With the end of another year comes the many attention-grabbing articles or reports with bold headlines like, “Trends that Will Impact Real Estate” or “Trends to Watch for in 2020.” Every year, the real estate industry, like any other industry in fact, looks forward to addressing what the upcoming year’s trends could be. But I can’t help but point out that when it comes to iBuyers, the expected impact the likes of Zillow, Compass or Realogy will have on the future of business, etc., they don’t seem like trends at all—they’re here to stay.
What’s more is that many topics making headlines are out of the control of brokers, owners and agents. It’s important for everyone to keep up on trends. With foreseeable changes coming (because in life the only constant is change) it’s important for independent brokerages to realize they can no longer stand by as trends make the headlines and think they can get away with doing nothing. Making changes now gives your brokerage the chance to make a greater impact in 2020.
Remember that the barrel is full of buyers and sellers with varying opinions of how to go about purchasing or selling a home. While consumers are savvier than ever, plus the latest reports showed an increase in iBuyer usage, signs still point towards the need of a trustworthy real estate agent. The NAR 2019 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers found that a record 89 percent of buyers say they used an agent to purchase a home.
Turn your attention away from trends and more towards your brokerage and business. Take control of what you can control. Focus on empowering your agents with innovation and coherent strategies. You can think small or you could think big!
Look at what a real estate platform, like Propertybase, can do for you. These centralized ecosystems remove the technological clunkiness of multiple, disjointed systems. Brokers and agents will be able to perform more tasks at a higher level, utilize best-in-class marketing tools, garner more insights and collaborate more efficiently. What are just some aspects that you can do with Propertybase?
- Reel-in quality leads with PPC and social media lead generation campaigns
- Build an award-winning website to highlight your expertise and capture interest
- Turn leads into customers with email marketing, drip campaigns and automation
- Simple compliance-driven transaction management, eSignature and back office
- Business analytics and features to drive agent retention, recruitment, as well as client retention
Ingraining powerful real estate technology into your brokerage will let you focus less on disruption and more on your business. Your agents will notice your making a quality investment into their success and ability to shape better client experiences (your competitors will, too). As you look to 2020 and beyond, the opportunity exists to make memorable changes to your brand in a time when many might be worried about being forgotten.
John Voigt is manager, Digital & Brand Communications at Propertybase. The Propertybase Real Estate Platform is the trusted technology partner of over 4,600 leading real estate franchises, brokerages and teams. Propertybase consists of core modules that simplify the business of real estate: lead generation, IDX and MLS-integrated websites, real estate CRM, transaction management, back office tools, business analytics, and much more. Learn more and request a demo here.
