Real estate changes fast. Technology changes fast. Rules change fast.
But not every agent does.

And for sellers in today’s Central Florida market, that difference can make or break your home sale. Over my 25+ years in this business, I’ve watched some agents rise with the industry… and others fall behind because they simply don’t adapt.

This blog shines a light on the biggest differences between agents who adapt and agents who avoid, and how those differences directly impact your selling experience.

Adaptability Matters More Than Ever

One of the biggest industry shifts recently came from the NAR settlement and the resulting commission restructuring. The new guidelines aren’t laws, but the penalties for not complying are serious.

Under the new rules:

• Buyer agents must have clear written compensation agreements with their buyers
• They’re not supposed to call listing agents to ask, “What’s the commission?”
• If their buyer wants the seller to contribute to compensation, that’s part of the offer, not a pre-showing dealbreaker

And yet… agents still do it every single day.

Listing agents (myself included) often face an uncomfortable situation: we want to help sell the property, but we also must follow the rules. Agents who struggle with adaptability still operate the way they did 10 or 20 years ago, and in today’s landscape, that causes unnecessary friction.

Adaptable agents adjust quickly.
Avoidant agents resist change—and sellers pay the price.

Making Your Home Easy to Show — A Critical (But Overlooked) Advantage

You would be shocked how many homes don’t get shown simply because buyer’s agents can’t easily schedule them.

The MLS includes ShowingTime, a simple tool that:

• Verifies agent identity
• Tracks all showings
• Lets sellers approve appointments instantly
• Logs every visit for security
• Streamlines scheduling for agents juggling 10–15 showings a day

And yet many agents refuse to use it.

Instead they insist on:

• Calling
• Texting
• Sending ID
• Emailing business cards
• Waiting for a manual confirmation

When a showing agent is mapping out 14 homes in one afternoon across Orange, Seminole, and Lake Counties… and your home is the only one that requires hoop-jumping?

It gets skipped.
Plain and simple.

Adaptive agents remove roadblocks.
Avoidant agents create them—often without realizing the damage.

Why I Say “It’s Never a Marketing Problem”—and Why I Can Prove It

When I tell sellers that their home not selling is never a marketing problem, I say it with confidence because I’ve spent 25 years adapting my marketing, evolving with technology, and investing heavily in tools that actually help sellers.

Marketing changes constantly.
And I’ve had to change with it.

Over the years, I have:

• Spent over $50,000 sponsoring the Orlando Magic
• Invested in systems that were cutting-edge at the time, but became obsolete
• Paid for digital marketing programs that worked for six months and then stopped
• Bought tools that were fantastic a decade ago, but irrelevant today

That’s the reality of staying ahead in this industry:
you try, you test, you refine, you move on, you improve.

Today, I invest heavily in the tools that matter, including:

• Premium marketing tools through Zillow and Realtor.com
• AI-assisted enhancements that align with Zillow’s new ChatGPT home search
• High-end photography and virtual staging
• Social media content designed for modern buyer behavior
• Digital analytics to track engagement and visibility
• Cutting-edge listing descriptions that rank better and convert better

And when something stops working—even if I spent a small fortune—I let it go and adapt.

Unfortunately, many agents don’t.

They rely on the same marketing they’ve used since the early 2000s:

• Monthly print magazines
• Flyers that get tossed
• Occasional open houses
• A sign in the yard
• “Put it in MLS and let the market do the work”

Today’s buyers don’t search for homes in magazines or by driving around neighborhoods.
They search on mobile phones, Zillow, Realtor.com, social media, YouTube, and Google.

That’s why I can confidently say:
If your home is priced correctly, shows well, and is marketed using today’s tools—marketing is NOT the issue.
Not with me. Not with what I do.
Not anymore.

Tools Matter: The Lockbox Problem That Most Sellers Never Hear About

Another major adaptability issue: lockbox access.

Recently, ORRA (Orlando Regional Realtor Association) switched to SENTRI LOCK, while nearly every other association still uses SUPRA.

Most agents needed to subscribe to both systems to serve buyers professionally.

Cost per month:
💲18 for each system → 💲36 total

I pay for both because it’s the right thing to do.

Some agents refused.
They didn’t want an extra expense, so they fell back on:

Combination lockboxes.

Untracked.
Unsafe.
Unreliable.

Any buyer who sees the code can return later.
Any agent who uses it can give the code to someone else.
And no one knows who actually entered the home.

That’s not professional.
That’s not safe.
And it’s definitely not adaptable.

Why Adaptability Should Matter to Every Seller

Agents who adapt:

• Use technology that makes your home easier to show
• Follow new rules that protect you legally
• Invest in the tools of the trade
• Embrace video, social media, and modern marketing
• Stay ahead of changes instead of reacting to them
• Remove obstacles, never create them

Agents who avoid:

• Stick to outdated marketing
• Ignore new rules
• Make showings difficult
• Resist new technology
• Operate like it’s 2007
• Hope the market will save them

In a balanced or shifting market—like the one we’re in now—you need someone who’s ahead of the curve, not behind it.

David Dorman, Broker-Associate
CENTURY 21 Carioti – Central Florida
📞 407-948-8295
🌐 www.DavidDorman.com
💬 When you hire David Dorman, you GET David Dorman.