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stress in real estate

The invasion of tech companies in real estate

July 30, 2019 By Ryan Lundquist 28 Comments

Tech companies want a piece of the real estate pie. Amazon. Zillow. Opendoor. Rex. It seems like every week there’s a new company announcing its venture into the game. Here are some things swirling through my mind as I think critically about this trend.

1) Stress & real estate hold hands: Tech companies talk about real estate like it’s as easy as the click of a button, but it’s complicated because humans are involved. There are real people trying to negotiate, advocate for their interests, and navigate complexities in the housing market. Can we make things less stressful? I sure hope so. But are real estate transactions innately stressful because of all the moving parts? Probably.

2) The obsession with speed: There is space for escrows to be faster as tech firms say, but I hope we don’t lose sight of the importance of time. It’s okay to have space for necessary inspections, negotiation based on those inspections, and a reasonable contingency period so buyers and sellers are sure about their decision. There’s this idea that real estate should be instantaneous, and maybe one of these days it will be on the blockchain, but mistakes are easy to make if we go too fast. On that note, let’s be cautious about expecting too much from appraisers in this climate because speed can water down quality. Do you know what we need more than fast appraisals? Reliable appraisals.

3) The fine print: A company like Opendoor or Zillow can offer to buy a house at a price that seems reasonable on paper, but it can quickly become low when money for repairs is skimmed off the top – not to mention a higher commission than what is being paid during public sales on MLS. This is where sellers need to weigh how much they’re going to net with a tech company’s offer.

4) The narrative of convenience: Big brands are trying to capture consumers with the idea of making transactions easier. This sounds amazing and consumers certainly want convenience, but in my mind the bigger issue is money. Sellers want the highest price possible and buyers want to pay the least amount possible. I wonder at times if this idea is getting lost in the midst of clever marketing. Or are we as a society starting to value convenience more than anything? To be fair there is a segment of the market that will sacrifice profit for the sake of convenience. How much of the population will do this? We’ll see. The market gets to decide.

5) Models change: We no longer go to Blockbuster to rent videos, we use Google Maps instead of the Thomas Guide, and when booking a vacation most of us don’t use a travel agent. Thus when it comes to real estate, let’s expect to see change in the future. I’m not saying tech companies are going to take over and humans will lose to Skynet (a Terminator reference). But for anyone working in real estate, it’s a good idea to watch this trend, listen closely to the narrative being spun, show your value to consumers, and try to think ahead of the trend so you can position yourself for the future.

Anyway, that’s what’s on my mind. I hope that was helpful or interesting.

Bubble story on CBS: Yesterday I was interviewed for a piece on CBS Sacramento about Sacramento home prices being similar to the peak in 2005. Check it out if you wish. One quick note. The reporter said, “Have no fear” in the story. I wanted to clarify that those were not my words.

Questions: Which point resonates with you most? What did I miss? What are you most and least excited about with tech companies in real estate?

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Filed Under: Market Trends Tagged With: convenience, higher commissions, Opendoor, Refind, Rex, stress in real estate, tech companies, technology companies, the fine print, traditional real estate model, Zillow

7 tips to NOT stress out when the real estate market changes

October 23, 2014 By Ryan Lundquist 6 Comments

Change can be stressful. That’s obvious. I don’t know about you, but I’ve picked up on a slightly stressed vibe when talking with the real estate community lately. We had such an aggressive market for the last couple of years, but now that things are slowing down, it can feel a bit stressful for some. For what it’s worth, I wanted to share a few thoughts for anyone who is feeling edgy right now about the market.

stressed guy - image purchased by sacramento appraisal blog

7 tips to NOT stress out when the real estate market changes

  1. It’s normal for markets to change: This is what we tell our clients, and this is what we need to tell ourselves. Real estate markets are constantly morphing, so we should expect change and plan for it too.
  2. Sellers will eventually catch up to the market: Right now sellers have been lagging behind the trend, meaning they’ve been wanting to price their properties higher than the market will bear. Sellers will eventually catch up to the market though, which will help put sellers and buyers on the same page. Kevin Cooper and Tom Lichtenberg reminded me of this point last week.
  3. Find some optimism: There are always two sides to stats. Sellers might look at a softening trend as a threat, but on the positive side buyers have more opportunity to afford the market and actually get into contract. I’m not saying to turn a blind eye to stats or perpetuate real estate spin, but simply keep things in perspective.
  4. Think about your marketing strategy: When you consider how the market is moving, who are your clients going to be next year? Now is the time to work hard and diversify your clientele if needed. Also, when a market changes, sometimes that means employing different strategies instead of doing the same thing that worked last year.
  5. Keep connecting with people: Business is about people. When we start to stress about market trends, the focus is removed from the most important thing. People. Yes, watch trends carefully, but be sure to let them serve and guide you instead of stress you out.
  6. Try to keep your emotions grounded: The plight of any self-employed person or sales professional is that our emotions are often contingent on how business is going. If things are booming, we feel great, but if things are slower, we feel down. The key is to find a way to stay grounded and put your confidence in something bigger than work. I’d love to hear what you do. I’ve yet to meet someone who does not struggle with this to a certain extent.
  7. Know the context of your stats: Lastly, when a market changes we can often look at stats with tunnel vision rather than the broader picture. For instance, on one hand it’s taking 40% longer to sell a house in Sacramento compared to last year, but four years ago it was taking twice as long than it is now. Additionally, inventory more than doubled in the past 18 months, but it’s actually at a fairly normal level right now.

Three graphs to provide context for the current market:

CDOM in Sacramento Region

Regional housing inventory in Sacramento

I hope this was helpful.

Questions: Which is your favorite point? Any other points you’d add?

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Filed Under: Random Stuff, Resources Tagged With: Appraisal, Appraiser, home apprasiers, markets change, real estate in context, real estate market trends, real estate slowing down, real estate stats, Sacramento Real Estate, slower market, stress in real estate, tips

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