Realtors are Here to Stay!

Remember the  panic in the early 90’s when the once secured listing pool in our Multiple Listing Service became less controlled and more available to the general public. We were all squawking that if our lifeblood (listings) were casually placed out into the internet, it would be the demise of the Realtor as we knew it. Well yes….and no.  15 years later we are still here but our purpose and roles have changed. Our business has become more streamlined, focused and more targeted.

Here are a few interesting statistics from an ’09 National Association of Realtor’s survey:

• 86% of Buyer’s used the internet
• 87% of Buyer’s who used the internet, used a real estate professional
• 74% of Buyer’s who did not use the internet, used a real estate professional
• Typical internet Buyer is; 39 years old, married and yearly income is $74,300
• Typical non-internet Buyer is; 51 years old, married and yearly income is $61,000

These figures show me that the internet Buyer uses a Realtor more often than a non internet Buyer….interesting. My guess is that free information is good but the internet Buyer still needs someone to interpret, screen and organize all of that information and to make sense of all that “stuff”. The internet Buyer needs a Realtor to cut to the chase and get you the information that is appropriate for you and your situation. A Realtor will always be needed to guide a Buyer through the mine field known as escrow. Our society becomes a more litigious one than less. We have become less important in the initial stages of a Buyer’s search but we will always be important where it counts.

Cheers to us agents who have stuck it out during one of the worst Real Estate markets in history. These savvy internet buyers now have a whittled pool of seasoned, professional and resilient agents to help guide them to their home ownership experience. As the economy picks up steam and home sales increase, I leave you with a quote from a friend….”A rising tide lifts all ships”. See you all at the crest!