Comments on: How do you assess your agent’s tech skills? http://www.realcentralva.com/2006/11/02/how-do-you-assess-your-agents-tech-skills/ Tracking Charlottesville's Real Estate Market since 2005 Thu, 18 Mar 2010 13:02:43 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Loren Nason http://www.realcentralva.com/2006/11/02/how-do-you-assess-your-agents-tech-skills/comment-page-1/#comment-1328 Loren Nason Sat, 11 Nov 2006 06:50:52 +0000 http://www.realcentralva.com/2006/11/02/how-do-you-assess-your-agents-tech-skills/#comment-1328 Jim and JR, Another thing that many realtors fail to realize is that their email address also reveals to their prospective customer their tech experience level. It used to be that just having an email address was fine and it didn't matter what it was. That has changed now and it matters what your email address is. If your email address is johnrealtor@aol.com you will be looked down upon as someone that has no idea what they are doing and should not be in business for themselves. I brought this up on my new blog Future of Real Esate Technology. Loren Jim and JR,

Another thing that many realtors fail to realize is that their email address also reveals to their prospective customer their tech experience level.

It used to be that just having an email address was fine and it didn’t matter what it was.

That has changed now and it matters what your email address is. If your email address is johnrealtor@aol.com you will be looked down upon as someone that has no idea what they are doing and should not be in business for themselves.

I brought this up on my new blog
Future of Real Esate Technology.

Loren

]]> By: And the Blogroll Grows… at The Phoenix Real Estate Guy http://www.realcentralva.com/2006/11/02/how-do-you-assess-your-agents-tech-skills/comment-page-1/#comment-1301 And the Blogroll Grows… at The Phoenix Real Estate Guy Sat, 04 Nov 2006 18:28:57 +0000 http://www.realcentralva.com/2006/11/02/how-do-you-assess-your-agents-tech-skills/#comment-1301 [...] Jim Duncan’s RealCentralVA is quite simply a glaring omission from my blogroll. Out of my “hometown” of Charlottesville, VA (born there, left at the ripe old age of six months and only went back once as a kid to see the Monticello and drive by Martha Jefferson hospital to see the monument erected commemorating my birth) Jim covers EVERYTHING, not just Cville real estate. For example (and it’s just one of many). Actually, looks like I’ve lost my mind as Jim WAS already blogrolled. Oh well, I’m leaving this here as he’s worth an extra nod. [...] [...] Jim Duncan’s RealCentralVA is quite simply a glaring omission from my blogroll. Out of my “hometown” of Charlottesville, VA (born there, left at the ripe old age of six months and only went back once as a kid to see the Monticello and drive by Martha Jefferson hospital to see the monument erected commemorating my birth) Jim covers EVERYTHING, not just Cville real estate. For example (and it’s just one of many). Actually, looks like I’ve lost my mind as Jim WAS already blogrolled. Oh well, I’m leaving this here as he’s worth an extra nod. [...]

]]> By: Jim Duncan http://www.realcentralva.com/2006/11/02/how-do-you-assess-your-agents-tech-skills/comment-page-1/#comment-1298 Jim Duncan Sat, 04 Nov 2006 00:46:31 +0000 http://www.realcentralva.com/2006/11/02/how-do-you-assess-your-agents-tech-skills/#comment-1298 JR - What you have laid out is a structure which most agents could use and benefit from. Thank you. My Waynesboro site will be up in the near future. If you have the time, check out my newer <a href="http://www.realcentralvarealestate.com" rel="nofollow">local site</a> does it meet most of your needs? JR –

What you have laid out is a structure which most agents could use and benefit from. Thank you. My Waynesboro site will be up in the near future. If you have the time, check out my newer local site does it meet most of your needs?

]]> By: JR Jackson http://www.realcentralva.com/2006/11/02/how-do-you-assess-your-agents-tech-skills/comment-page-1/#comment-1297 JR Jackson Fri, 03 Nov 2006 15:14:38 +0000 http://www.realcentralva.com/2006/11/02/how-do-you-assess-your-agents-tech-skills/#comment-1297 Following up on my last comment, here are a few things I look for when initially speaking to an agent, and they're definitely not all technologically driven: 1) Presentation. Are their marketing materials professional in appearance with no misspellings, typos or grammatical errors. You'd be surprised at how many Valley Realtors fail to meet this rather basic hurdle. If they don't take the time to run spell-checker on someone's listing, it makes me wonder what other corners they're cutting. 2) Market knowledge. If the extent of an agent's commentary on market conditions is "real estate is always a great investment!" I'm out the door. 3) Website. I need to be able to Google your website and find it without a great amount of difficulty. I shouldn't have to put in a dozen search terms to find the site, and once I'm on the site, I want to see that effort is given towards presenting "featured listings" beyond simply redirecting to the lousy MLS page. And it sure would be nice if the "Map" links on the page actually showed perspective buyers where the listing was located. If not (new development, etc), provide a textual description of where the property is located. As a perspective buyer, I don't call a Realtor for more information on those kinds of properties, I move onto another listing that someone else actually wants to sell. 4) Communication. An agent need not carry a BlackBerry, but he or she better do business by email so that I can communicate with them on MY BlackBerry. Sending me a packet of information by US Mail is a quick way to get ignored. Maybe my demands are unique, but my sense is that Realtors who are either trying to defend their turf or are unwilling to get with the times are going to be left behind over the next 5-10 years. Educated people in their 20s and early 30s are accustomed to living their lives on the Internet - everything from buying cars to staying in touch with friends. Realtors in NoVa and increasingly in Charlottesville seem to get this, which is encouraging. Following up on my last comment, here are a few things I look for when initially speaking to an agent, and they’re definitely not all technologically driven:
1) Presentation. Are their marketing materials professional in appearance with no misspellings, typos or grammatical errors. You’d be surprised at how many Valley Realtors fail to meet this rather basic hurdle. If they don’t take the time to run spell-checker on someone’s listing, it makes me wonder what other corners they’re cutting.
2) Market knowledge. If the extent of an agent’s commentary on market conditions is “real estate is always a great investment!” I’m out the door.
3) Website. I need to be able to Google your website and find it without a great amount of difficulty. I shouldn’t have to put in a dozen search terms to find the site, and once I’m on the site, I want to see that effort is given towards presenting “featured listings” beyond simply redirecting to the lousy MLS page. And it sure would be nice if the “Map” links on the page actually showed perspective buyers where the listing was located. If not (new development, etc), provide a textual description of where the property is located. As a perspective buyer, I don’t call a Realtor for more information on those kinds of properties, I move onto another listing that someone else actually wants to sell.
4) Communication. An agent need not carry a BlackBerry, but he or she better do business by email so that I can communicate with them on MY BlackBerry. Sending me a packet of information by US Mail is a quick way to get ignored.

Maybe my demands are unique, but my sense is that Realtors who are either trying to defend their turf or are unwilling to get with the times are going to be left behind over the next 5-10 years. Educated people in their 20s and early 30s are accustomed to living their lives on the Internet – everything from buying cars to staying in touch with friends. Realtors in NoVa and increasingly in Charlottesville seem to get this, which is encouraging.

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