More Real Estate Information - Higher Demand

Back when the internet came on strong, many agents feared that consumers would end up making them an obsolete item as consumers would now use their direct market knowledge to cut out agents as unnecessary to their property transaction. But the opposite has really happened over the years. Instead, as consumers are given more information and more technology to review that information, they have required more specialized professionals to meet their demand for knowledge about properties. Will visits to properties become obsolete because consumers can access more photos and virtual tours online? In spite of what this article suggests, I doubt it. A picture may be worth a thousand words, but it's not the same as being there. But there are "second level effects" stemming from all this new transparent factual information found on the internet, and one of them is that more professionals with higher expertise seem to be required by the consumer. Rather than more answers, there seem to be more questions as consumers gain more knowledge which leads to a higher demand for better service.