Miami Real Estate by Land and Sea

Recently, many people in our office have been learning more and more about social networking sites, such as twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, FriendFeed...you get the idea.  One of the questions I hear often is, "How is twitter going to help me get more business?  What good does it do to let people know what I had for breakfast?"  The basic answer for this is that this is just another way to make more contacts, put ourselves in front of more people, and hopefully become known as the "real estate experts" in our area.  But another question comes to mind: "How do my clients benefit from the fact that I'm on twitter and other such sites?"  Here are some reasons why it might be beneficial to you to have an agent actively engaged in social networking on-line:

1) You can get to know more about an agent before you decide whether or not to work with him or her.  When buying or selling your home, it only makes sense that you should feel comfortable with the person who will be helping you with one of the most important steps in your life, especially as they will probably need to know more about your finances and living situation than some of your own family members.

2) If you're buying a home, your agent will be able to more easily access information about homes and neighborhoods, and pass them on to you.  In fact, he or she will probably have websites and blogs that provide that information on an up-to-date basis.  You can also be assured of having quick and easy access to your agent, when questions come up along the way.

3) If you're selling a home, your agent can expose your property to a wider network of potential buyers, even from other countries!  Surveys indicate that about 80% of home buyers begin their search on the internet.  Don't you want an agent who knows how to reach those buyers beyond just putting your listing in the MLS?

4) You can know that your agent is on top of the latest technologies and is working hard to develop themselves.  Every seminar and class that I attend is motivated by the goal of providing better service to my clients.  Don't you deserve to have an agent that feels the same way?

5) A real estate agent who is well connected (online & otherwise) is probably in a better position to handle transactions and work with other agents on your behalf.  If you're relocating to another area, they are also more likely to be able to help you find a great agent in that area.

And finally, don't you want to know what I had for dinner yesterday? (j/k) I'm sure there are more reasons and examples that others can give, and I'd love to hear them.  One disclaimer:  I'm not saying that an agent who doesn't do these things is not a good agent - I know many great agents who don't even know what twitter is.  But if you're reading this blog, then you obviously have a computer and are somewhat comfortable with the whole realm of blogs and social networking.  If you're thinking about buying or selling a home, why not use your computer to help you find an agent who will use the "latest and greatest" to help you achieve your real estate goals?

Oh, and if you're not already, you're welcome to follow me on twitter at http://twitter.com/jeanjoh.  Hope to meet you there.  Tweet!