If anyone has doubts about the power shift that is taking place as a result of Virtual Office Websites – think again. Virtual Office Websites are putting real estate agents back into the center of the conversation between consumers and the property information in the best possible way.
Check out the fantastic article from Sundays NYT entitled “Brokers Enrich Their Web Tactics.” This is what one broker had to say about Listingbook:
Kathy Engel, an associate broker with Re/Max Shores Oceanside and the president-elect of the Long Island Board of Realtors, said that although she had been in real estate 23 years, she had seen the most drastic changes in marketing relatively recently – over the last three to five years. While the response has been weak from print ads, she said, “now I get response from my three Web sites”.
“The buying public is more technology-savvy than years ago,” Ms. Engel said. “They prefer to shop online before they buy.” She has found the most success with listingbook.com, a Multiple Listing Service that allows customers to browse local homes “without pressure.”
“The best part is Im able to see what theyre looking at, what they like and dislike, and it keeps them in control,” she said. Sellers can see how the competition is priced and “what homes that compare to theirs are selling for.”
