This research article will explore the effects of how a societal crisis like covid-19 has affected the real estate agent's ability to create and maintain trust in their clients. The real estate agent's job involves meeting a lot of people physically, in the office, at the customer's home, or at viewings. This is to mediate housing but also to act as an advisor and guide the parties in their housing situation, which is why high demands are placed on communication. This study discusses how digitalisation and a new pattern of social behavior have contributed to a different way of working. This, mainly from a broker's perspective, but also highlights the individual as well as the organization's importance in changing business relationships. The study also addresses issues such as lack of interpersonal communication skills as a result of the pandemic's pressure on social distancing and the development of digitalisation. The work is based on a qualitative survey with semi-structured interview techniques in collaboration with active brokers from Spain and Sweden. The results of the study show that in a societal crisis, it is important that the industry, as well as the broker, is adaptable in its approach when there is a change in demand and the external environment. The study emphasizes that being knowledgeable, responsive, and honest are important components of the broker's actions to create trust. Most important of all, during the pandemic, has been to create security through feedback and to constantly maintain a dialogue with the customer, in order to maintain trust during these critical times. Finally, the study shows many similarities regarding the cornerstones of building trust during the Pandemic, with few differences between Sweden and Spain such as that foreign brokers, during and even before the pandemic were used to more personal contact with their buyer customers. The main differences that are illustrated are that even before the covid-19-pandemic, Spain had an edge over digital solutions, which made it easier for brokers in Spain to meet societal restrictions, and that about 30 percent of the properties were sold entirely at a distance.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:mau-53694 |
| Date | January 2022 |
| Creators | Svensson, Clara, Eliasson, Louice |
| Publisher | Malmö universitet, Institutionen för Urbana Studier (US) |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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