiar with todays buyers.
Realtors Need to Speak Buyers and Sellers Language Their Way ...
According to NAR (the National Association of Realtors the current age of the average first time buyer is 31 and the second time buyers average age is 38. Of course thats an average not without some exceptions. The average age of a Realtor in 2013 was 56, and in polls, many consumers stated theyd like working with someone closer to their age. Ok, but buyers should realize those agents 45 and older have a lot of experience, the average years of experience being 11-13 years. If I was a buyer, Id tell an agent my preferred method of communicating is usually text, or that you dont listen to voice mails, or do everything possible via email. Realtors have to study to an increasing degree the mind of the buyer and sellers they reach out to.
There is so much information out there available to Realtors, how-to instructions, tutorials, online learning centers and especially here at our own company, I teach social media classes, SEO and how to really get your listings out there, how to build a local network in your local territory and ways to be instantly notified of someones inquiry about a home or showing request.
If you go to Radio Shack or Home Depot, you expect a professional to help you and to be knowledgeable about the issue. But if they cant speak the same language its going to really hard to get the critical points across in a timely manner.