Listing Has Come Up in the Tech World
As all Realtors® know listing a property and getting it noticed has seen different venues of advertising. Long ago it was the newspaper and still is a viable way of listing properties. Then came the real estate magazines with eye appealing photos and very efficient captions. The next step was the internet with the many MLS sites that represent cities in different areas of the USA. We have now gone to the next step which is text messaging and the use of the IPod.
In the Realtor Online, Mike Antoniack does a great job is breaking down all the possibilities that a Realtor® has at their fingertips for keeping the prospective buyer up to date on properties that they are interested at possibly purchasing.
“Text messaging—the more familiar of the two—is an increasingly popular alternative to e-mail that lets users send or receive condensed written messages to and from a cell phone or smartphone. Several service providers offer products tailored to real estate that allow potential buyers to request information from their wireless handheld device and receive an instant response with details on the home from the service providers.
Current providers of this service include:
• iCode PhoneFlyer from Clear Sky Mobile Media Inc. delivers photos and a brief description of a listing. Interested buyers enter a code assigned to the home—prominently featured on a yard sign—and the system transmits the photos and text. The service simultaneously relays the prospect’s phone number to the listing agent for follow-up. Pricing starts at $39 per month for a single iCode; volume discounts available.
• CellSigns from QWASI Inc. employs a similar model. Once a potential buyer enters the property’s ID code featured on the sign, the service responds with a brief description of the home, contact information, and the opportunity to connect directly to the salesperson or schedule a showing. The service also notifies the real estate professional with contact information for each prospect accessing the service. Pricing starts at $19.95 per month for each ID code; volume discounts available.
• House4Cell from Cellit LLC provides a code that interested buyers can enter to receive property information via text message. Meanwhile, the prospective buyers’ contact information is forwarded to the listing agent. Pricing starts at $29.99 per month for three codes.
A podcast is something entirely different. The term itself was spawned by the surging popularity of Apple Computer Inc.’s iPod, the portable music player that lets users download song files and carry their favorite music wherever they go. A podcast is any type of audio file that can be delivered to iPods, portable MP3 music players, or computers for playback.
For real estate purposes, podcasts are a new take on the audio narration already offered by some virtual tour solutions. As with audio narration, prospects can play back the podcast while viewing property information online. They also can download the file to their iPod or other MP3 player for playback later or while viewing the property.
Current providers of this solution include:
• a la mode, a technology developer for the real estate industry, which offers free podcasting of listings to current users of its Agent XSites Web site services. With this new feature, practitioners can record and upload an audio description of a listing. This audio file is then included with other listing information on the Web site. Potential buyers can click a screen icon to play the file or download it to their portable music player. Buyers also can subscribe to a service that automatically updates their portable players with new podcasts of listings. The podcasting capability is now bundled into the Agent XSites Web site services, which costs $699 annually. The company expects to announce a video version of the service, for iPods equipped with video-playback capabilities, within the month.
• RealEstateShows.com, which expects to release iPod Shows, its version of a video podcast solution, in December. This option will allow subscribers to the company’s home tour solution to create versions of a property presentation for download into iPods. Once there, the file can be viewed on the iPod screen or displayed on a TV monitor connected to the device. This option will be available to the company’s subscribers for an annual fee of $29.95.”
As the age group of homebuyers changes so goes the technology to keep these Generation X and others up to date on their home purchases. So which one of the above services should you add to your services? Text messaging is a very common daily event in young consumers’ lives today. By adding these services to your real estate marketing, you will display to your sellers that you are equipped to handle the latest technology options to market a home. That could make the difference on a seller’s decision for you to have their listing.
Melissa Dougherty
Patriot Professionals
Melissa@PatriotProfessionals.com
www.PatriotProfessionals.com
