I had another "wholy shit, are you kidding me" moment the other night. I was working my sales job and had the opportunity to pitch the Treo 700w to a customer. The Treo is made by Palm and probably the most powerful PDA/cell phone on the market. It runs on the Windows Mobile operating system (so it acts just like your laptop), has a full QWERTY keyboard, 1.3 megapixel camera, email/contacts/calendar, etc, etc, etc.
My customer wasn't sure if she needed such a device. I asked what business she was in and she told me that she's a realestate broker. Since I am such an amazing sales person, I went into my pitch: "Here's an example of how you'll use this divice in your job," I said. "Say you're driving around and you find a home that is perfect for one of your clients. You take a picture of it with the phones 1.3 mp camera, email it to your client while standing in the driveway, call them to arainge for a showing, then use your phone to unlock the lockbox on the front door." Pretty impressive example if I don't say so myself.
Her response: "I'd NEVER do that for a client. They find homes on their own, I just consult them through the process."
Are you kidding me? Does she really think she deserves her share of the 6% commission most agents charge? Realtors must be the most overrated professionals in modern time. I have yet to meet one that does work equivilent to the amount they charge. To make things work, they are baisically a union that controls their market like a comunist government.
I beleive the internet has started a revolution in the realestate businesses. It is not a quick processes, but we are in the midst of change. Give it 10 years and I'd guess realtors go the way of the travel agent. I read recently that the Portland Oregon metro area (my hometown) has more realestate brokers per capita than any time in history. At one point last summer, there was 0.8 listings per realtor. For all you brokers out that that translates to LESS THAN 1 LISTING EACH!
So I ask the question, when was the last time you booked a trip through a travel agent?
-Jeff the Great
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3 comments:
You need to update, man!
My thoughts exactly on these dinosaurs. I found my house on rmls.com on my first search, arranged to see it that night, made an offer the next morning, and it was accepted. The agents didn't do shit beyond walk me through a a bunch of forms which a real estate lawyer could have done for less than $1000 from what I've been told. But I leave you with this ray of hope: a web site is actively working to rescue us from the evil 6% commission. Read about it at:
nytimes.com/2006/02/08/business/08real.htm
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