Can Tech Save Your Team? Not Yet
An oversight tool that connects all tech formats has not yet been perfected. And while some agents live off technology, others largely ignore it.
NEW YORK – While technology has aided in the real estate industry’s integration over the last 10 years, a unified solution for streamlining real estate transactions remains elusive, writes Redtail Creative co-founder Molly McKinley.
“One of the primary complexities of real estate arises from the diverse ways of working in real estate, including franchise brokerages, independent brokerages, teams and individual agents – each with distinct differences,” she notes. “For technology builders, understanding and catering to these diverse user paths can be exceedingly difficult. They create unique challenges that don’t neatly fit into individual or enterprise solutions.”
Moreover, brokerages cannot guarantee tech adoption by agents, because “agents often independently seek out and invest in technology solutions that align with their specific business models and preferences,” McKinley says.
She says some tech-astute agents concentrate on digital lead funnels, requiring solutions that draw, capture, foster and qualify leads; meanwhile, agents relying on referrals, events and relationships may only need minimal tech support.
“Most agents fall somewhere in between, exploring different tools, leading to fragmented technology solutions that may not connect with each other effectively,” McKinley writes.
This situation is further complicated by the need to define the goal of tech deployment, while best-in-class tools can restrict brokerages’ accessibility to agents outside those firms.
“To achieve a truly unified technology solution for real estate transactions, we need a deep understanding of the industry and a commitment to building tech that complements agents’ workflows,” McKinley says.
Source: Inman (10/06/23) McKinley, Molly
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