E-Commerce in the Real Estate Brokerage Industry

Executive Summary. This article summarizes the results of a survey of 150 real estate firms designed to examine how they are attempting to adapt to the Internet and to assess their perceptions regarding its potential. Results indicate a dramatic rise (50%) in the number of firms using the Internet during the second and third quarter of 1999, and that an increasingly significant portion of those firms’ gross sales is attributable to it. The adaptation of the new technology is viewed as an opportunity to attract new buyers and reduce marketing and customer acquisition costs. Respondents report that they expect a substantial increase in business via the Internet by 2002. Thus, firms may be underestimating the potential of the Internet.