Communications technology has altered the marketplace (and very nature of the game) in one industry after the other. USA TODAY takes a look at how the Realtor’s roll is being reshaped in the information age.
“The Internet has done what no consumer advocate could ever do: It has reduced the distance between the consumer and the real estate expert to the point where the consumer is so much more informed, they don’t need the expert as much as they used to,” says Art Raby, an agent for McColly Real Estate in Valparaiso, Ind.
The Internet is also revolutionizing the job of real estate agent — from the way agents attract clients to how they advertise and show properties. When a buyer walks into his office, “They’ve seen the inventory of homes for sale over the Internet, so I don’t have to show as many homes, so I can sell faster and sell more,” Raby says.
I like how Raby sees opportunity in the changes. After all, informed consumers are that much closer to a decision.
