SF Peninsula Real Estate Guru

There is almost an unlimited amount of real estate data available to real estate professionals and consumers alike.

The amount and availability of data is so different than it was when I entered the real estate business in 1978. Back then, there was no computerized database of mls listings. Each agent carried around a little black book that contained the listings. Each city had its own board of realtors with its own listings. Each city had their own keysafe keys. Since I sell property from San Carlos to Sunnyvale, I had 5 or 6 different keys to open up lock boxes. “Hotsheets” were printed out twice and a week. These “hotsheets” showed new sales, new listings, and price reductions. Agents updated their little black books by hand.

Fast forward 30 years - what a difference! On the Peninsula we have one mls system! One keysafe opener will open keysafes from San Jose to San Francisco. Zillow and Trulia post listing and sales data. MLS information is available to consumers thru a wide variety of sources.

Back in the old days, one of the main services an agent offered was access to the mls information. Today just about anyone can access mls information.

So what benefits do agents provide? what value do agents bring to today’s consumer?

Marian Bennett Coldwell Banker sells real estate on the San Mateo Coastside has written a recent post addressing these questions.

I agree with Marian that depsite all the information available to the consumer, an agent can help put this information in best persepctive for a buyer or seller. Agents like Marian or myself are out in the marketplace everyday. We see these properties - we see what’s on the market and what has sold. We can give buyers and sellers more detailed non-quantative information about these properties that are not available on the Web. We have been through countless transactions and can help guide our clients to solutions that work best for them.