Top 10 Issues Facing Houston Realtors in 2014

In a time of unprecedented growth in home sales and record home prices, agents are also grappling with technology, industry and regulatory change. To help us understand what issues are most important to Houston agents, we asked agents from around the city to share their thoughts.

Transcript

1. TOP 10 ISSUES FACING HOUSTON REALTORS IN 2014 by Sarah Jones & Katie Maxwell
2. INTRODUCTION In a time of unprecedented growth in home sales and record home prices, agents are also grappling with technology, industry and regulatory change. To help us understand what issues are most important to Houston agents, we asked: WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE FACING HOUSTON REALTORS TODAY?
3. TONIA JAEGGI, Realtor Keller Williams Realty Greater Northwest 1. INVENTORY SHORTAGE "The biggest issue I am facing is finding homes for buyers. With multiple offer situations even a full price offer isn't always good enough"
4. CHRISTINA WOOLBERT, Realtor Texas Select Property Group INVENTORY SHORTAGE "My biggest issue is the extreme lack of new inventory... And anything that does come available is gone before it can be seen." Continued....
5. KYE SAMPSON, Realtor Intero Real Estate Services INVENTORY SHORTAGE "Representing buyers in this market with low inventory, few options and bidding wars is in my opinion the biggest challenge in today's real restate market. I've also had buyers call me on my personal listings who do not want to work with an agent in order to make their offer a bit more competitive. These are challenges most Realtors have never faced before." Continued...
6. KIM SCOTT, Realtor Coldwell Banker United INVENTORY SHORTAGE "The biggest issue in our area is still inventory, too many buyers and not enough sellers.“ Continued....
7. SALLY WALDEN, Realtor Habitation Realty 2. MANAGING EXPECTATIONS "One of the biggest issues facing us right now is managing expectations. Assuring sellers that now is an ideal time to sell and encouraging buyers to enter the market despite how competitive it is.”
8. PAMELA POST, Realtor RE/MAX Realty Center 3. PROFESSIONALISM "The market is so hot you have a ton of people getting "into" real estate. I think we are going to have another round of under qualified agents disrupting the industry...and not in a good way.”
9. CURTIS WARDEN, Realtor Prime Texas Properties PROFESSIONALISM "Lack of knowledge can be more powerful than knowledge. It is damaging to the process. Everyone can respect someone that just says 'let's seek to find the answer together,' and then take all the information to the other party." Continued....
10. RENEE' DAVY OAKUM, Realtor Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Anderson Properties PROFESSIONALISM "Biggest thing we need in the industry is ethical Realtors that follow the mandated rules of HAR! Anyone can get a license but this industry needs true professionals!" Continued....
11. RYAN BOKROS, Director of Technology & Development RE/MAX Hometown 4. TECHNOLOGY "Technology is pointless if the learning of basic components to conducting a transaction are left behind."
12. SARAH JONES, Broker Bamboo Realty 5. PUBLIC PERCEPTION "Increasingly real estate agents are viewed as a commodity. If consumers cannot differentiate between one agent and the next, then how can we show the value we bring to the transaction?"
13. PAUL SILVERMAN, Broker Associate Martha Turner Sotheby's 6. ZILLOW & TRULIA: "I think that one of the biggest issues is the industry not taking a stand on who gets our data feeds and what they do with them. Additionally, the scare tactics that are used by agents and others for this concern me." Friend or Foe?
14. LYNN GIROUX, Broker Associate Bamboo Realty ZILLOW & TRULIA: "At the end of the day, Zillow is delivering what consumers want - more information. Until the Association and MLS are prepared to deliver everything the consumer wants, then they will keep going to Zillow even with the data inaccuracies. Our job as Realtors is to help filter through the inaccurate data and make it local." Friend or Foe? continued...
15. AMY SMYTHE-HARRIS, Broker Urban Provision 7. EVOLUTION OF MLS "Biggest challenge is the MLS and associations not being nimble enough to change for the agents - they keep talking but not acting.”
16. KATIE MAXWELL, Broker Intero Houston 8. FIDUCIARY DUTY "What are your fiduciary duties as a Realtor? You would be surprised at the fact that not many licensed Realtors can answer that question. This to me is one of the biggest issues we are facing in this industry. When you disregard the importance of your fiduciary duty you turn into nothing but a middle man, and I for one refuse to be given that title."
17. JASON GRAHAM, Realtor Coldwell Banker United 9. FLAT FEE BROKERS "The biggest issue we are facing in the real estate industry is flat fee brokerage firms because they are utilizing HAR and pretending to be agents when there is no 'agency' relationship."
18. KAT ROBINSON, Realtor Keller Williams Realty Southwest 10. GENERATIONAL GAPS "We have to understand how to work with people who are different than us. Continued education and conversation must take place about cultural and generational differences in order for our role as Realtors to remain relevant."
19. Sarah Jones, Broker sarah@bambooagents.com twitter.com/sarahssjones We're listening. Katie Maxwell, Broker katie@interowestave.com twitter.com/katiemmax Sarah Jones & Katie Maxwell for 2015 HAR Board of Directors Please vote: