5 ways real estate agents can stay relevant while tech invades

Many real estate agents are concerned that technological advances will drive them out of business. However, while technology has changed how most real estate agents operate, it has not rendered them obsolete just yet.

Here are five ways to resist tech-induced obsoletion and retain your clientele in this changing market.

1. Save your clients time during homebuying and selling

Although it can be simple to find or create a property listing thanks to companies like Zillow and Trulia, the actual process of moving real estate is incredibly time-intensive. First-time homebuyers often find the homebuying process stressful due in part to the amount of time it takes to complete a transaction.

Some time-saving services you can offer to potential clients are:

• Contact point: Whether you are working with buyers or sellers, you can act as the main contact point for these individuals. By doing this, property transfer can go more smoothly for your clients as they will not have to chase down the other party to conduct business.
• Advise contract negotiations: Your experience as a real estate agent will be invaluable to clients going through this process. Instead of spending hours trying to research fair contracts, your clients will have your advice at the ready.
• Property management: As long as a home stays on the market without a resident, the home will require a property manager. The management can be very time-consuming, and many owners would be more than happy to have a capable manager.

2. Offer a wider reach for property sellers

Listing a property online is a fairly good way to capture a large number of potential homebuyers, but there are still plenty of homebuyers who are not comfortable relying on the internet.

Many people engaged in selling a property don’t consider the large potential market they are cutting off by only listing their property online.

If you are able to show these potential sellers that their listing has a much greater reach with your help than with the internet alone, you can resist being cut out of a future commission.

3. Assist with property inspection

Online photos of a property are carefully curated to present the property in the best light possible. This curation can present a difficulty for homebuyers trying form a realistic idea of what the property is like in real life.

As a real estate agent, you can offer your help with property inspections. Although it would be a conflict of interest for you to be the property inspector, you can give potential buyers a clearer idea of what the property is actually like and what may need repairs.

4. Help those who prefer high privacy while selling

There are some sellers who want to operate a high level of privacy while selling their properties. Maintaining this privacy is generally impossible if they are conducting their property sale themselves.

If you have built up a strong reputation as a real estate agent, these reclusive clients will be more likely to want to work with you. To help convince this type of client that you’re the best fit for the job, it is best if you can show them the following:

• Many connections to property owners and investors who you can work with to move your client’s property.
• Careful marketing online and offline, with you as the contact point. If they are resistant to online marketing, have a wide array of offline marketing strategies to offer them.

5. Stay on top of market offerings

Many potential homebuyers become frustrated because online home listings are not updated quick enough. A way to establish trust between you and your client is for you to stay on top of the most current market offerings.

Not only will you be more likely to retain your clients throughout their homebuying process, but you’ll be more likely to be recommended by these clients.