Technology is increasingly common in the day-to-day operations of real estate agents. Unfortunately, the most common apps don’t cooperate with each other in order to improve your productivity. Switching from platform to platform can be cumbersome and time-consuming. Your clients work hard to gather necessary information that is spread over numerous sources. Streamline is a process which reflects your specialized needs by creating your own app.
Here you will find features to include in your app:
Mapping
Use a mapping function to show your client the whole range of possibilities. Explore the neighborhood, familiarize yourself with the local attractions and see the available listings in your area from the comfort of your couch or while driving the car. Mapping technology will allow your clients to monitor the traffic in the neighborhood, calculate the time and distance to facilities and schools nearby, as well as the features they might not have been previously aware of. By adding mapping function to your other features, you maximize the time your clients will spend on the app and amass the data you can generate for your personal use.
3D Virtual Reality (VR) tours
VR technology is becoming more affordable and more readily available. Remember that great images increase the traffic to your listings. But, how can you engage your audience more? VR takes the experience above and beyond. By allowing the client to experience the space of the real estate, they will be able to imagine themselves as the owners of that property. The idea behind real estate staging is to make the client feel comfortable and imagine themselves living in that particular house. VR takes one step further by creating the experience of actually becoming a homeowner. Clients can “try the property on” and eliminate the ones that don’t meet their needs. Such an approach saves both you and your client a lot of time in the purchase process. The data generated by this function can help you narrow down the suggestions you put forward to your clients. This is a very productive tool for you, by making the searching process easier, your customers’ satisfaction levels with the service will be higher.
Taking advantage of the smartphone camera
A custom app can take advantage of the camera your phone is equipped with. Floor plans can be created simply by moving the phone around the room. These plans can be edited with the phone by adding objects, furnishing, and potential remodeling ideas. Collecting and storing such information in your custom app will allow the clients to compare properties, as well as compare and contrast the specifications of each one.
Remember, your task is to help the client visualize what it would be like to be the owner of the property. By considering the add-on features or alterations people will make, you again gain valuable data about the real estate market in your area. The data will prove much more specific rather than the area-wide trends.
Mortgage calculator
Important factors in the purchasing process are the price of the real estate and the payments that the customer will have to make afterwards. Help your clients get around the sales funnel by making the calculations easy. The exact information regarding the mortgage rates and payments can also be incorporated into the app. Furthermore, you could partner with a mortgage officer in your area to get in touch with potential mortgage borrowers. Although mortgage calculators are widely available online when you incorporate this function, together with potential purchases, to you app you will soon notice how convenient it is both for you and your customers. Increasing your app’s functionality increases the time your customers spend using the app and increases the amount of data that you can generate.
Electronic signature
We currently have usernames and passwords for all our major financial activities. Why should real estate transactions be any different? Unfortunately, once an offer has been made it doesn’t mean that driving around the town to complete formalities ceases. Finalising the purchase requires a lot of paperwork and collecting documents from numerous sources.Each piece of paper comes at its own time cost. Traveling to and from offices to sign necessary documents is a waste of time for you and your client. Coordinating times to meet for signatures can be even an even greater challenge. The solution is to eliminate the difficulties connected with the task by adopting electronic signatures. Appropriate and built-in security and safety measures make an electronic signature legally valid and binding.
Chatbots
Clients usually have similar questions about the real estate process, which naturally can be confusing. It is caused by unfamiliarity with the terms and procedure connected with purchasing real estate, which especially true for those customers who haven’t purchased a house before. In this case the learning curve require additional work on the part of the real estate agent. The questions asked by your clients are usually the very similar, hence it would be a good idea to have a chatbot answer your clients’ inquiries while you conduct other, more profitable, business. Another great feature is the bot’s ready availability. Don’t worry if your clients won’t be able to reach you to answer the simple questions. Your chatbot can respond to the queries at any time of the day or night. Not only does it save your time but at the same time it increases your client’s satisfaction with your performance, they will feel taken care of and that you are always there for them. All the actions and steps that you take will affect your client’s level of satisfaction which naturally results in being recommended to others. By telling their friends how easy it is to access to information through your app, in this way you generate leads without effort or any additional expenses. If the chatbot makes people spend more time with you app, then it is a worthwhile addition.
Machine learning
As your clients check properties, you can to use their data to create new possibilities for their property search. Instead of spending hours reviewing the MLS to make suggestions, technology can do this automatically for you by learning your client’s preferences. Search sites are not always user-friendly; much to clients’ annoyance they asked to enter their preferences repeatedly. As a result, this may become a source of frustration and unnecessary stress for your client. The reputation of your customer service is increased by the user-friendliness of the system and the great recommendations made by incorporating machine learning.
Shared work space
As your business grows, your team should grow as well. Keeping all the workers informed of the changes is crucial in business. By incorporating this function into your personal app, you can create task lists, delegate tasks to team members, and create communication pathways. Having a shared, private chat area can increase the level of communication between the team members. If you incorporate these elements into your custom app you will be able to track personal metrics regarding business practices such as phone calls, client queries, time to sale, and recommendations. By linking this feature to your client relationship management (CRM) system, you can automate tracking contacts with leads and share the information with the team effortlessly. Merging this data with your location data allows you to evaluate your performance in the local market.
What is the ultimate goal of all these features?
The goals behind creating and using the app are increasing client satisfaction, limiting the time a real estate agent spends on a project and generally facilitating the sales process. But, there is another, hidden benefit, which is the possibility to gather and analyse the data generated by your clients. The data reflect the trends in your particular area of service.
Remember that microtrends may be hiding in the data about your area. By generating your own, specific data, you can capitalize on the information. Noticing and acknowledging the changes in the local market before your competition does, will give you the advantage that you can use to bring your business to the next level.
See also:
- Why you should develop a custom mobile app for your real estate business
- 5 mistakes startups make when developing first App
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