Real Tech for Real Estate

Mobile technology is rapidly evolving in the real estate industry.  There are several great apps to increase efficiency for brokers and streamline the prospective home buyers search in the real estate market. Here are a few ways to cut through the clutter, simplify the paperwork and get more satisfied clients to the closing table.

Digital deals in a paperless office

Advocating less paper in a wireless world is an agent’s dream, but only if it is easy to use.  A service like DocuSign allows any document to be signed from your device, without pen or paper needed. This means that there is no waiting for signatures or initials for an offer to be submitted, moving deals along faster.  Better still, now listing agreements or purchase offers do not need to sit on a fax machine for someone to notice, because scan-on-the-go apps like Mobile Scanner can create PDF’s with the click of a camera. Uploading the scanned document to PDF format is simple and sending it as an email attachment is more secure and very user friendly.  Many paperless brokerage offices today insist all documents are submitted in PDF format.

Agents inspire more showings on the go

The Midwest Homes app is also very useful for agents on the go.  It has an interactive map that will show what other homes are nearby and active on the market, an absolute must-have for buyers interested in seeing what is available in a neighborhood showing appointment.  Liking the neighborhood enough to check out a home in person is an excellent indicator of preference, so why wouldn’t a buyer’s agent want to expand the search during the actual showing schedule? Broadening a tour to highlight nearby homes often increases appreciation of the overall area.

Big name branding in home buyer apps

Many banks offer mobile apps to also help with mortgages.  Chase, for example, has its own nationwide home search and mortgage calculator.  However, if a buyer is searching a local area in depth, an app such as Realtor.com can help.  This app is updated regularly and is the closest thing a home buyer can utilize for accurate listing data, complete with maps and photos, without talking to a local buyer’s agent. It can even search by schools and district boundaries, which is vital to many home buyers hunting for the perfect neighborhood.

Also keep in mind the very popular mobile apps from Zillow and Trulia.  Although they do not provide the most accurate information, with the majority of listings that are already closed or contingent showing as still active and available, they both have wider advertising and are highly visible to home buyers.  For the time being, Realtor.com’s app, while more accurate, remains one of the best kept secrets in the mobile app arena.

Finally, technology today keeps moving forward with brokers inviting digital signatures, uploaded files and paperless offices.  Agents and home buyers share an impressive wide array of mobile apps and electronic devices to help them find the perfect home and quickly close a deal.  Visit a Google Play store for more great mobile resources or apple.com for iPad apps.

Jennifer Kinzle is a Realty Biz News Contributing Writer