Brokers given leg-up in technology space

The company’s Jaci Smith said many brokers fail to promote their businesses online, which is a huge mistake in the current environment.

The new service, My Local Broker, aims to help brokers become more e-savvy and thus attract a higher caliber of clients.

“My Local Broker will provide the consumer with extensive and concise information that enables research of a particular service provider they might wish to engage. The advantages in using a professional who is local are many and include - they know the local area, its various precincts, housing prices and values and understand the local demographic and social structure and can be accessed more readily than outsourcing to a remote area,” Ms smith said.

“There are many websites that only promote the singular – being either promotion of broker services, or an actual lead generation website where brokers will pay for leads. My Local Broker will combine both, and will be seen as the website of choice for consumers when choosing with whom they want to do business.

According to Ms Smith, My Local Broker operates in the belief that consumers have the right to acquire knowledge and to be aware of and understand the options available to them in a given situation.

“It’s all about choice; mortgage brokers are essential to the choice of and provision of information for consumers. It is a positive indication that over the past decade the market share of brokers against that of banks has increased,” she said.

“My Local Broker is committed to creating a level playing field for consumers; it is our objective to promote all brokers equally and fairly in the same light and listen to and act on what they are being told.

“It is time to grow the size and influence of brokers, to recruit new entrants and to make the industry more visible and more audible – and thus credible, trustworthy and stronger.”