Technological advancements are all around us, making our daily chores and functions easier. Booking a cab or a flight ticket or a holiday is just a click away. There have been reports of technology eliminating human intervention totally but it is clear that a smart combination of human intelligence and technology will remain the key to any successful venture.
With the arrival of technology in the real estate industry, there has been fear that realtors will be soon replaced entirely by housing portals and websites. The basic functions of a realtor may be replaced by technology, but the human element will always remain a critical part of a home buying/selling transaction. In fact, the use of technology will help realtors to conduct their business in a rapid manner and move towards more closures. Property search websites have empowered the consumer to a huge extent but the role of realtors has been further enhanced and their demand has grown multi-fold.
Realtors will always remain a necessary link between buyers and sellers in the coming years as the following reasons will justify:
- Purchasing a home is the largest big-ticket transaction in a person’s lifetime and this may or may not be repeated in the near future. This makes it an emotion-charged event which they would want to carry out in the most sensible way possible as it has the potential to affect many factors of their lives and could have negative consequences if not handled well. The physical presence of a realtor assures buyers of practical advice and emotional guidance that’s necessary during its critical decision making process. Even if property portals give a quick display of properties, it is the reassuring presence of a professional realtors that clinches the issue for most buyers and sellers.
- There are a few functions of the realtor that a property website or a software can emulate to a certain extent. But when it is time to meet with prospective buyers or sellers for your property, convince potential buyers about the advantages of buying your property or checking out the negative aspects of a locality, it is the friendly, neighbourhood realtor who is irreplaceable. Many properties need the alliance of a couple of other realtors too and having a realtor by the side, can be a real asset in such a case.
- If you are looking for a cost effective method to sell your existing home or buy one, then a certified realtor is your best bet. While selling your property, he will manage the marketing bit and also filter out the real buyers from the crowd (read fly-by-night “agents”), saving you a lot of heart-burn and time. Since a professional realtor has a good understanding of the documentation needed to apply for a loan, you will save a lot of back and forth while approaching a lender. His invaluable knowledge of documents while registering your property or paying stamp duty will come in handy and ensure that the process is smooth and hassle-free.
- Approach a professional and certified realtor if you have plans to buy a property or sell your current one. Smart Realtors make efficient use of the advances in real-estate technology and use it creatively to augment the buying/selling process. Everyone loves a good storyteller and a realtor is fully capable of weaving an interesting episode around a recent incident, which a portal may fail to identify.
- A realtor will enhance the unusual features of a property you would have otherwise ignored and highlight the benefits of living in a particular neighbourhood. Having a keen sense of business, he will be perfect to analyze the property’s potential to give returns in the coming years, something which an automated portal may lose out on. By using technology to give a fulfilling experience to customers, a realtor further enhances the quality of services being offered by him.