I was reading this and then I watched this video.
http://www.vimeo.com/7333549The former speaks of how to define and design web 3.0, think ahead, what is the next phase, what comes after twitter etc. The latter speaks of a position where we spend too much time chasing the former to the extent that one is doing less business. Indeed, it argues that in the USA, technology has overtaken user needs (in real estate).
This argument has merit and whilst I would describe myself very much as a visionary who is looking ahead by any number of years, within the real estate industry there is a real danger the quest for the latest technology is outstripping user needs. Yes, the overwhelming majority of users are online, but are they advanced as we would like to believe? Do they need to be within this industry? Furthermore, are we also accelerating at a pace too fast for real estate agents?
User needs are very simple within this industry and I guess one answer is to ensure you have an online strategy that is based on common sense. It doesn’t have to take up all your time, you don’t need to spend all day on Twitter. Yes, it is imperative you have an online presence, but you obviously need to balance this with the day to day toil of business. Moreover, not forgetting the user in this pursuit is fundamental.
It could be an ironic twist that UK agents who have been slow to embrace their online strategies are actually now at an advantage.
I couldn’t agree more about the need for common sense in marketing real estate. Property sales at their heart are simple and we don’t need to complicate the process unduly.
I’m glad to see the commenter above applying common sense in the debate about new technologies like Web 3.0
Douglas Billing
PropertyNow
Coffs Harbour N.S.W.
QUOTE: “Yes, the overwhelming majority of users are online, but are they advanced as we would like to believe? Do they need to be within this industry? Furthermore, are we also accelerating at a pace too fast for real estate agents?”
Hey, let’s just keep it simple and easy for clients to find the properties they are looking for.
LG
Assets International
UK
Personally i think you do have to keep at the forefront of internet technology in most businesses, so not to be left behind. For example if me and the wife are looking for a new property to buy we will initially scan through Rightmove armed with a glass of vino and tick the ones we are interested in…BUT if we were selling, its a completely different ball game because we want the best, so we will go from recommendations from other people such as Facebook and ask in our status and wait for responses – then we take those responses and visit the recommended websites…now if I go to their website and it looks outdated with clip art everywhere and god forbid music, we won’t give them the time of day. If we went to the website and it had interesting up-to-date articles about the industry etc we would definitely get them to do an estimate. But Hey that’s just the opinion of a 33yr old living in a terrace house in Cheshire! Good luck