Digital expert and REinnovate speaker Steve Sammartino says agents should embrace existing technology to find innovative ways of selling real estate and connecting with their customers.
Speaking to REB ahead of his appearance at the REinnovate 2016 conference in Sydney next month, Mr Sammartino says we are in the midst of a “connection revolution” underpinned by technology.
“These new emerging companies like Airbnb and Uber, these are all connection businesses,” he said. “They are not technology businesses. The art of real estate is using new technologies available to you cheaply in ways that you can connect and make more profit.”
Mr Sammartino said real estate agents should be excited about new and emerging technology, rather than fearful of it.
“I’m yet to see any agents using drones to do flyovers of the house to show different angles. It would cost less than $500 to get beautiful HD footage of every house you are selling to get more people walking in the door during inspections. There are so many new and emerging forms of technology that could enable people to sell houses better.”
In addition to revealing how agents can use existing technology, Mr Sammartino said his REinnovate appearance will explore how emerging technology effects how and where people live.
He said the advent of driverless cars and smart homes will create new ways of selling real estate.
Mr Sammartino's talk at REinnovate will also cover how agents are being tricked by the “flashing lights” of existing technology.
“I have one YouTube video that has had eight million views. I look at the average real estate video and it only has 80 views. But those 80 views made more money than my eight million, because those 80 people walked through the house and you sold it to one of them and made a profit. So we sometimes get stooged by the figures.”
Understanding that technology is simply a tool towards better connectivity is critical for real estate agents fearful of disruption, Mr Sammartino said.
“You need to use technology to connect with your audience, go to market more efficiently, find customers more effectively and get listings easier.”
Agents can catch Steve Sammartino at the REB REinnovate 2016 event at The Star in Sydney on 5 April.
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