2010: Whats in store for agents?

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2010: What’s in Store for Agents?

Technology trends predictions for agents
Posted Date: Jan 21, 2010
By: Alice Allan


With the effects of the global financial crisis still being felt in plenty of places around the world, many real estate agents will be more than happy to see 2009 come to a close. ‘Recovery’ is the word on everyone’s lips as we start the first year of the next decade, even though no one can really predict how long it will take.

The new year’s technology trends are probably just as difficult to pinpoint, but that won’t stop us from trying. Here’s what propertyadguru.com sees in its crystal ball for 2010:

A mobile presence will become a necessity. With the number of smart phone users growing by the day, there is an increasing expectation that your listings will be accessible via mobile. Whether it’s a website optimised for mobile, a downloadable application, or a yard sign that brings listing information to house hunters’ handsets, people will be looking for some way to access what you have to offer while they’re on the move.

Layar will start to gain real ground. As the number of smart phones grows steadily, so too will the number of mobile applications that make use of Layar’s Augmented Reality (AR) view of the world. With many real estate advertisers already putting AR to work, expect Layar to become much less unusual in 2010.

Mash-up applications – those that merge maps, real estate listings, and other neighbourhood information – will blow our minds. There are all kinds of possibilities for consumers and agents when it comes to online real estate: everything from finding the suburb with the lowest pollution levels to gauging where people most want to move to through an analysis of geo-tagged tweets.

Google will keep surprising us. 2009 saw Google make huge strides in online real estate. While there are still plenty of challenges to overcome, it seems highly unlikely that Google will slow down in 2010. For agents, the trick will be to stay on top of Google’s movements and focus on how each release can be used to their advantage.

Social media fatigue will set in. 2009 could easily be described as the Year of the Tweet, and Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube all saw substantial growth. But amongst people who use these tools for business, we predict 2010 will be the year the excitement wears off and many begin to focus on the return their social media use is bringing in.

Newspapers will sell even fewer ads. mediapost.com suggests 2010 could be the year newspapers hit bottom in terms of advertising revenue. Whether 2010 is the worst year for newspapers or if there are even slower years to come, the bottom line is that online advertising is only going to consolidate its position as the default option.