Priscilla Toomey: The Fantasy of Technology in Real Estate
By Priscilla R. Toomey, Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker, Julia B. Fee/Sotheby's International Realty
Jun. 22, 2016: Think what life would be like without cell phones or PCs. Everything would be a lot slower, information would be harder to find, communication with one another would be very different.
We are so used to our many tech gadgets that life without them is almost unimaginable. And why be concerned anyway--we have the technology and we’re used to it. Yet it has changed many things in real estate in ways we could not have anticipated.
Technology has certainly and irrevocably changed the way we shop for homes. HGTV shapes many people's expectations of what they want. Websites like Zillow and Trulia enable people to think they can learn all about a home by looking at a computer screen. This is the fantasy of technology in real estate, because while those technological advances provide information, they are an aid, not a replacement for hands-on knowledge.
These days, any broker worth his or her salt uses professional photography, floor plans, and stagers. It’s somewhat akin to the use of professional stylists, personal trainers, and make-up professionals in today’s celebrity culture. We all know celebrities are “helped” to look their best for the cameras. And we all know they often look quite different in person--shorter, heavier, skin not absolutely clear.
Whereas we don’t usually care how different celebrities may look or act away from the cameras, we should care very much how houses look when we see them by visiting them. They represent the largest single investment most people make.
HGTV and the Internet can tell us just so much. What they don’t tell us is what the neighborhood is like--whether there is a cliff dropping off right behind the house, how the layout feels for our family’s unique needs, where the water lines are to add a bathroom, whether the storage space is dry and adequate, whether the stairs are steep or gentle, and so on.
What is the best approach given these factors?
Brokers hold open houses for other brokers so they can experience what the house is actually like, and experienced brokers know how to read clues in listing information that a consumer might miss.
Information on the multiple listing service is usually the most accurate, more so than websites aimed at generating leads they can sell. Those may be good at giving an overview and providing a general focus, but only actually visiting houses with an experienced broker will tell you what a particular house is truly like.
Pictured here: Priscilla Toomey, licensed associate real estate broker, JD, ABR, Top5, certified EcoBroker, SRES with Julia B. Fee/Sotheby's International Realty, 2 Park Place, Bronxville, NY 10708; cell, 914-559-8084; email,
Photo courtesy Julia B. Fee/Sotheby's International Realty
