freemium

Just read excerpts by Financial Times John Grapper and Wired Magazine's Editor Chris Anderson about the new business model some are calling "Freemium". It is definitely geared towards the new Internet model 2.0 where things are not pushed at the consumer but rather given openly and freely and on a "Hi, I am here to help you if needed and in the meantime here is free information etc." This model or idea is not new to the real estate industry when you think about it. Google is the master. It does not get the information we give it free information and it aggregates it. So in essence it does not pay for content and in return gives it back out. A "Freemium" to us the user. It makes it's money by having ads placed by a few who want to be first or higher in the search content results.
But the real estate industry has not taken it to the full extent that Google has. We still pay to place or view information on a system (MLS, PropertyDrive,CoStar etc.) and very little in the advertising or placement venue as a revenue stream. As a broker we offer this information to clients or customers and the real value is we are able to interpret and make sense out of the information. Guidance Counselors in a sense. That is why and where our value comes from. Our experience and knowledge in the profession. We can help our clients get the best possible price, in the shortest amount of time with the least inconvenience and we are paid well to do it. Of course, there are some out there that do not need us to do so and that is all well and fine. 80/20 rule. We will work with the 80% and that is more than enough.
So let's embrace all that free information out there. All that "Freemium" means more work for us to help clients make sense of it all.