Internet changes real estate agent role

The Internet and social media have made it easier than ever to shop for and sell a home, forcing real estate agents to offer more services to stay relevant.

Agents once served as gatekeepers of data, providing customers with access to exclusive information that helped them price their homes or determine the true value of the properties they were eyeing. But with online data and virtual tours, more agents are expanding their roles to include services such as staging and photography.

Pauline Aunger, president of the Canadian Real Estate Association, says agents still offer detailed knowledge of local markets.

“The realtor’s value is interpreting the data,” says Aunger, who is also a realtor based in Smiths Falls, Ont. “Though you can look at a snapshot of what the house next door sold for, you may not know what’s in that house.”

Agents also ensure all inspections are done and regulations met.

“You can almost equate it to doing your taxes on your own versus doing them with a professional,” says Toronto real estate agent Derek Ladouceur. “Yes, you save money doing it on your own, but there’s a good chance you might be audited because you skipped something.”

Nonetheless, some homeowners find the costs of using an agent are simply too high, as house prices soar higher, so do commissions.

“I don’t think people need to pay that kind of money,” says Paul Rouillard, a realtor and the owner of discount brokerage Flatprice. ca.

Discount brokerages can prepare a listing for a fraction of the cost charged by a full- service agent. At Flatprice. ca, realtors help sellers list properties on MLS for only $ 99.

But busy lifestyles mean others still prefer the ease and convenience of using an agent.