How Technology is Changing the Real Estate Industry

Technology is a catalyst for change in most industries.  The real estate industry, in particular, has undergone major change over the past 10 years and shows no signs of slowing down. While the basics of selling real estate haven’t changed, the tools used to do it have. You need to keep up or risk being left out. These days you can access virtually anything, or anyone, from a smart phone. Agents can communicate with clients, managers and service partners, set their open house schedules and showings and complete paperless transactions from wherever they are. Gone are the days of being tied to an office or desk. Gone are the traditional ways of buying and selling property involving a land line and a fax machine.

Innovative online real estate marketing technology such as syndicated, online listings, mobile apps, 3-D virtual tours, e-signatures and social media have delivered the traditional real estate experience online to the consumer.

Then there are the online support systems for the agent, such as client relationship management systems also known as real estate CRM systems, paperless transaction systems and online marketing centers. These tools give them the power to manage their contacts, listings, open houses, transactions and create marketing materials to attract clients. It’s these tools that help them strengthen their personal brand and their value to their clients.

In order to stay ahead of the competition, real estate industry professionals need to be technically savvy to grow their businesses and generate more revenue. As a brokerage owner, it’s important to have the ability to offer the latest tools to attract and retain the best agents. Time is often the biggest hurdle to staying on top of changing technology. After all, it’s just one of the many elements of running a brokerage and managing a business.

It’s not easy to keep up, which is why the Weichert Franchise System takes the lead in helping its affiliates stay up to date with technology and tools. Its turnkey programs enable owners to spend less time trying to keep up and more time on other things. It is possible to stay ahead of the curve without wearing yourself out. Find out how at weichertfranchise.com. See why we are one of Entrepreneur magazine’s top rated real estate franchise opportunities for 13 consecutive years.

Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/blog/technology-changing-real-estate-industry/

The Broker Conundrum

As a broker running your own agency, you know what it means to wear a lot of hats. And rightly so: the buck stops with you.  Unfortunately for too many brokers, the buck often starts with you, too.

If you were ambitious enough to become a broker and start your own agency, chances are you were a darn good agent. You know how to do a good listing presentation, you’ve got the right personality for sales and you weren’t afraid to work hard. You did well, but you wanted to reach a higher level of success, so you became a broker and started an agency.

But now the landscape is different. A few years in, you know it’s all about having a solid lead funnel and agents that will work as hard as you did to get listings and close sales. But instead, too many of your agents are part timers and you may have even lost some of your best associates to other local agencies. You’re lacking in resources for online marketing for real estate agents and some months it may feel like if you weren’t out there selling your own listings and pounding the pavement for inventory that there just wouldn’t be enough operating capital to keep going.

So you’re out there, being both an agent and a broker, because it really just seems like the only thing to do. It’s a vicious cycle that takes its toll on your work/life balance, not to mention your agents and the overall strategic growth of your agency.  Month after month, year after year you swear you’re going to get ahead of things and finally reach that next level…but somehow it never happens.

As a Franchisor, we’ve heard lots of these types of stories from brokers across the country. The key to overcoming these types of hurdles is having the right systems in place for online real estate marketing, recruiting good agents, managing your business with the right tools and being able to measure your performance. Until you have those basics, the vicious cycle will continue and it will be difficult to take your business to the next level and achieve true growth. As the owner of one of the largest independent brokerages in the country, Weichert lives in the trenches every day and has developed systems and tools to work in today’s industry. Our franchise model is based on those practices and serves as a resource for hundreds of offices across the country.

Contact Weichert Real Estate Affiliates, Inc.

If you would like more information about the Weichert System and how it might be a fit for your business, contact us today at www.weichertfranchise.com or contact Kevin Hill at 877-533-9007.

Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/blog/the-broker-conundrum-2/

Social Media & Selling Real Estate: A Click Made In Heaven

Instagram Live & Facebook Live –are two of the newest social media trends taking the world by storm and can be great ways to reach Millennials. You don’t need a big budget, flashy video content or a major time investment to make this online marketing strategy work for you. By simply posting real time videos and pictures to your audience you can stay relevant and top of mind.

You might be wondering “why would anyone care about my posts and how does this help me with leads?” It’s simple: it helps you sell even when you’re not selling. As followers see your posts, they feel like they begin to know you. When the time comes that they need an agent, who will they call on first? A stranger or someone they feel they know?

Leveraging social media for your real estate lead generation adds a human element to your sales presence. As Jim Weichert says, ‘people buy people before buying a product or service’. Yes, your first role is as a professional sales associate, but differentiating yourself by showing off a little personality can put you leaps and bounds ahead of your fellow real estate counterparts. And these social channels enable you to do this with little effort. Give your audience a behind the scenes look at what it takes to sell real estate from composing the listing to running to the locksmith a for extra keys – it’s all in a day’s work and your clients will find a new appreciation for all you do.

Other uses? Imagine being able to reach 10, 20 or even over 30 potential buyers instantaneously in a 15-20 second video showcasing your hottest property? Or being able to answer questions on the spot by responding in real time with a video addressing their concerns about a particular feature of a property? Your customers will have the opportunity to get an insider’s look at the property before actually seeing it in person.  It can help avoid the frustration when clients arrive and express their disinterest immediately because it “looked different” in the property photos.

Remember: It’s About More Than Just The Properties

While Facebook & Instagram are great for showcasing your listings, these applications are not restricted to just photos and video showcasing gorgeous real estate properties. Use them to broadcast a behind the scenes look at you, sharing the triumph of closing on a sale by snapping your happy clients signing on the dotted line or announcing your hottest listing with excitement as you put the “For Sale” sign up on the front lawn. Captivate your audience by sharing your most valuable and unique sales asset with them – your personality. And the rest will follow.

Make your social media pages part of your brand – add it to your email signature with your username and start building up that audience – and your business.

Learn more about how the Weichert Franchise real estate marketing tools can work for you and your business. Contact us today at weichertfranchise.com.

Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/blog/social-media-selling-real-estate-click-made-heaven/