As a real estate agent, you probably couldn’t get through a business day without using some sort of technology. We depend on our devices so much today, it leaves you to wonder how they got anything done at all “in the good old days.”
Studies show that about 44 percent of all people start their real estate search online. This means agents have to be positioned to capture a slice of that business with a high level of technical know-how.
As buyers get younger and more tech-savvy, agents have to stay ahead of the curve. The industry we are working in today is very different than it was just five or 10 years ago. Agents are welcoming the improvements and efficiencies created by technology. These include online real estate services, apps for listings and enhanced features for online virtual tours of homes.
The Forbes Real Estate Council recently offered five technology tools that agents and brokers can utilize to become more productive and capture new business leads. They include Streak CRM, RealTelligence, Instagram, Wholesale Deals List and Point.
There are plenty of CRM tools out there, and if you’re a Gmail user who prefers to keep things simple, take a look at Streak CRM. A Chrome app, it lives right inside of Gmail and has CRM superpowers. You can have a seamless integration with your existing email, eliminating data entry overhead that can hamper your lead funnel.
RealTelligence is a real estate app that scores agents based on their probability of success for clients in their area of town and price range. An agent can be selected based on meaningful criteria.
A hot form of social media, Instagram offers the busy agent yet another way to connect with potential clients. With consumers being so visually driven, Instagram offers plenty of opportunity for the real estate business. As an agent, you can have an online presence that is simple to manage. It can be a goldmine for creating new leads.
Wholesale Deals List is an emerging listing portal for buying and selling wholesale investment properties. The web and app platform allows investors to collaborate and exchange properties directly, increasing the speed of transactions. It can be a boon for clients who are fixing and flipping houses.
The final tip is a site called Point. This is a new concept that every agent should be aware of. The company is offering to purchase the equity in a home and it could prove to be an attractive option for some clients.
While it remains to be seen how this site will perform, there will be new products that change the way we do business. Is Point the next thing? Only time will tell. But it and these other apps all are worth your time to study. Any one of them could change the future of real estate.
