I have been reflecting lately on the changes happening in the real estate business. New tools and and protocols are coming at a fast and furious pace and are tricky to absorb and manage. Buyers have expressed to me that they sometimes feel like they are walking through a field with dodge balls being thrown at them from every direction.
The biggest single change is that most real estate information is available to everyone everywhere at all hours of the day. The internet tells buyers and sellers every property’s asking price, its sales history, school ranking, neighborhood crime info, and more. For the most part, this is great because buyers and sellers come to me having already decided exactly what they want to do and be willing to be paid or pay for their home—and they can back it with their own internet research.
But there’s a problem. People often “see” only the information that supports the outcome they want and do “not see” what doesn’t reinforce the picture they have in their mind. This is not wrong or deceptive, simply human nature. When it comes to buying or selling your home; a place where your life’s latest act is about to give way to the next (eg. upsizing to accommodate more children or downsizing to prepare for retirement), each stage carries with it a huge emotional as well as financial commitment.
When I meet with buyers or sellers who have already “established their outcome” I first double-check their internet research and then work on earning their trust so that they feel assured of not only my professional and objective knowledge of the real estate market in Central Vermont but also that my goal is get them the best possible outcome.
It’s easy to be seduced by the stories about the ease and simplicity of buying or selling a home through Twitter or Facebook. However, for every success you read about on social media, you can be assured there are hundreds that are like a bad visit to the dentist. Zillow’s “zestimates” are often shockingly incorrect or out-of-date. And while all the info on the web is good, it doesn’t hold a candle to the human understanding that comes from having been in thousands of homes in the area.
A professional to help guide you through the ups and downs of this emotional process, someone to help you keep perspective and someone to help you with face to face negotiations, to make sure the process remains smooth, and that issues are handled professionally, is still a priceless benefit to our clients. Maybe it helps to think of our job as managing the slings and arrows of tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow that creep in their petty paces from yesterday to today...
Sue Aldrich
with some help from Wm. Shakespeare