Listing Bits Episode 64: An IT Geek Turned Broker's Take on Tech – with Georgia Purpura of Urban Nest Realty

What can technology vendors do to better connect with the agents and brokers we hope to serve? And what can we learn from the perspective of a computer engineer turned REALTOR about how to approach real estate professionals and what kind of tech solutions they need? Georgia Purpura is Managing Broker at Urban Nest Realty, a mid-size independent brokerage out of Las Vegas, Nevada, where she specializes in helping agents grow their business. She is also very involved in the local association, most recently serving as Chair of the MLS. Georgia has been a licensed agent for 12 years, acting as broker for Keller-Williams Southwest before joining Urban Nest in 2018. Prior to real estate, she earned her degree in business and information technology and spent eight years working as a computer engineer. On this episode of Listing Bits, Georgia discusses how her background in IT has served her well in real estate, explaining how she evaluates technology solutions and what vendors can do to market their software more effectively. She offers advice for vendors and brokers on creating a business model that mitigates agent churn, challenging us to focus on producers rather than subscribers—casting a deeper net as opposed to a wider one. Listen in for Georgia's insight on how modern agents learn about technology tools (and how that's evolved over the years) and get her take on the top technology needs in the real estate space.  What's Discussed:   Georgia's background in computer engineering and how that tech experience has served her well in real estate How Georgia learned about tech tools early in her career from sales meetings and through the local association How modern agents learn about tech tools through word-of-mouth on social media Georgia's advice for vendors around marketing to top producers who can create influence for you Why vendors should lead with the problem they're solving for in pitching agents and brokers How Georgia evaluates tech based on its potential to shorten the sales cycle and save time or money Georgia's criticism of how brokers have gone about increasing profitability by having the biggest army (rather than the best) How real estate brokerages and software vendors can build a business model that mitigates agent churn The top technology needs Georgia sees in the real estate space --Integration among tech solutions (strategic alliances) --Agent retention and engagement tool for brokers   Connect with Georgia:   Urban Nest Realty  Resources: David J. Tina Top Producer Inman News Realtor.com Realtor Magazine Vendor Alley Rob Hahn Joe Versus the Volcano   Our Sponsor:    Cloud CMA