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The Toronto real estate market has been more dynamic than ever. With more information the challenge most consumers now face is digesting this information to make very personal decisions about where they want to live.
To be successful customers have to assemble their own team of experts ranging from real estate agent, mortgage broker, insurance broker, real estate lawyer, home inspector, etc. all of which can take days to weeks to connect with. While this is frustrating it can also lead to an opportunity as Huffington Post reported in their article "When an Inefficient Market is a Good Thing".
Websites such as Home.ca a leading real estate search engine designed to empower consumers with real estate data, insights and industry knowledge, while instantly connecting them with the best, local real estate professionals for their needs. Using MLS data of over 1.5 Million homes the website empowers consumers with up to date, reliable information for all properties for sale in GTA, including historical records of past sold homes.
“The key is personalized service” says Rafal Starmach, team leader at Home.ca. “Both our customers and agents are thrilled” says Mr. Starmach “because we save them time and money. A busy mom can send messages back and forth to their Agent from anywhere and get feedback in real time, while the Agent can be at home or in a car.” This sort of connectivity and ease of use is really a powerful proposition for both parties since time is something we all want to have more of.
As a data-driven company, Home.ca uses technology to identify a customer’s needs and automatically match the best real estate Agent for their situation. As the machine learns you get a better experience through your search process as well as an experienced Agent who can help. All of this leads to an improved customer experience, that removes frustration and delays. In the age when time is more valuable than ever, Home.ca provides instant messaging between the customer and agent in order to facilitate a quick and smooth process.
“Our agents are trained to respond in less than 5 minutes” Mr. Starmach says. “We understand our customers want quick answers and we embrace technology to provide our customers and Agents an efficient platform to connect and communicate”.
Few other industries have remained more untouched by technology as real estate, especially in Canada. The old way of doing business is changing and many consumers demand it. Millennials want an improved experience and better transparency when making real estate transactions.
After a landmark decision in Canada on August 24, 2018 where the Supreme Court of Canada declared that real estate data should be made more accessible, consumers have a lot to be excited about. This new commitment to open data access is allowing technology driven brokerages and agents to leverage this information, to provide customers an improved experience. This trend is expected to grow as consumers both want and deserve to make better decisions on such an important transactions.
Transparency in real estate is another key factor that has been lacking in the Toronto market. A customer today wants access to information and sold data is invaluable to someone looking to buy or sell a home. Only armed with this information, consumers can made an educated decision on value & price.
In order for marketplaces to operate efficiently the information has to be easily accessible and now Canadians have the opportunity to be better informed when buying or selling homes. Agents are no longer the gatekeepers of information, and rather facilitators of expertise and we think that’s a great thing for consumers.