Get Ready for the "Next" Generation of Realtors

Posted in Real Estate Bloggers By Josh Carney, Friday, June 13, 2008.

After spending over a year developing an online lead generation web application for fellow Real Estate agents, it has come to my attention that most Realtors still do not understand how to transform their own business into a mobile money-making machine. And despite all of the expert web bloggers and daily real estate education classes being held at different firms, many Realtors still find themselves sitting behind an office desk (or at their homes) tirelessly phone prospecting, mailing letters, uploading photo after photo of their latest listings onto the local MLS or stiching images all afternoon to provide a 360-degree virtual tour to satisfy their seller(s).
If you haven't you learned by now, time (or a lack there of) can drastically influence the success of Real Estate agent We all know the first agent who speaks to a buyer prospect gets the commission 90+ percent of the time.
Have you not yet learned how to send or recieve text-messages, pictures & emails from your mobile phone? If not, beware. Smartphones & PDA's are becoming an industry standard as new technology is paving the way for mobile web apps, which will empower real estate professionals with the ability to track and follow up with potential buyers, email properties, search/update listings--all using a handheld device.
Much less arrggsome for "Generation X" (which I happen to be a part of) is the adaptation & implimentation of new ideas involving computers, cell phones, internet and the like.
Sadly for agents without a basic understanding of some of the basic digital media outlets(Laptop Air Cards, PDA's, Internet Classifieds, Virtual Tours or similar) which have been widely available for over 5 years now, the old methods are beginning to buckle beneath the weight of new technology.
Plug-in Desktop PC's are rapidly being replaced more portable & compact laptops, Apple iPhones, WTC 8525's, Blackberry PDA's, Treo & Moto Q's.
The good news for all of us is that it isn't too late to learn about these emerging products/services. The bad news is you'd better learn soon. The technology wave brought to you by Generation X is only a sample of what's to come.
Entering into our competetive arena currently is a generation who's baby crib replaced a Gateway computer with CD-Rom.
"Generation Y" are the "speed texters", who can be spotted with their eyes fixed on their cell phones--ipod earplugs dangling from their necks--at the age of 12.
Seek the answers to your questions if you aren't sure about text messaging or emailing using a mobile phone. They are right under your nose. Start with our website. It's a good explanation about just one of the many ways you can utilize text messaging to generate new business.

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Submitted by Dru Bloomfield on June 13, 2008 - 12:30pm.

Josh, I think technology progression is just one aspect of the shift that taking place. Besides utilizing new technologies, work flow and processes have to adapt. With consumers wanting agents to be "always on", there's the challenge of how to balance the inflow of messages, email, and more, so that optimal service is provided. And the issue is more than just one of responding to communications, it's a matter of completing the work that is generated as a result of those communications. For those of us who already generate a significant portion of our business electronically, the challenge now is one of creating a managable work environment, with a consistent level of client care, somehow with one hand always on a keyboard!

Dru Bloomfield
John Hall & Associates

Blog: www.AtHomeInScottsdale.com