What Has Happened To The REALTOR® In The Past Few Years?

WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THE REALTOR® IN THE PAST FEW YEARS?

HISTORY (Major changes only a few years ago)

· The business phone line at home became more and more important

· Fax machines at home became a necessity to save time and speed up communications regarding offers, counter offers and acceptances, plus all the issues with inspections etc.

· The cellular phone became a necessity even with the cost of airtime

· A PDA became very desirable, then a necessity

· The real estate office became less important but most realtors maintained a desk there also

· Fax machines at the office were used daily

· A home computer became valuable

· Realtors used office computers extensively also

· Notebook computers, although expensive, began to be used

· High-speed Internet began to replace dial up connections

· Email began to become a desirable way to communicate (driven by the consumer)

· Voice mail was an integral part of the realtor’s communication (voice mail on cell phone, office voice mail and even home voice mail)

· Long distance calling from cell phones, home phones and office phones still had 10 cent per minute rates

· Approximately 20% of the realtors had their own personal website

· Realtors still depended upon the MLS monthly books (and screamed about having to go to the computer with modems to get into internet MLS data)

· Realtors spent many hours designing and strategizing their print media ads

· Taking pictures of homes and waiting for the developed pictures

· The advent of the government getting more involved in your daily activities

o Property taxes

o Radon

o Lead Paint

o Mold

o Disclosures

o Inspections

o Appraisals

And all this was not too many years ago…. Now comes……

THE EVOLUTION OF COMMUNICATIONS (Moving at incredible speeds)

· The business phone has diminished by some realtors to almost nil…

· Fax machines are basically obsolete

· The cell phone has eliminated the need for any other phones and has become a lot more than a cell phone (many realtors have done away with their home phones)

· The PDA has been combined into the cell phone

· In fact a Blackberry or an iPhone or similar phones are now a necessity

o These devices are now a phone

o Email

o Internet

o PDA

o Digital camera

o And more

· The notebook computer is a necessity

· Dial up.. what is that?

· Voice mail is less important everyday

· EMAIL has become a secondary communication tool

· Long distance calling is no longer a concern because the cost is so minimal

· Personal websites are now 70% or higher versus the 20% only a few years ago

· MLS information is accessible only via the internet and accessible to consumers too via all types of vehicles

WHAT CAUSED ALL THIS RAPID CHANGE?

Lower cost and better technology?

YES and NO

THE CONSUMER HAD AS MUCH TO DO WITH IT AS THE TECHNOLOGY

· Consumers are more intelligent

· Consumers are always in a hurry

· Consumers have more information available than ever before

· Consumers think they are smarter than you

· Consumers want your undivided attention

· Consumers want to communicate instantaneously

· Consumers trust their friend’s advice as much as they trust yours

HOW DO YOU KEEP UP WITH THE CHANGE?

· BETTER PLANNING AND UTILIZING THE TECHNOLOGIES

· SOCIAL MEDIA

WHAT IS YOUR TIME WORTH?

Annual Per Hour Per Minute In a year

1 hour per day

is worth

	$ 20,000.00	$ 10.25	$ 0.17	$ 2,500.00
	$ 30,000.00	$ 15.37	$ 0.27	$ 3,750.00
	$ 40,000.00	$ 20.49	$ 0.34	$ 5,000.00
	$ 50,000.00	$ 25.61	$ 0.43	$ 6,250.00
	$ 75,000.00	$ 38.42	$ 0.64	$ 9,375.00
	$ 100,000.00	$ 51.23	$ 0.85	$ 12,500.00
	$ 150,000.00	$ 76.84	$ 1.29	$ 18,750.00
	$ 200,000.00	$102.45	$ 1.70	$ 25,000.00

Based upon 244 eight-hour working days per year

For additional information regarding Arnie and his work ...

www.mktgusa.com

arnie@a-gmarketing.com