The following is a collection of reader comments found on Inman.com:
Real estate professionals must provide insight with information
MLSs, brokers eye consumer tools
"I think real estate professionals must not only embrace technologies that can help them provide consumers with cutting-edge unique market information, but they must also be able to provide value-added personalized insight. Whether customers are looking to make money through real estate investing or simply looking to find the perfect house, the data is out there and available in many formats. To avoid extinction, real estate professionals need to figure out how to weed through all the data, understand customers’ needs, and provide keen insights to assist in decision-making processes."
—Justin Shreve
Online tools can give agents an edge
Please stop innovating!
"You’ve expressed the essence of what so many others are struggling with every day. The pace is accelerating. Those who can learn new skills to keep up or even ‘get ahead’ will have vast green fields to sow. Blogging, social Web, Internet performance tools will allow some to gain the edge."
–Jason Berman
Internet brings transparency to transactions
Consider the Internet an ally
"What the Internet has done for real estate transactions is made them more transparent so buyers and sellers alike have a better understanding of what is going on, and that is a step forward."
—Jim Lee
Agents should not be steered in choosing services
RESPA worries scuttle marketing agreement
"Agents should have the right to use the title and escrow services of their choosing, and lender of their choosing (or rather their client’s choosing). It’s cleaner. The big loser here? The owners and managers of these agencies who get a kickback for the fees paid by the buyer and seller stuck using their services. I’m not saying the services are poor, because they’re generally not. I’m saying the agency should not be telling the agent who to use for loans and escrow and title services. It smells to me."
—Lenore Wilkas
Searching for ‘the good old days’
Welcome to real estate Bedrock
"Even though these vendors are making advances that can make life easier and your business more productive, it takes an effort to learn and implement these things into your business. I think this may be why some agents and brokerages might be looking for the good old days."
—Derek Overbey
Daniel Rothamel, Inman News community manager, compiled the items in this report.
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