In 2014, 92 percent of prospective home buyers used the Internet to locate homes on the real estate market. Fifty percent relied on mobile applications (apps) to help them find their home.
From Zillow and RealEstateAgent.com to Google Maps, home buyers are going mobile and it’s important your skills match, or exceed theirs. Maybe the real estate agents you’re employed with has an app designed to draw crowds of buyers; maybe you’re self-employed wondering how to put this tool to the best use. In truth, it’s neither here nor there because if your clients are committed to living a mobile life, you better be committed to living it, too. Even if you don’t want to.
If your employer offers a real estate app, consider yourself fortunate. You can learn the ins and outs to instruct potential clients, and dazzle them with all the ways the app will make their search for the ideal home easier. You should also be able to answer questions, give guidance on installation and encourage them to check in frequently for fresh listings.
Your listings should appear formatted, and be clean and easy-to-read. The last thing you want is a client turned off by any unnecessary difficulties in using your app, or in the time it takes to load. A big turnoff for customers is slow speed. If your app is pokey, odds are you just lost a prospect’s attention.
Google Maps is one app making it far easier to reach a listing’s address, and it also provides a satellite view of the neighborhood your buyer may be interested in. As your clients engage in their Sunday drives, scouting for homes, they can get instant information on pricing, the number of bedrooms, what type of property it is (bank-owned, etc.), and a lot of the time they are able to do the work of sifting through the listings for you, which means you spend more time showing them properties that they have a higher rate of purchasing. Also as they’re toodling along, deep in the dream of becoming a homeowner, they can access a mortgage calculator, which will provide valuable information about how much they can expect to pay in total monthly (mortgage, insurance and taxes).
By letting your clients know you are on the cutting edge and paying attention to industry trends and tools, you are also letting them know you care about them, which makes you a great reference for their family and friends, too. Consider learning to be app-savvy one step you can take toward becoming a more credible resource.
When you’re a credible resource, home buyers find you.
