Expect more than Shiny Objects | 3 Apps +

I spent a day in SF last week at a real estate industry conference called Inman Connect taking in tons of new information to process and decide what is worthwhile to share, what is valuable to improve my client and customer experience, and consider as an upgrade for my business. Here is the best of what I found in my one day there, condensed and broken down into three categories for you: Apps, Concepts, and Tools.

Apps

Refresh – Refresh syncs “effortlessly” with your calendar to find people you’re meeting and provide tailored insights to help you either make a lasting first impression or quickly get up-to-date with those you already know. https://refresh.io/ 

Better Voice – Easily create a customized phone or voicemail system using a drag-drop call flow builder.  https://www.bettervoice.com/

Doorsteps Swipe – A step-by-step interactive guide to buying a home.  “Doorsteps Swipe was created to get soon-to-be first-time buyers comfortable with the process of searching for a home and help them discover what they truly want through a simple, entertaining and easy interface,” said Michele Serro, founder of Doorsteps.    

Concepts

Data Integration – We know that consumers and their real estate professionals are not always looking at the same data.  The field of real estate data is in the midst of an industry evolution where the consumer is being given more data, yet the portals don’t divulge their data sources.  How they use and display the data varies.  The consumer has more information but this shift is still in the early stages.  Also, these tools that attract consumers has not caught up for the Brokerages and Multiple Listing Services.  Collaboration is a good next step as the MLS companies, brokerages, and portals learn to move forward together.

Language – Realtors would enhance their clients’ experience with them if we adopted the language of the consumer instead of expecting the consumer to learn and adopt the language of the real estate industry.  When we have been given the opportunity to help someone buy or sell a home, we have been given the gift of an open window into their lives for a short time.  The language we use can have an impact on greater understanding and efficiency.

The message of the influencer –  Influence used to be about “attraction” and now it is about “providing value and attention to someone else”.  The consumer is more interested in how I can help him/her solve a problem than on what I can tell them about me.   In the world of the real estate professional, this means that the quality of useful content that we share with our circles, contacts, sphere of influence is more important than ever in the new world of using social tools in our business.

Tools

The Intake Sheet – this is a customized form that Realtors would use to help identify buyer needs.  This tool is much more detailed than a typical landing page.  This tells the Realtor that you are serious about your search and want their help.  This level of detail helps the real estate professional in the early stages of the relationship.  If the relationship is to listen, learn, care and serve, the intake sheet helps with the first two.  It could either be a landing page or sent as a document.

RealScout – A platform with hundreds of data points and a “feature search” so you can narrow down homes with the features that are most important to you.  This is the first portal I’ve heard of (so far) that encourages collaboration between the consumer and real estate professional to enhance the home buying experience.  Time will tell if it is on the right track.   https://www.realscout.com.

Mixpanel – Analytics for mobile that incorporate actions such as engagement, not just page views. https://mixpanel.com.