That would be dreamy.
One of my 365 Rules About Real Estate is that you cannot buy a house on the internet. It would be nice if you could, but you can’t. In this app-driven world, we are being conditioned to having the world at our fingertips. We expect instant results, instant satisfaction and gratification. There is an cell phone app that claims to buy and sell homes using nothing more than one finger as a stylist.
Wouldn’t it be great if you could sell your home online without hiring realtors? Wouldn’t it be great if there was an app for that. Well there is. There are a few in fact. Here’s the sales pitch:
SQFT, the world’s first fully transactional real estate app, is pleased to announce that its first electronic real estate listing is under contract at a price of $550,000. The seller, Helen Marshall of Boulder, Colorado listed her home on the SQFT app using her iPhone and quickly received an offer on her iPhone from the buyers, Melanie and Garrett Simon, also of Boulder, Colorado. The parties negotiated their price and terms exclusively through the app until they reached a deal. Within minutes of agreeing to terms, the Seller and Buyer signed a contract on their iPhones using nothing more than their finger as a stylus.
It’s a dream world
It sounds dreamy. You don’t need realtors, lawyers, expensive photography, advertising…you don’t even need a “for sale” sign. All you need is your smartphone.
Click.
Simple.
Done.
Of course it won’t work.
Although home seller’s judgement is clouded by their own avarice and absurdity, homebuyers are smarter than that. They know they need guidance, and support.
Sellers want to sell without an agent. Sellers want to save the 4, 5 or even 6% commission. They are easy marks for apps and discount brokerages and “for sale by owner” signs and those kind of do nothing brokerages. But if the sellers are saving the commission, what’s in it for buyers?
I can’t think of anything.
Scams abound
A new client of mine who failed to sell his home privately with the Property Guys or Comfree (whatever) got this email overnight:
I am representing an investor with the mandate to help find a reasonable and profitable investment venture.
This plan will activate the quick sale of your property and also give you full authority to handle the investment.
The process will be concluded as soon as possible and my line is open to receive your call ..
Warm Regards,
Miroslav
He forwarded it to me saying that it “looks fishy” and that he will not be calling but maybe I should.
I don’t think so. He’s living in a dream world. He knows in his heart of hearts that this is a scam but the promise of a quick sale is enticing. He actually wants me to call.
Sellers want to sell. Sellers want to make as much as they can selling. Selling a home is time-consuming and troublesome. Scammers know this. They prey on the seller’s greed and discomfort. They provide an easy solution to a complex problem. Unfortunately their solutions do not work.
Disruptions rumble in the distance like thunder
The disruption that is coming to the real estate business does not bypass the agent. Real estate agents are the feet on the street, the knowledge knowers and the information holders.
Software developers should build apps to help realtors do their jobs. If you look around town, realtors will spend bags of money on advertising: magazines, newspapers, car wraps, bus wraps, benches, signage, websites, lead generating companies…Realtors also waste a lot of time: open houses, brokerage meetings, house tours, showing houses, builder events, negotiating back and forth over several days, sending contracts to lawyers, and lenders and insurance companies. Arranging inspectors, appraisers, giving out lock box combinations, following up after showings, following through with notices of fulfilment, waivers, mutual releases. We communicate by phone and text and email, chat widget, twitter, and other social media apps. The whole thing is disjointed and random and spread out. Our world is a world of chaos. If only there was a central place to have and hold all real estate information. If that place let us communicate directly with home buyers and home sellers. If only there was an app for that, a place where professional knowledge knowers could bring buyers and sellers together. That would be dreamy.
Photo credit: absurd products you might use once
Brought to you by Keithmarshall.ca
Sell your home using an app
That would be dreamy.
One of my 365 Rules About Real Estate is that you cannot buy a house on the internet. It would be nice if you could, but you can’t. In this app-driven world, we are being conditioned to having the world at our fingertips. We expect instant results, instant satisfaction and gratification. There is an cell phone app that claims to buy and sell homes using nothing more than one finger as a stylist.
Wouldn’t it be great if you could sell your home online without hiring realtors? Wouldn’t it be great if there was an app for that. Well there is. There are a few in fact. Here’s the sales pitch:
SQFT, the world’s first fully transactional real estate app, is pleased to announce that its first electronic real estate listing is under contract at a price of $550,000. The seller, Helen Marshall of Boulder, Colorado listed her home on the SQFT app using her iPhone and quickly received an offer on her iPhone from the buyers, Melanie and Garrett Simon, also of Boulder, Colorado. The parties negotiated their price and terms exclusively through the app until they reached a deal. Within minutes of agreeing to terms, the Seller and Buyer signed a contract on their iPhones using nothing more than their finger as a stylus.
It’s a dream world
It sounds dreamy. You don’t need realtors, lawyers, expensive photography, advertising…you don’t even need a “for sale” sign. All you need is your smartphone.
Click.
Simple.
Done.
Of course it won’t work.
Although home seller’s judgement is clouded by their own avarice and absurdity, homebuyers are smarter than that. They know they need guidance, and support.
Sellers want to sell without an agent. Sellers want to save the 4, 5 or even 6% commission. They are easy marks for apps and discount brokerages and “for sale by owner” signs and those kind of do nothing brokerages. But if the sellers are saving the commission, what’s in it for buyers?
I can’t think of anything.
Scams abound
A new client of mine who failed to sell his home privately with the Property Guys or Comfree (whatever) got this email overnight:
I am representing an investor with the mandate to help find a reasonable and profitable investment venture.
This plan will activate the quick sale of your property and also give you full authority to handle the investment.
The process will be concluded as soon as possible and my line is open to receive your call ..
Warm Regards,
Miroslav
He forwarded it to me saying that it “looks fishy” and that he will not be calling but maybe I should.
I don’t think so. He’s living in a dream world. He knows in his heart of hearts that this is a scam but the promise of a quick sale is enticing. He actually wants me to call.
Sellers want to sell. Sellers want to make as much as they can selling. Selling a home is time-consuming and troublesome. Scammers know this. They prey on the seller’s greed and discomfort. They provide an easy solution to a complex problem. Unfortunately their solutions do not work.
Disruptions rumble in the distance like thunder
The disruption that is coming to the real estate business does not bypass the agent. Real estate agents are the feet on the street, the knowledge knowers and the information holders.
Software developers should build apps to help realtors do their jobs. If you look around town, realtors will spend bags of money on advertising: magazines, newspapers, car wraps, bus wraps, benches, signage, websites, lead generating companies…Realtors also waste a lot of time: open houses, brokerage meetings, house tours, showing houses, builder events, negotiating back and forth over several days, sending contracts to lawyers, and lenders and insurance companies. Arranging inspectors, appraisers, giving out lock box combinations, following up after showings, following through with notices of fulfilment, waivers, mutual releases. We communicate by phone and text and email, chat widget, twitter, and other social media apps. The whole thing is disjointed and random and spread out. Our world is a world of chaos. If only there was a central place to have and hold all real estate information. If that place let us communicate directly with home buyers and home sellers. If only there was an app for that, a place where professional knowledge knowers could bring buyers and sellers together. That would be dreamy.
Photo credit: absurd products you might use once
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