Success in the real estate industry over the next decade is knowing where the Web is going, how it works and what the opportunities are it offers. The Internet has in less than one and a half decades evolved from a preferred method of connecting and finding information to sharing and being part of a community.  

Phase l - Browsing:  To surf the Web, users typed in the address of the destination they wanted to find, say Realtor.com, or they went to portals with links classified by a subject such as real estate.  Companies spent big money on banner ads and branding campaigns to lure people to their sites. 

Phase ll - Searching:  As the Web exploded it became harder to find what you wanted with any single Web site.  Keywords ruled as surfers clicked through lists of Web results dished up by search engines.  Google, with its simple look and super-smart algorithms, redefined surfing and online ads. 

Phase lll - Sharing:  Today people are increasingly customizing personal websites, blogs and social network pages with little programs known as widgets.  The real power of these simple services, created by individuals or large companies, is that they’re shareable and can be distributed widely. 

Today already hundreds of millions of people around the globe have embraced these “digital water coolers,” using them as a means of self-expression or as a way to keep in touch with friends, (think of MySpace and Facebook) and there is no reason that real estate brokers and agents won’t also embrace this strategy. 

The key for real estate agents to be successful lies not only in their ability to make sense of the social dynamics of the digital lifestyle and online communities, but also in their ability to leverage their mastery of this virtual world for the benefit of their clients.  So to remain relevant, real estate websites will eventually need to facilitate conversations between consumers and practitioners, create meaningful leads and support all facets of the homeownership experience. 

Agents are going to have to engage home buyers and sellers in a manner that builds trust, intimacy and long term value.  This won’t necessarily require new technology, but rather a different business motivation and mindset about relationships. So start laying your trail of virtual online crumbs, remembering that whatever you post on the internet is archived for the entire world to see. Here are some examples of virtual worlds to visit and crumbs to consider leaving:  

• Communities – Participate in discussions on various online community sites such as ActiveRain.com, RealTown.com, Zillow Discussions and Trulia Voices.

• Blogs – Read and comment on blogs that are of interest to you or create and host your own blog and discuss events that occur in your neighborhood.

• Wikis – Contribute your expertise or knowledge to or just add your personal and company profile to sites such as RealEstateWiki.com.

Once a month agaents should make time to visit new sites such as Ning, Squidoo, Second Life, and others.  There are so many exciting new opportunities, tools and methods that can and will be overlaid from the online world onto the existing real estate business, that our industry is fundamentally being re-engineered.

Some agents will adapt, while the others will be too late and will have to watch the events unfold on YouTube. 

About the Report: The Swanepoel TRENDS Report is widely recognized as the most comprehensive report analyzing trends, change and new business models in the real estate industry. The latest 2008 edition weighs in at 170-pages and was released on February 1^st. For more information visit http://www.retrends.com/