Real estate is an industry that’s changed massively over the years, and it’s very often technology that’s brought about these changes – usually for the better. These days, technology is changing everything, and it doesn’t matter what size agency you happen to run, making sure you’re using enough of the right tech can really make a positive difference to your business. With that in mind, here’s how real estate technology can transform your real estate agency and why now’s the time to make the important changes that will boost your success – read on to find out more.
Here Are the Top 5 Real Estate Technology Trends:
1. Better Listing Management
Keeping track of listings isn’t easy, especially when you’re working with multiple properties, clients, and customers – or even locations. But the good news is there are smart tools you can use that organize your listings, manage updates, and even help you create some excellent-looking marketing materials to make everything look a lot more tempting.
You’ll find features like automated data syncing and helpful integration with property portals (essential as that’s where most people are going to look first), which is why tools like commercial real estate software make things so much simpler but also so much more professional at the same time.
2. Virtual Tours
Who has time for back-to-back property viewings? It’s nice to be busy, but trying to get from one place to another, or just scheduling appointments in one property so the potential buyers don’t all clash with one another isn’t the easiest job in the world, and it can really eat into your day when you could be doing other equally important things. How can you list new properties when you’re showing older ones all day?
That’s why you should invest in real estate technology to offer buyers virtual tours of the houses. They can see everything they need to see from the comfort of their own sofa, and they’ll have things like 360 degree photos, immersive videos, or even virtual reality setups so they can get a feel for the space without having to step food inside. True, they’ll still want to see it before they make an offer, but it’ll make your life a lot easier if the first viewings are virtual ones.
3. Good Decision-Making
In real estate, the more you know, the better it is for you, your clients, and the potential buyers, and that doesn’t just mean what you know about specific properties or the area or perhaps the property market in general. It means what you know about market trends, customer preferences, pricing, and so much more, all of which you can get from the data you’ve collected thanks to the real estate technology you’re using.
Once you get the data you need from the tech you’ve got in place, you can make much better decisions when it comes to pricing, marketing, finding good neighborhoods that are about to experience growth, or whatever else it is you need to know about. With that kind of information and that kind of decision-making power, you’ll become an agent people trust, and that’s worth its weight in gold, especially in a market as volatile as property.
4. Streamlined Communication
If there’s one thing that’s got to be true about real estate agents, no matter where they work or how they work, it’s that they’re always on the go – it’s just part of the job. You’ll be doing a lot at the same time as well, from taking phone calls, answering emails, checking social media, and so on, and in the end, that can all get a bit overwhelming, and it might seem as though you just can’t handle it all, or at least not in a positive, productive way.
Of course, there are tech tools that can help, and a CRM (customer relationship management tool) is one of the best things you can have. When you’re using a CRM, you can have all your client communications in one place, meaning nothing gets missed and you’ll always have all the information you need when you’re contacting someone, whether it’s a follow-up email with a potential buyer or you’re letting a seller know they’ve had an offer. You’ll be connected and responsive, and that makes a massive difference to everything, boosting your confidence and your sales.
5. Digital Marketing
Your agency’s online presence is just as important as its physical one – or maybe it’s even more important. Real estate technology makes it easier than ever to showcase your properties, whether that’s social media (which you really should make the most of if you’re not currently using it) to getting noticed in search engine results.
You can use things like targeted ads, SEO, excellent digital design, and more, and you can also make sure it gets in front of the right people at the right time, meaning you’ll make the most of your marketing budget and get much better results.
