Relationships are the foundation of our business, and serve as a means by which one can acquire business as well as to transact it. While some real estate relationships might be described as business only, some become, and remain, much more personal.
In the recent past, relationships with buyers and sellers were forged more traditionally - through personal meetings, referrals from acquaintances and clients, or a walk in the brokerage door. Eye contact was made, hands were shaken, and we all started off on equal footing, knowing little about each other and navigating the "getting to know each other" stage much as one might do on a blind date as our work with a buyer or seller evolved. Indeed even the blind date has taken on new meaning with on-line dating sites such as eharmony.
The technology age has ushered in" the new relationship" - a different way of building and maintaining these interactions, a change that, for many, is not always welcome, and certainly not always understood. In particular, the wave of blogging and social media networking has changed dramatically how and when relationships are formed, the manner in which evolve, and even the form they take. Email, for example, has transitioned from a means of staying in touch with relationships already created, to a way of initiating them.
The new relationship evolves differently than it did in the past. Connections are made via emails, text messages, and information sharing on the Internet - blogs, websites, profiles, digital photography, and much more. It begins not through a handshake and a smile, but through the exchange of the written word, photograph and, increasingly, video, on a laptop, PC monitor or telephone screen.
While some might argue the new relationship is less personal, less intense, less meaningful, I would say that is not necessarily the case. No doubt the technology age has caused many relationships to feel less personal, and people stray less from their computer screens to work on building and maintaining their personal relationships in our business with clients, and with other real estate professionals. That, of course, is a generalization but no less true.
While in most cases we do ultimately have a face-to-face relationship with our clients, even that is shifting to where some transaction participants never meet.
Certainly here on ActiveRain we have numerous strong relationships that have developed where the parties have never met, never talked, never shaken hands, nor looked each other in the eye...or have they? Has the on-line photo become even more important in these new relationships forged over great distances when a personal meeting is unlikely?
The new relationship is also one sided in its infancy, spurred on by sharing who we are, what we think and feel, and how we act in our blog posts, profiles, and social networks. While formal connections can be made on-line on Twitter (who we follow and who follows us) and Facebook (our friends), making them known, more often than not the new relationship develops without our knowledge, or even active participation. Without a comment on our post, a question or request for information in an email, we have no sense of what relationships are forming nor can we participate in that interaction. They know us, but we don't know them. But once that call is made or that email is sent, requesting that we help them find a home or list their home, the new relationship enters a new stage of interaction.
I have made quite a number of these in the last couple of years, resulting in successful transacations, as I expect many others have. The new relationship can allow us to quickly move into the new stage of interaction, and assisting our clients, bypassing some of the lengthy "getting to know each other stuff" that happens in more traditional relationship building.
This is not an argument for avoiding, or ignoring, the old fashioned relationship building we are all familiar with, but a realistic view of how things are for many of us today, providing us with yet another means to grow our businesses.
Are these relationships different once we get beyond the face-to-face meeting? I doubt it. Perhaps things move along more quickly because the feelings of being comfortable with us, and trusting, allows the relationship to blossom further and faster. Once we have moved beyond the on-line relationship things are probably much like they used to be, and because of how the relationship was established, continued connections on-line take on a whole new meaning, and are more likely comfortable for both sides.
The new relationship, however, is also a caution to be ever-mindful of our on-line presence - what is said, implied, and shared. Since we do not know what new relationships are being formulated and who is watching us, nor do we necessarily receive feedback on these evolving interactions (no body language, no eye contact) care must be taken to not engage in behavior that might jeopardize those interactions. Until that buyer or seller hand is raised, the relationship is at risk. Don't blow it.
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If I can provide more information about Carlsbad and surrounding areas, or the housing market in general, or otherwise assist you in your homes search, please contact me by phone or text at (760) 840-1360 or email me at JDowler@remax.net.
All content copyright © 2009 Jeff Dowler Carlsbad Homes and Real Estate Tidbits
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If I can provide more information about Carlsbad homes and real estate for sale and surrounding areas, the housing market in general (or locally), or otherwise assist you, friends or family in a home search or sale, please contact my mobile office or text me at (760) 840-1360 or email me at JeffDowlerSolutions@gmail.com
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