The Comox Valley real estate market benefits from the use of technology. Technology is terrific when used at the right place, at the right time, and for the right reasons. Technology certainly has its place featured in my life, and it serves a very useful purpose in many different ways. For example, I certainly would much rather fly or drive to California than ride a horse.
When I was in a Comox Valley gym over the weekend I could not help but notice the use of technology in ways that do not improve my quality of life. There were 7 other people working out in the weight room. Even though the radio was on over the PA system for all to hear, each of the 7 other people were hooked up to their own music and earphones via I-pods, etc. Not a single one was interacting with anyone else. They were in their own little worlds and oblivious to the rest of us. Social interaction and sociability = zero.
The last time I was out with my wife at a local pub, we noticed a young couple at a nearby table who were both texting on their smart phones. They did not say a word to each other during the meal but they did spend a great deal of time interacting with their smart phones. This experience was similar to watching two young children who were sitting across from each other at the same table. They were texting each other the entire time that they were there. They did not say a word to each other. Quality social interaction?
At church this morning, the purse of a woman in front of us began to make strange sounds. Her cell phone was vibrating and ringing for over a minute during prayer. What did she do? She moved the purse from the seat beside her to the floor. Did she turn off her phone? No.
The internet is given credit for a revolutionary impact on culture and commerce since the mid-1990s. The revolutionary impact is hard to argue against, but has the impact been all positive? Social networks were spawned in the early-2000s. Friendster opened in the US in 2002, Linked In for professionals started in 2004 and Facebook emerged in 2004. You Tube began hosting videos in 2006, Twitter appeared in 2006, and Apple released the internet smartphone in 2007. Facebook reached a billion users in 2012. Communication via the web is common through email and tweeting and by posting messages on social networks. Texting is common via smartphones. Comox photography based real estate listings are seen by the world. But how social is the interaction?
The internet certainly has helped business. In the Comox Valley most of the high technology based real estate business, for example, we now have an ability to post information about homes on the internet, and get wide exposure for Comox Valley homes that are for sale. Through networks, we can communicate with many different people over vast distances. While this is a good way to give people who are far away a sense of Comox Valley homes, none of this technology can replace viewing a home in person. Some home show well online and some do not. I have worked with Comox Valley real estate clients who loved a home online but hated in when they saw it in person. The opposite of this experience has also been experienced.
Social interaction is the basis of social structure and important to human health. To interact, we must communicate. Communication involves both a process and an effect. The process involves a message that is sent and one that is received. The effect is message understood as intended. How often does this actually happen?
As humans we are born with social tendencies and, for the most part, five senses (sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch). When we communicate face-to-face, how many senses are generally involved? Sometimes non-verbal communication is important to get the right message across.
How many times have you sent an email to someone and did not get a reply? Did the person actually receive the email or did they choose to ignore it? When we email someone, do we assume that they will receive the email? Spam filters can and do intercept emails on a regular basis. Do we assume that they are by the computer or other device that will receive and host the email until it is read? When we text or tweet do we assume the same thing? How many times was a message misunderstood exactly as intended? Worse, how many times has someone used the relative anonymity of the internet to be ignorant to someone else. Recently I agreed to allow someone access to an internet service for free that I pay for and she had the nerve to complain and be rude to me even though she had never met me.
Nearly 90% of home buyers start their Comox Valley home searches online. They are now able to access vast amounts of information and websites that host the information. For the most part, these visits are accomplished with the anonymity that the internet can provide. However, the websites being visited are developed, maintained and paid for by business persons. In the real estate industry, many businesses are run by only one or two people. When a stranger accesses a website and asks for information, the response must come from a person. That person must be willing to spend time, effort and money (yes money because time is money in business, and the systems used to host the information cost money to operate and maintain) to provide you with the answer. If you were dealing with that person on a face-to-face basis, would you interact differently than you do while you are online? Technology is cold and impersonal but people do not have to be. Be social and personable, and remember that there is a person on the other end of the system. Karma is real.
Consider the following age old expression: Mind your Ps and Qs is an English expression that commonly meant mind your manners and it was commonly considered a short form for please and thank you. When we send an email to someone that we do not know and ask them for information, do we use please when we request something from someone else? Do we acknowledge them when they reply? Do we thank them for the time and effort they spend on crafting a reply that provides us with the information that we requested? The words please and thank you are powerful and they can go a long way in helping you get the information that you want. If you were the person being asked for the information for free, would you expect anything different?
When it comes to Comox Valley real estate information, I aim to provide my clients as much information as I can to help them make their real estate decisions with Peace of Mind. As well, I maintain a website to help others who are looking for real estate information so that they can make informed choices. Contact me when you need information, and I will be pleased to help you. Thank yous are appreciated.