Real Estate Marketing & Beyond
The importance of mobile devices to real estate professionals was underlined in a new survey from the Realtors Property Resource, which says around one third of agents spend at least seven hours a day using their devices.
The RPR’s Realtor Mobile Usage Report noted this percentage has been steadily growing – back in 2017, just 18 percent of agents said they spent at least seven hours using their devices.
The most important use of mobile devices is for client communication, cited by 94 percent of agents. This was followed by housing research (70 percent), social media (70 percent), arranging home showings (62 percent), making financial calculations (56 percent), photography (49 percent), and tracking mileage and expenses (50 percent). Other use cases including videography and presentations, the survey found.
Real estate professionals also listed their favorite mobile apps for work, with RPR, Homesnap, Zillow, ShowingTime, realtor.com and various MLS apps coming out top.
“Consumers rely on realtors to keep a pulse on the housing market in particular areas, and are often expected to produce insights on the spot,” said Reggie Nicolay, RPR vice president of marketing. “With a smartphone or tablet, realtors can provide experiences that are convenient, quick, and personalized—allowing them to meet and anticipate those tasks.”
The survey’s findings coincided with a recent product update to RPR’s Buyer Tour interface and report option for its mobile app. The tool allows agents to select listings, determine the order to tour them, and create a client-friendly report to share with buyers that include a detail page of the property and side-by-side view comparisons of included properties.
