Which Technologies are Real Estate Agents Using the Most?

A new survey from the National Association of Realtors provide insight on which technologies are prized by real estate brokerage firms and which ones they should be focusing on to help agents close more deals and make their jobs more convenient, Inman.com reported.

The survey, The National Association of Realtors 2014 Profile of Real Estate Firms, found that most brokerage firms let agents use apps and software that focus on big data or consumer insights, help them sort out their contacts, and complete contracts paperless. However, no more than 50 percent of those surveyed oblige agents to use transaction management programs, video, or social media.  

In terms of real estate information published, the most common tools or information that real estate firms post on their web sites after their portfolio include agent profiles, mortgage or financial calculators, homebuying and selling tips, and community profiles. Less than 50 percent of the survey participants published reports on neighborhood schools and testimonials from past clients, Inman.com said.

The report noted that the survey did not include questions that pertain to each firm’s tech budget or which web sites they particularly use to market their listings. A NAR spokeswoman also told the real estate news source that questions relating to technology, websites and education were also not included in the survey “to streamline the report.”

Results from NAR’s survey last year showed that 90 percent of major real estate firms use Realtor.com to market their listings, compared with only 78 percent of minor firms. The report also revealed that 79 percent of the major firms advertise on multiple listings sites like Zillow and Trulia, compared with 59 percent of smaller firms.

Agents are missing out a lot by neglecting to use real estate technologies in their everyday jobs. With home buyers increasingly using the internet to do their home research prior to meeting with an agent, it would help agents a lot if they take advantage of online real estate technologies to market their listings or boost their presence on the web.

Realbiz Media Group, Inc. RBIZ develops proprietary video marketing software that agents and their brokers can use to promote their virtual tour listings online. The company offers a Virtual Tour Program that allows real estate sellers to create virtual tours and presentations that are optimized for mobile viewing and could be syndicated through social media for only $29.95 a month.

The program is equipped with a video search engine optimization (VSEO) tool that automatically generate meta tags and descriptions for virtual tours and listings agents have uploaded to the platform so that they would be found easily by consumers online.

The program also has tools for creating QR codes, e-flyers, and seller reports as bonus features.

Realtors can make use of the company’s listing platform Nestbuilder.com, which makes a great platform for hosting their virtual tour listings and personalized agent profiles, as they build their network. Moreover, Nestbuilder.com’s agent and listing pages feature a contact form and social media buttons which allow agents to connect with consumers easily. Nestbuilder.com is a consumer site based on Realbiz Media’s patented marketing technology Nestbuilder Agent.

Realbiz Media’s platforms, applications and web sites feature social integration, which allow agents to cross-publish their posts to social networks like Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest.

To learn more about Realbiz Media and its products, contact sales@realbizmediagroup.com or call 1.888.REAL.BIZ (888.732.5249).