Look How Far We’ve Come: Technology & MLS

In any profession, it’s interesting to take a moment and look back from where you came. I’ve been a Realtor for 25 years, and it’s amazing to see the evolution of technology and access to data, and how we are better equipped to serve our clients and community.

It seems so far-fetched now, but there was a time when if I were going to show a property to an interested buyer, I would pick up the physical house key, show the property, and then return the key to a listing agent. Now, thanks to technology, I’m able to press a few buttons on my phone to open a house. For my listings, I can access a list of everyone who accessed the keybox to view the property, including how long they took at each property. It’s a secure and accessible system to know who has, or has not, been in a property. How great is that?

Another advancement is Greater Chattanooga Realtors’ Multiple Listing Service, or MLS for short. When I first got into the business, our MLS was a book. Newer Realtors can’t believe me when I tell them this. But it was a big book, with black and white pictures, and each property listing included just one picture. And of course, by the time we got the book, it was already outdated. There was no automatic way to know about new listings, price changes, open houses, or that a property already was under contract. And thanks to technology, our MLS has advanced, which enables us to arm clients with the most current data about the local market inventory.

And it’s not just having access to property images. Thanks to the MLS, we now have much more statistical knowledge and more comprehensive market data, which puts Realtors on the edge of market trends. The ability to drill down deep into the data isn’t just to get numbers; it’s key to marketing a property as well.

Here at Greater Chattanooga Realtors, we know that our Association-owned MLS is making the market work. There are many benefits to our MLS system, and here are three key focuses:

Confidence. Greater Chattanooga Realtors’ MLS safeguards market information and enforces rules that govern market participation. This allows local real estate professionals to do their jobs with a confidence that would not otherwise exist. This means that there is verified, trusted, detailed, and accurate property information. Let’s say you were looking for a piece of property to build a house on. You would want the exact amount of land to be correct, right? Our MLS gives buyer confidence knowing that the property listed is correct.

Connections. Greater Chattanooga Realtors’ MLS creates connections between local, informed professionals with properties to sell and those with clients who may buy them. It is the platform on which those who make transactions happen come together. Our MLS facilitates cooperation between the buyer and seller. Without it, buyers and sellers would likely have to pay a fee to list on websites.

Community. Greater Chattanooga Realtors’ MLS sustains a dynamic community of local professionals where competitors cooperate to make homeownership happen. With our MLS, it is easy to find the local agent who happens to be selling the home. It also provides equal opportunity for all home buyers and sellers. Without the MLS system, residents would have few options available for their home buying or selling needs.

No matter your profession, we all have come to appreciate advances in technology that not only make our job easier, but serve the customer better. Our MLS is crucial in making sure that Realtors serve their clients with expert knowledge. Realtors embrace technology. That’s Who We R.