Real Estate Marketing & Beyond
Ordinarily, old news would not be new news. However, a new announcement about a real estate app released back in 2019 bears special scrutiny for this highly competitive pandemic market. Listing Alert, a SAAS innovation designed to give agents a competitive edge, is a service that could differentiate agents and agencies.
Listing Alert launched for the first time back in 2019 as a first in the class pre-MLS window for agents and brokerages to access properties before their competitors. However, the 2019 market had nothing like the limited inventory for sale this pandemic boom has created. With record prices and huge demand, 2020-2021 has turned upside-down every agent toolbox and caused a total reorganization of brokerage strategies.
While I am not quite sure how this app got billed as a newly released service after having already been announced, is a mystery for me. The app has so far been adopted by a few agents with like Berkshire Hathaway, RE/MAX, and others, and their reviews are good. This makes me think the app has the potential to help agents get a leg up. A quote from Linda Hergenrader, Product Officer, Listing Alert summarizes the potential value via the company’s latest press release:
“This concept has replaced the traditional "in office whiteboard" to a much more powerful tool that modernizes the process in a form that not only retains the agents within a brokerage but also attracts top talent by having the latest technology that drives productivity."
But, here’s the thing for me. I am a little bit surprised that this kind of communication flexibility has not already been incorporated inside a more robust SAAS product. The fact that the app has a matchmaking feature that automatically sends agents within the same brokerage alerts whenever a pre-market listing fits a buyer’s profile is nice. Also, the smartness of matching a new buyers' profile with pre-market properties within the system is intuitive.
I am really surprised other developers like Peter Abualzolof’s Mashviser (AI-Based Lead Qualification) have not incorporated some of the features of Listing Alert, especially since this service is a costly enterprise-level tool. That said since Listing Alert is a free tool, it seems like a good idea for agents to check out the utility of the app.
Finally, the app does not seem to have snagged widespread adaptation just yet. Created back in 2018, the app can be found in an Apple app store preview input by co-founder Chase Carter here. It’s a free app with only 4 ratings. Version 1.3.0 was the latest update, which took place back in March of 2020. The Android version on Google Play was updated last month and shows 50 installs.
