At the Inman Connect conference in Las Vegas, there was an interesting, short presentation from 7 tech companies who have created apps in an effort to make life easier for real estate agents. These apps can help you save money, make more money, and save time. Let's explore how you and your business can benefit from the addition of one or more of these options.
- DashCMA
- BrokerAssist
- Peer Reputation
- Real Estate Consortia
- SquadVoice
- Addressable
- PhotoPerfectApp
DashCMA claims they can provide you with a better, more efficient way to create a CMA so you can win more listings and increase your client's trust. Like the CMA's you're used to creating, DashCMA compares properties at varying prices and statuses, but they can create it in minutes and present it in 1 view, simplifying the traditional 60-page CMA.
- 20+ closed/pending/active perspectives
- High/low/average homes price comparisons
- Various public estimates included
- If properties are too small or large, they are flagged so you can exclude them from the estimated list price
- 1 view vs. multiple pages makes it easier for clients to see and retain the information
BrokerAssist is designed to make the lives of brokers easier by providing the ability to network with other brokers and agents, find solutions to common issues and get assistance when needed. For example, when a broker is overwhelmed by his/her workload, he/she can reach out through the app and collaborate with others to get assistance with showings, open houses, or inspections. Referrals can also be shared in the app. (At the time this article was written, the app had not been released and limited information was available.)
- Collaborate with other brokers and agents
- Share referrals
- Promote business growth
- Improve client satisfaction
- Opportunities to earn money by assisting local brokers
Peer Reputation is a peer review system which allows real estate agents and brokers to rate agents they've worked with to ultimately deliver more value to clients. Following the closing of a transaction, agents receive an email asking them to rate the agent on the opposite side of the transaction. Brokers and agents have access to a dashboard where they can look at feedback and agent scores.
- Ability to review an agent on the opposite side of the transaction
- Helps brokers review the performance of their agents and provide opportunities for them to improve their reputation
- Provides brokers/agents with the ability to look at qualifications of fellow agents to improve their client experience
- Agent dashboard: review agent details and feedback
Real Estate Consortia. Because no referral tracking system existed before now, many agents sent referrals to other agent without knowing if they ever closed and, in some cases, never getting paid. Or, they received a commission check and had to dig to find out who the client was and when they were referred. reConsortia uses blockchain to help agents easily send referrals to other agents and track them from start to close.
- Send and track real estate referrals
- Increase referral business and generate more revenue
- Technology can help you select a recipient agent if you don't have one
- Agents can receive a 75% advance on their commission
- Escrow can use portal to see who should receive referral fees before closing
- Bonus: the company recently created a token for every property in the U.S. which tracks all relationships connected to that property -- title, taxes, commissions, sales, property records, etc. (a wealth of information not available to the public)
SquadVoice uses humans and AI to help convert old leads and increase ROI by finding gaps in your existing CRM database processes. No longer will leads be forgotten, or never followed up with, leading to stunted conversion goals.
- Rediscover old leads in CRM
- Enrich and score existing leads, finding those most likely to lead to a transaction
- System follows up with leads for you (ex. voicemail, text)
- Their team contacts and qualifies leads
- Dashboard lets you see what's going on at any point in the lead conversion process
Addressable solves the problem of getting people to open the mail you send them. They use robots to address envelopes and write notes, making them appear handwritten. They claim their response rate is 10-30x better than that of traditional laser printed cards.
- Robots address mailers, making them appear handwritten
- Proven to increase the number of recipients who open your mailings
- Improves conversion rate
PhotoPerfectApp is a photo app that makes it easy to take quality pictures you'd be proud to put on the MLS. Is the lighting in the living room lacking? Too much direct sunlight coming through the windows? Photos looking flat and unappealing? This app can solve all of those problems, help you share quality photos and create videos.
- Successfully conquer impossible lighting situations when photographing homes
- Quickly edit photos
- Easily share photos to the MLS, social media, and consumers
- Create videos
- Combine photos and video and share via text and on social media
Conclusion
Thanks to technology, Realtors® have access to apps which can help them improve customer relations, convert leads, and improve ROI. Who doesn't want to present a better CMA, improve collaboration between peers, take better photos, and save money? I hope you try one or more apps (some have free trials!) and share your experiences.