There are lots of new technologies developed specifically for the real estate industry and most of them make use of the internet in some way.
“Since most REALTORS® have a high-speed connection in their homes, the Internet has evolved into a crucial tool for REALTORS®,” said C.A.R. President William E. Brown. “REALTORS® are doing more than ever on the Internet — marketing, maintaining their Web sites, posting their listings, and communicating with clients. As a result, they are generating more business from the Internet than ever before.”
Here are some key bits of information about how our industry is using internet based technology that you may find interesting:
- 93% of California Realtors® use email
- 90% check listings online
- 89% take advantage of online access to MLS
- 22% said they own a handheld wireless Internet device for their real estate business so they can respond to clients more quickly
- 32% said they answered clients’ e-mails instantly
- 34% said they answered emails within 30 minutes to one hour
California REALTORS® are also making use of web sites to make themselves more accessible to their customers
- Over 77% who have Web sites include an IDX feed to display listings
- 53% are including virtual tours on their web sites
- 42% provide a “Contact Me” form
- 53% are using Google Maps or another mapping system
Additional survey highlights include:
- 33% use a laptop or tablet computer in the field, up from 27% last year.
- Seven out of 10 of those who use their laptop in the field (70%) cite conducting listing presentations as the main reason for doing so, an increase from 58% a year ago
- 27% indicated that a hands-free cell phone was their most important business upgrade in the last 12 months
- 13% said they purchased a new computer, down from 20% in 2007
- 45% said their use of technology gives them a competitive edge over other agents in the field
- 60% pay for upgraded listings on Realtor.com, up from 48% in 2007
- 11% of respondents send their clients an electronic newsletter
- 7% of REALTORS® say they participate in online real estate forums or blogs
- On average, 48% of REALTORS®’ business originated from the Internet in 2008, compared with 44% in 2007
- 58% said keeping up with e-mail is one of the biggest technological challenges they face in today’s real estate marketplace
When I looked over this survey data the one point that jumped out to me was the low percentage of Realtors who are participating in blogs or forums – only 7%! Seeing as how blogging has become such an important aspect of real estate marketing I believe we’ll see this number skyrocket when C.A.R. releases the 2009 report. Check back for an article on blogging for real estate professionals in the near future!
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About David Goldstein — David Goldstein is an Owner and Founding Partner of Colibri Real Estate, LLC. which operates online education providers Colibri Real Estate, Insurance License Express and License Tutor. Follow him on Twitter.
