The Impact of Covid-19 on the Use of Modern Technologies By Real Estate Brokers

Abstract Real estate brokerage is the activity of matching parties to a real estate transaction. Due to the increasing ease of access to offers posted by sellers and landlords, various challenges in finding solutions that will attract potential customers have appeared before real estate brokers. Given the complexity of the processes in which brokers can participate, the use of modern technologies in real estate brokerage seems to be one way of maintaining and developing the broker industry. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant changes in the way brokers operate, forcing them to implement or accelerate the use of modern technologies in customer service. Therefore, the main goal of this article is an attempt to diagnose the use of modern technologies and the types of technologies used in customer service by real estate brokers as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The research was conducted in the form of a survey among representatives of the real estate brokerage industry. The answers obtained from the respondents have allowed us to state that real estate agencies use new technologies to a large extent. Over 40% of the interviewees stated that the real estate market has enormous potential for the application of modern technologies. Furthermore, over 70% of the respondents indicated a large or rather large impact of the COVID-19 on the application of modern technologies in the real estate industry. The restrictions related to the epidemic have forced companies to use modern technologies to replace direct contact between the seller and the customer. The research was conducted among real estate brokers in the period between June and October 2020.