It’s a false choice to say consumers want either technology or a good agent. They want the newest solutions. They want the latest innovations. Consumers appreciate cool technology, but they also want a great agent.
Today, we are seeing the emergence of the modern agent. The modern agent knows how to bring all of the latest innovations and newest solutions to the table for clients because this agent understands what the consumer wants. The modern agent does not fear what disruptors are doing. They co-op it.
What Does It Mean to Be a Modern Agent?
The role of an agent has historically been transaction-oriented. But the modern agent is relationship-oriented. And to truly be relationship-oriented, you have to be able to bring value at all times, not just at the point of transaction.
The modern agent shifts from the transactional role—called upon only when needed, once every decade—into a relationship role, where they are consistently advising clients about new options and opportunities…different ways, for instance, to sell a home.
The Role of zavvie Pro
In the past, homeowners thinking about selling had only a couple of options. Today, consumers have more choices to sell than ever before, from iBuyer to buy-before-you-sell bridge solutions. But homeowners often lack the information needed to determine what option will be the best one for them right now.
zavvie Pro enables the modern agent to explain all the options available to sell a home and help clients choose their best option. No matter what path the consumer decides, zavvie Pro keeps the agent at the center of every sale, and the agent still gets paid for every deal that closes.
Available coast to coast, zavvie Pro agents and teams working for participating brokerages gain access to enhanced seller lead generation tools, personalized branding and a groundbreaking new service called OfferFax. OfferFax provides agents with objective, apples-to-apples comparisons of all available selling options, guiding clients using data-packed graphics that rate each offer based on current, relevant criteria.
The Modern Agent Is a Trusted Advisor
Advising clients on the advantages and disadvantages of each selling option requires some serious expertise. The average consumer is not going to know how to navigate their choices. They will need the advice of an agent to make the best decision.
That agent is a modern agent, and that advice is the insight that zavvie Pro provides. Agents who choose not to understand all of the new options, or to fight them, will be left behind. The whole lifecycle of homeownership—and the real estate transaction itself—is becoming more complicated.
And as we enter a new era of innovation over the next five to 10 years, selling a home will never be like ordering an Uber. It’s not going to be an app on your phone. Homes are our highest-valued assets that are unique and complicated. The one thing that is not going to change is consumers’ need to have that trusted advisor, a modern agent.
Lane Hornung is CEO and co-founder of zavvie, a complete platform offering all selling options for real estate brokerages, and is CEO/founder of Colorado-based 8z Real Estate, one of the nation’s most successful brokerages.
