The internet makes us all local

In an online real estate forum, I recently saw an agent say “The internet makes us all local.”

I’m not so sure I agree with that…

Ironically, as I read this I am sitting in a hotel room in Santorini, Greece where my wife and I are on vacation. Yes, we have access to the internet. Guess what, I don’t feel like a local…

I can see reviews of restaurants, I can find a really cool boat tour, I can and did search for a nice hotel. OK, my wife found the hotel, but you get my point…

Heck, I can even open an ap on my phone and look at houses for sale here in Greece. BUT, I sure wouldn’t feel comfortable trying to figure out their true value…

In the photo below, I am wearing a shirt from a really cool local restaurant in my neighborhood. For a fairly small number of locals in Tempe, AZ, the name of the restaurant, the type of food, the vibe of the restaurant is instantly known. I’d bet a LOT of money that no one who saw my shirt that day had any idea what the shirt represented. Internet, or not.

The hat I am wearing just has a pitchfork on the front of it. Most of us locals back home in Arizona know what the pitchfork represents. Three different times while I was in Greece, people asked me if the logo on my hat was a Maserati logo. Locals, yo.

I got the feeling that the agent talking about all of us being local was trying to convey the message that we can now work in many different areas. While I don’t necessarily disagree with the fact that we CAN work many areas, I do disagree with anyone who infers we should work outside of our area of expertise.

The internet makes us all local – Really?

You see, by law, I can sell real estate in the entire State of Arizona. As you may know, Arizona is a pretty big state with a LOT of people. I have lived in the Metro Phoenix area for a long time and have been licensed to sell real estate since 1992. If someone wants to buy or sell a home in this area, I am very confident that I can help them and be able to represent their best interest in a purchase or sale. If someone wants to buy or sell a home down in Tucson, over in Lake Havasu, up in Flagstaff or in many other parts of our great state, I would gladly refer them to a friend who lives, works and plays in any of those areas outside of my expertise. Sure, I have a computer and I know how to use it pretty well, but the notion that “The internet makes us all local” just doesn’t sit well with me.