What the Internet Is Saying About You

Guest contributor Melissa Dittmann Tracey of REALTOR®Mag says:

When consumers begin their hunt for real estate, you know where they turn: the Internet. But how do potential customers and clients find their way to you? Broadly speaking, word of mouth, personal connections, and even chance encounters are still the predominant ways people link up to a sales agent. But the Web is assuming a more prominent role in the decision-making process of buyers and sellers as they figure out who can best help them through one of life's most important and trying financial transactions.

To be sure, the specter of online ratings and rankings provokes anxiety—even outrage—for some practitioners as the platforms themselves and types of information being shared are still in flux. But make no mistake: Consumers' expectations about using the Internet to find out whatever they can about real estate practitioners is headed nowhere but up. Last year, 12 percent of buyers said they used online recommendations while searching for an agent, up from 3 percent in 2001, and half of those buyers report being influenced by what they read online, according to the 2013 National Association of REALTORS® Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers.

The majority of customers who do receive word-of-mouth referrals say they're checking up on you, too, according to a ZipRealty survey of 2,500 buyers in 2012. People are vetting real estate practitioners in the same way they search for plumbers, doctors, and other service providers, using Google searches and review sites like Yelp and Angie's List.