March of progress? It’s realtor vs. the app

The Miami Association of Realtors is taking a stand on the age-old battle of man-vs-the machine.

The cover of the association’s newsletter features a robot hand on top of a human one, and the main story concerns whether listing portals pose a hazard to real estate professionals who prefer to work in person.

An article in the Daily Business Review points out that real estate brokers have long contended that online listing sites and apps are often out of date, inaccurate and benefit from trade association data, despite their widespread and growing use.

“What’s going to be the role of the Realtor? What’s happening now is that so many consumers are going to the Internet to see the data, they have almost as much control as we do,” real estate instructor Tony Martinez, broker and president of Xtreme Realty Team in Davie, told the publication. [Daily Business Review] – Jennifer White Karp