Technology and real estate go together like a horse and carriage

Technology and real estate. 
"Back in the day" I started in real estate (less than 15 years ago), the MLS system we used was still in DOS mode and only covered the real estate board of which we were members. 
How far we have come.  As discussed yesterday, when I did it again. 
I opened up the Sunday Boston Globe and took the chance of glancing at the front page of the real estate section.   I know ... two weeks in a row.  What was I thinking? 
A brief perusal of the headline did not make me shut the paper and put it in the pile that we use to start our fireplace with!  Immediately, I thought we were off to a good start.  It was a very good article about the use of technology in real estate. 

I blog, so I guess that a pretty good indicator that I embrace technology. 
Since I fall more into the category of the median age of the Realtor® than the median age of the buyer, the learning curve on the technology trends tends to be a little more steep for me. 
However, I am always on the lookout for the new "hot" trend and then find out the "how's and why's" of learning it. 
I got some good information from this article and even more from the posts that followed.
It's important for me as a listing agent to have all the tools that enables my client's property to be exposed to the greatest number of potential buyers. 
It's important as a buyer's agent for the buyer to feel comfortable with an agent who is communicating in the same "speak" as they are.  
As stated in the article, the needs of the median age buyer are different than the older buyer or any age of the seller.  I have not survived this wild real estate market by not providing the services my clients need and want, whatever generation they belong to. 

Another benefit for both buyers and sellers is to choose an agent with the ability to consult with them and offer options and payment methods they are not getting from many other agents. 
From a previous post, you may remember that I am an 
In the consulting model, buyers and sellers alike can pick and choose the services they want and need and save thousands of dollars by paying for only the package they put together. 

Will I date myself too much by saying "I remember when" no one wanted the MLS to be available to the public?  The sky was going to fall because the consumers would have all our information and wouldn't need us (Realtors®) anymore.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  The value of a Realtor® proved to be far more relevant than prices and addresses.   

A refreshing change of pace

I just returned from spending 2 glorious days of R&R in Newport, Rhode Island with a few friends.  What a great time of year.  The trees and flowers were in bloom and budding and the weather was spectacular.   It did not feel like mid-April, and it was a wonderful change of pace.  Ocean Drive was beautiful, The Inn at Castle Hill provided an unforgettable setting for cocktails on the lawn at sunset, the food at Scales and Shells and
The Rhode Island Quahog Company, as always, was amazing, and the company was superb.  WOW!!  It was a taste of the good times to come this spring and summer. 
     There is a sense of rebirth in the air in the spring real estate market, causing a nice change of pace there too.  The media is continuing to strike a more positive chord (albeit occasional) in reporting about the market. 
    Buyers right now have an incredible opportunity and the reason lies in a previous post of mine.  The cut in interest rates that is being reported is not reaching the purchase market.  The rates for mortgages are vacillating, but the prediction is that the overall trend will be to rise.  So, while prices may continue to fall a little more before stabilizing (and then begin the upward rise), the impact of 1/2-1% increase in the interest rate will end up costing the buyer's monthly mortgage payment to be higher in the long run. 
     Many local communities are seeing enough inventory to last 9-12 months, and sellers are being negotiable. 
     Buyers are definitely out buying and in some cases competing with multiple offers on the right property.  In a spring market with so many buyers looking, a house that has been on the market for 6 months may lead buyers to think they have ample time to  see "how low it will go" only to have it snatched away from them.  
New concerns for sellers are being fueled by daily reporting about the increasingly stringent lending standards.  One tool the buyer can put into their tool belt to give them a competitive edge is to have an approval subject to appraisal ready and waiting.  This strategy alone can compel a seller to possibly consider a lower offer (especially if they are reviewing more than one offer).     

Talk about the "bottom" coming

I did something yesterday that I have been shying away from recently ... I read The Big Move , which is the title of yesterday's Boston Globe Real Estate section.  Sometimes I feel the need to torture myself, and fill my head with even more negative news about my industry. 

Of course, there is more than enough (bad news)to go around.  I'm not an ostrich, although, there are days I feel that if I read one more thing that tells me the sky is falling, burying my head in the sand and staying there looks really good.  So, I have made a conscious effort to discriminate about what I read in order to fill my head with positive images and thoughts.   

Why I took the risk yesterday is just one of those things that cannot be explained.  And I got a pleasant surprise.  The "R" word was mentioned fewer times than I have fingers on one hand, there was a sense of optimism in the several articles and some good solid advice for both sellers and buyers. 
It was, in my opinion, a real turn in the tide of the "gloom and doom" we have been assulted with for more than just a couple of years.  You can read them for yourself.  A few had a focus on sellers , another few with a focus for buyers , and gave some really good advice. 

So, no, it's not a great time to sell.  Yes, it's a pretty great time to buy, especially as a first time homebuyer.  The 2 are never going to align to be good at the same time.  Kind of like the World Series ... there is a winner and a loser and never both at the same time.  There are good strategies for both, and from my perspective, that is good enough reason to begin reading about the real estate marekt again!