Last week, I attended a meeting of several select Realtors in the Charlottesville area. All was very informative and I am grateful I was invited – I’m working on a new story now. One thing that struck me was this – in response to a request to provide a comprehensive market report for the public – investors, purchasers, etc. only one Realtor spoke out in favor of this report. The general consensus of the room was that they need to protect the data and hold it close, as the more information they release, the more marginalized they will become.
The data is coming, folks, whether from you or somebody else. This mindset may withstand another few years, but ultimately will not survive. Combatting technology’s integration and influence is a sure-fire way to ensure marginalization.
Jonathan Dalton has a great post about some agents’ feelings about technology.
Technorati Tags: albemarle, charlalbemarle, charlottesville, real estate, realtor, realtor.com, technology
Thanks for the notice, Mr. Duncan …
I was talking to my company’s IT person AFTER I wrote the post; it’s amazing to both of us (and to others) how often discussions of technology fall on deaf ears.
Such is life. More business for me.
Regarding the use of technology – I just spent 45 minutes taking pictures of a new listing for some clients and putting up a quick password-protected photo website for them.
Not my listing. No photos in the MLS. I should send the listing agent a bill. 🙂