Own the consumer talk track with data!

If you had easy access to more market data would you have an advantage over your competition?

If you were able to take that additional market data and weave it into a more compelling story than your competition would that help you win business?

If you were able to easily show a consumer historical market trends would it help you advise your client about a specific neighborhood or type of property?

Everyone talks about big data and the power of it.

The problem, when it comes to real estate, is it’s not always easy to get your hands on this type of information. It’s hard pulling this type of data from multiple sources. Most agents don’t have time to put together much more than what they can get from the MLS.

Consumers demand transparency and information in every purchase they make.

Unfortunately, when it comes to buying or selling a home, they are not consistently getting that transparency and/or detailed information.

In my view, in addition to knowing the details of the home as it relates to the needs of the client, the agent should also be able to provide a higher level of market intelligence and pricing insight:

·      Accurate pricing that lessens the sales cycle whether on the buy-side or sell-side;

·      Historical data that allows a client to look at a specific home like one would look at a stock they were buying or selling;

·      Historical and comparable photos of the subject property, as well as the ones it is competing with, to gain a better understanding of property conditions; and,

·      Historical neighborhood data to be able to compare the performance of different neighborhoods a client may be considering.

As competitive as our industry is, I believe it is imperative that real estate agents arm themselves with as much information as possible. It will help you come across much more professional and prove how invaluable you are to a buyer or seller.