Why Zillow will not succeed in selling your home!
With Zillow entering the home selling market there are many agents scared of this tech giant with lots of backing. Well I'm here to point out the obvious oversights Zillow is afraid to admit.
#1. DISRUPTION: Companies that disrupt industries only win because they make the consumer experience easier & better. If you have ever bought a home you know the only person that makes the experience easier & stress free is a good agent who works for the buyer for free and only gets paid for results!
#2. PRESENCE: Will Zillow come to the rescue when SHTH? Not likely, you are on your own and you have no choice because you signed a listing agreement with a website not a local broker who is Present and can take on the behind the scenes tasks that clients never see! Ask any seller that has had a title issue or a permit issue. Only a local broker can solve these issues before you even hear about them.
#3. TECH: Local brokers will eventually compete with Zillow due to new tech entering the market daily but they will win by connecting with the client. Trust wins over tech in home sales 99% of the time. Would you trust a website with a few hundred thousand dollars of your's??? definitely not! Very few cars are bought online and that's an average of 20k-40K per sale.
#4. SERVICE: High levels of service blended with tech will help a good agent win every time. 57% of buyers are Millennials & 63% do all shopping on a mobile device. If I were Verizon, AT&T or Sprint I'd get into the real estate sector since they own the conduit through which the content is delivered. Did I just say that? Hmmmm maybe Zillow can be taken down by a much larger giant like Verizon???
#5. HYPER-LOCAL: Many buyers are shopping by drive time to work and other places that matter most to them. Hyper-local brokers know the city best because they live there, unlike a website. Ever trusted google maps and had it take you miles out of your way because it's algorithm detected some event that has since cleared up.
#6. OPTIONS: Local brokers provide options. Do you want an unknown person unlocking your door and snooping your home? How much better would it feel that a known professional opened your door and assisted qualified buyers to view your home and then made sure the door was locked when they leave? I stress the qualified buyers comment. If an agent brings buyers to see your property you can bet they are qualified. No lookie loo's or curious neighbors to worry about.
#7. MODEL: Zillow is trying the Carmax model on the real estate market. I'm sure that's great in theory but no two transactions are the same! Automation & repetition work great for used cars that decline in value daily. Homes that appreciate require professional knowledge, skills and experience found only in a good agent and broker.
The bottom line is, be an amazing agent, always strive to learn more and be better because Zillow is!!!!