Is Your Dayton OH Real Estate Agent a Big Flop?

As a fairly new real estate agent in the Dayton OH real estate market, I have noticed that some buyers and sellers are still utilizing the services of big-name real estate agents from name-brand real estate brokerages. Obviously, there is nothing wrong with calling on a well-known real estate agent to sell your home (list your home for sale) or to assist you in the purchase of a new home. With that being said, buyers and sellers need to understand that “big name” real estate agents usually come with big fees. Yes, most of the well known real estate agents in Dayton & Cincinnati, Ohio charge you – the buyer & seller – more than other real estate agents would for the same services.

To reach the pinnacle of “super agent” status or to even become a well known real estate agent, it takes years of work and many client referrals. Once a real estate agent finally obtains this status, it shouldn’t mean that clients (buyers or sellers) pay more for real estate services. In all reality, the “well known” real estate agent typically works less at this point – they are hoping to sell your home through their name recognition. But with 91% of all buyers and sellers finding their Realtor online, well-known real estate agents can no longer sell homes through name recognition alone.

The Seasoned Real Estate Agent vs. The Digital Age

In 2012 I worked as a real estate agent for a local “brand-name” real estate brokerage here in Dayton, Ohio. Once I realized that my broker was spending several thousand dollars every month to advertise in the yellow pages and the “home section” of the local Newspaper, I left. I tried explaining to some of the most well-known real estate agents in the Dayton market that advertising dollars should not be spent on print. Instead, advertising dollars should be spent on building a web presence….they called me crazy!

I can remember sitting at my desk as a new real estate agent, spending countless hours posting real estate tips on Google+, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and LinkedIn hoping to find a client willing to give me a chance to list their home for sale or help them find and purchase a new home. All the while, seasoned agents would pass by, poking fun and making snide remarks like “how’s the internet treating you” and “has the internet bought any homes from you today?” I refused to listen to the negative comments and continued to build my online presence and build meaningful relationships through face-to-face meetings with potential clients.

Where Do I Stand in Today’s Real Estate Market?

Today, just like every other day, I continue my online marketing campaigns while continuously growing my real estate company. 97% of all the buyers and sellers I represent have found me online through social media, my website, or by referral. I continue to grow as a “listing agent” as more and more sellers contact me after a well-known real estate agent from a “brand-name” real estate brokerage was unsuccessful in selling their home after sitting on the market for 300+ days.

The hurdles I face today are different than the hurdles I faced three years ago. Today, I am still trying very hard to educate some of the most well-known real estate agents in the Dayton/Cincinnati Ohio area about basic internet skills. It’s baffling to find that some of the most well known, seasoned real estate agents don’t understand how to scan documents into an email, digitally sign documents, text or email a client and still refer to a copy machine as a “Xerox Photocopier.”

Asking Again, Is Your Dayton OH Real Estate Agent a Big Flop?

The next time you hire a real estate agent to list and sell your home, make sure you ask yourself: “do I want a well-known real estate agent that has no idea how to market a home in the digital age and expects to sell my home on name recognition alone… or do I want an internet savvy real estate agent that understands the digital age, the power of social media and internet marketing in the year 2014?” The choice is yours – and I’m only a phone call, text, tweet, FB message or e-mail away if you need some advice.