The "dot-coms" are coming!

What will we do?

by Louise E. Hull   "We don't get better by chance; we get better by change." I don’t know where I first heard that quote, but it's one of my favorites. I keep it in front of me on my desk. I even used it as part of an advertising campaign a few years ago when our company changed to a new logo.

But enough change is enough! Do you ever feel that way? Absolutely overwhelmed by the relentless march of technology? Just when we've learned to use our computers for something besides playing solitaire, mastered communicating via e-mail and navigating the 'Net, here comes a new distressing change to the real estate world. You may know them as "dot com" companies or "e-discounters." Or maybe you are not aware of them at all...yet.

The rapid growth of the Internet has allowed some interesting new business models to emerge for real estate offices. Some are "semi-full service" companies that allow prospective buyers and sellers to do portions of the work typically expected of a REALTOR® (like property searches and value estimates based on comparable sales) in return for a commission rebate or reduced commission on closing. Some don't even pretend to be full service and offer little more than a cardboard sign and an MLS presence for a reduced or low fee. These companies are offering a new kind of representation: limited representation—very limited. REALTORS® selling these listings are expected to negotiate directly with the seller, from contract to closing.

We don't get better by chance; we get better by change. Right? Think about the kind of society we live in today. We are so busy racing from one commitment to the next, cell phones ringing, pagers beeping, inundated with information. Now, I don't know about you, but I want more help with things, not less—especially major decisions. I want more service—not less—so that I can cope with my busy life. I happen to think most consumers in this new millennium feel the same. Time is the commodity I crave—not more information to sift through for myself. If I'm right, then our customers and clients are going to expect more from REALTORS® in the future, not less. The change that I hope this will effect is a new focus on excellence in customer service. We don't get better by chance, we get better by change. It is ultimately up to us as REALTORS®—brokers and agents alike—to give consumers the high standard of service that will keep them coming back to us. It is also up to us to decide which technologies to master to help us provide that level of service.

Another of my favorite quotes about change came to me from Janet Buckner, 2000 president of the Brownsville/ South Padre Island Board of REALTORS®. In her installation speech, Janet said, "Change breeds fear, but fear breeds courage." My hope is that all the changes that we are enduring will give us the courage to commit to making our service invaluable to the consumers of Texas real estate.

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