Question: I am seeing all of this talk about brokerages and StreetEasy… “What is happening with StreetEasy?”
Answer: For years now, brokers have had a love/hate relationship with StreetEasy.
The pros until now have included:
- For Buyers: Helping to engage the client in the search for their new home, by creating a real-time communication channel with their broker in terms of what they’re seeing and what they like. The site also helped to set clear expectations of what buyers could expect to pay for a certain level of quality, amenities or neighborhood.
- For Sellers: Helping to level-set pricing expectations by having a real sense of competitor pricing, availability and a sense of comparison to one’s own listing.
- For Renters: Helping to see in one quick view a majority of rentals available in the market at any point in time, along with setting pricing expectations of what one should assume to pay.
The cons have included:
- For Buyers: Constantly chasing the next best thing, waiting with bated breath for that alert to arrive in their in-boxes, with the hope that the next listing will do the trick.
- For Sellers: Giving them the false sense that they could list on their own and that StreetEasy could somehow be a substitute for brokerage services.
- For Renters: Stale listings used to bait renters into calling the listing agent, or feeling overwhelmed by the sheer number of listings, not knowing which are real.
You see, the name of the game hasn’t been about access or hoarding of knowledge for years. Over the last decade, the brokerage model (for successful players that is) has been defined by a trusted advisor relationship, where the real work happens in the process of getting the deal done. This means strategically preparing the buyer to put their very best foot forward; effectively advising the seller on the right pricing strategy, vetting buyers who are most qualified and would have the highest chance of having the deal materialize. For both buyers and sellers, a broker partner will manage all of the numerous parties involved in a deal (think lawyer, other party, other broker, bank, appraiser, inspector, board, you name it) to ensure no one drops the ball and that the deal actually comes to fruition.
And now, recent platform changes on StreetEasy only serve to highlight the very important role that intelligent, proven and strategic brokers play. These changes are making it difficult to find proper agents online. Furthermore, many brokerages have pulled down their listings altogether which now make searching for a property online woefully incomplete. This doesn’t even touch on the fact that total rental inventory dropped to a fraction of its previous size literally overnight.
Don’t get us wrong: this is not a disparaging post towards StreetEasy. It is a “must-know” reach-out to our readers to highlight the always and ever-present importance of a real partner in the world of NYC real estate. And now, based on these changes, that partnership is even more important to ensure you have access to all of the inventory that’s actually on the market as a buyer, and access to professional marketing support as a seller.
Now, more than ever, your very first search should be focused on finding a real estate broker who can maneuver through the various platforms, in either buying a home or selling it, and manage all the moving pieces to make it happen in your best interest!
