McClelland Minute - July 5, 2009

High-Tech, High-Touch

Every year our Group interviews approximately one hundred clients to find out what we are doing right, what we can do better, and to gain an insight into how the people we serve want to trade real estate.  For the past five years, use of the Internet has become increasingly important.  Initially, less than 70% of our clients searched for information on the World Wide Web before contacting us; this number has now grown to over 92%!

Our response has been to steadily invest in more powerful technology that both my team members and our clients can use.  Consider for example, the whole concept of describing where a listing is located.  It used to be sufficient to provide a civic address, and let the client figure out how to get there.  These days, everyone wants a map.  You can even download latitude and longitude coordinates on most of our listings from our website which in turn creates a destination point that can be entered into either a handheld or vehicle mounted GPS navigation system.  Combined with a Google Maps or MapQuest navigation system, this enables the interested party to receive accurate directions to the property in question.  No more getting lost in the SW quadrant of the City or a remote country location!

Virtual tours are a time saver for both the client and the Realtor.  We take as many digital photos as we can so that a potential buyer can get a sense of a property’s condition and presentation.  Visitors viewing these albums find them very helpful in narrowing their search.  It also helps us advise the seller on the activity their property is generating.  For example, if an acreage that has been on the market for 90 days in the critical spring season has had close to 700 virtual tours, with just a few requests to show, and no offers; it may be an indication there is an aspect of the property that doesn’t present well or it may be overpriced for the current market. 

Smart phones or personal digital assistants like Blackberry have had a major impact making communication almost instantaneous.  An increasing number of clients will text us, rather than phone or email.  As Realtors we maintain several databases that support our practice from MLS information to customer and supplier contact directories.  Each of us maintains two offices, one in the brokerage, and the other in our home, but all of our Group’s software programs are web based, so a team member can virtually work any where there is an Internet connection.  In a 7 day per week business, this can provide us with some flexibility and quality of life.

I personally carry 150 + active listings over a 6,000 sq mile area and find it difficult to remember details on each one.  Lugging around 200 pounds of manila files was obviously out of the question, so several years ago we implemented a 24 hour toll free information line with an unique extension number assigned to each property and placed it on the sign in front of it. Not only does this allow anyone to get the pertinent information they seek, including price, by using their cell phone without waiting for a Realtor to call them back, but it also satisfied one of the recommendations our clients made several years ago: “Vern, don’t take it personal, but I don’t want to talk to you until I am ready!”

So where do we go from here?  I think that technology can provide clean, concise information in a timely manner and that is obviously very important to today’s real estate buyer or seller.  However, these tools are only as good as the person who wields them.  There is still a need for the sound advice and support that a competent Realtor can provide.  It is all about establishing trust and maintaining a good working relationship.

Vern McClelland is associate broker with RE/MAX of Lloydminster.  If you have questions or comments on this article or other real estate matters, he can be reached at 780.808.2700 or through the McClelland Group website www.mcclelland.ca

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