Chris Litchfield - Digital Marketing Consultant | SEO And Sponsored Search | Online Business Development | Charlotte NC

What a difference a decade makes! If the explosion of the Internet weren’t prolific enough, it seems like each day, more and more people start their housing searches on the internet. While we know of many of the practical reasons a consumer would start their search online, the real question asked by many in the real estate profession is “How do we capture those leads online?”

The Internet has revolutionized consumer behavior towards major product purchases, such as homes and cars. Now, instead of clueless buyers showing up at your office looking for a tour, they are self-qualifying themselves and their purchases online long before they step foot in your office. The modern client brings to the table knowledge of where they want to live, what features they are looking for and what they think they can get for their money.

With sites like Zillow.com, an average person walking in off the street can now compare home prices on the fly, as if they were reading a stock price. Facts become verifiable, clients can visit forums and ask specific questions about specific neighborhoods and get answers about almost anything, including things Realtors are bound by law not to discuss. With the advent of this new communication tool, a Realtor must ask him/herself how they are going to adapt to this strange new world where clients no longer require face to face meetings, only information sent over the web.