Sitting in a car on a rainy day considering where to go to lunch? Easy answer!  Just grab your GPS enabled phone and push a button.  Up comes a list of nearby restaurants, which if you desire you can filter by type of food.  Find one you like? Tap the screen and up comes not only the directions but all the details along with how others have rated it.

What’s next?

Consumers are becoming very comfortable using the Internet to find out the best restaurants, hotels, airlines, etc. and what others think of them and it is not surprising that their interest is now moving into the realm of the Realtor^®.  Websites like IncredibleAgents.com, realestateratingz.com and realestate.yahoo.com/Realtors have stepped in to provide a third-party rating platform for consumers.  Even some Realtor^® Associations like the Houston Association are considering developing their own rating programs.

It is inevitable as the availability of information continues to expand and consumers exhibit the willingness to trust unknown “raters” on websites that Realtors^® will be more commonly scrutinized. The question is whether or not those Realtors^® will participate and contribute to the transparency and integrity of the system or allow others to dictate the playing field.

For more information on the growing interest in rating Realtors^® read the 2010 Swanepoel TRENDS Report (Trend #4 – Change By Design) available at www.RETrends.com.

About the Author

During the last fourteen years, nineteen-time author Stefan Swanepoel has widely become regarded as the leading researcher on the business and technology trends impacting the real estate industry. For more information on his annual Swanepoel TRENDS Report and the annual Swanepoel SOCIAL MEDIA Report visit www.RETrends.com.