Everything you read these days about Buyers and their Home Search mentions the Internet. A majority of people seem to start there. However, between the number that begin there, and the number that end by purchasing a home, there is a world of difference. Many articles speak of how unhappy buyers are with the lack of response from Realtors they email.The numbers are astounding! 70% begin their search but only 15% purchase! There must be a reason for this huge disconnect. Doing an Internet search for a home is attractive to many consumers because they don't have reveal their identity. They can surf from city to city looking for the perfect neighborhood at a price they would like, or they can dream search to find a house to plan ahead for!
Asking anonymous questions is easily done, but getting them answered is a different story. The disconnect comes from the type of communication Realtors are getting. Anonymous questions are fine, but if the question is not structured right, or written clearly identifying what it is the consumer is trying to do, the communication will be dis-guarded as bogus, unworthy and a general annoyance. So like the boy "who cried wolf too many times" real estate leads are being ignored. Thus consumer dissatisfaction with the system. This is too bad!
As an Internet savvy Realtor, I would like to offer a few suggestions to the Consumers out there who genuinely want to communicate via email. The people who get and keep my attention are the consumers who introduce themselves to me and tell me what it is they are interested in doing. It's very much like meeting someone face to face, shaking hands and sitting down with a nice cup of hot coffee.
Make me feel you are a REAL person and I will assist you as best I can. You will have my attention. As a Realtor I don't expect to make a sale from everyone I assist. I enjoy helping people just for the sheer "thank you" I receive. Solving problems and teaching people about the Chicago real estate market is what I do. Along the way I sell houses.
I can't speak for my colleagues, but I would bet they feel very much the same way. Our ears love the sound of "thank you". We are only human after all!
