Sales Octane #81

"There's a man who leads a life of danger, To everyone he meets he stays a stranger.

With every move he makes another chance he takes, Odds are he won't live to see tomorrow.

Secret agent man, secret agent man, They've given you a number and taken away your name."   Johnny Rivers

That is just what the next evolution of the Real Estate agent is starting to look like . . . .   a number without a face.  And thanks to the online services, real estate information has spread from agents to customers.  The buyer is now a semi-pro stalker of real estate.  They have decided the value of the listing agent is minimal and not worth the commission.

What is driving this force forward, the monopoly of the Multiple Listing Service.  By not opening up this information to the public, it has driven sites like Zillow.com, HomeGain.com, RealEstateABC.com and other website to some of the most visited sites today.

Another force is the poor mentality of the past Real Estate agents of  "just get the listing" and the buyers will come.  NOT TODAY!   I truly hope the weeds are being pulled or they are teaching old dogs new tricks.

Now where do we go from here?

First, open up the MLS to everyone.  Share the information that is needed and wanted by the public.  Charge for the access or the listing and keep it reasonable. 

Experts will still be needed to interpret the information and apply it each situation.

Second, your business needs to offer an "Experience".  The role of a "marketeer", (all for one and one for all) meaning the client will need a presence for 1.  Staging, 2.  Negotiating, and 3. Advertising. 

Of course agents provide quite a bit more, but these three opportunities will set apart the top producers.  These producers will command their traditional price and the other will be left sniffing for the crumbs.

Be ready as the MLS you know will self destruct in 30 seconds.

Maverick Rules!