6 Best Tech Tools for Real Estate Agents
Overview:
Real estate agents must be tech-savvy in this day and age, especially with all the new online tools available. The question is, which ones are suitable for your industry?
Here’s a list of the top tools that every real estate agent should add to their toolbox for increased productivity and results:
1. Drones
Drones are unmanned aerial vehicles, also known as UAVs. The drones that real estate agents will be most interested in for their work have a horizontal take-off and landing, can fly autonomously or semi-autonomously via remote control, and include a camera, providing a first-person view from the drone as it flies.
Drones have a number of useful functions for real estate agents. First, it improves the quality and quantity of property photography by providing an aerial overview of properties.
This can be particularly helpful in cases where a property is large or has a lot of landscaping. It will enable the photographer to capture the entire property without having to try to balance precariously on a ladder or cherry picker. It offers an overhead view for measuring properties, particularly useful when trying to establish accurate measurements of larger properties such as acreages. It is also one of the cost-effective marketing tools when used in combination with video footage captured from drones.
2. Augmented Reality
Augmented reality is a form of computer-generated sensory input that enhances the real-world environment with elements such as sound, video, images, or GPS data.
Real estate agents can use this technology to let clients experience a virtual walkthrough of properties that have yet to be built. They can have a 3D view of the interior and exterior of a property using their mobile device, allowing them to envision themselves in the home, see how well the neighborhood will suit them, etc.
3. Property Apps
Real estate agents who are always on the go can maximize property apps in many ways. They can sign up for apps for first-time home buyers on behalf of their clients and be the first ones to see houses before they become part of a market listing.
Real estate agents can also use the camera, GPS, and calendar built into most mobile devices to get a head start on property management by snapping photos of tenant issues such as faulty appliances or pest infestations, geo-stamping the photos to mark their location, and entering them into a spreadsheet or calendar.
They can also be more efficient by using apps that offer real-time notifications of new leads, show listings in the area near them, allow them to upload listings they like, or save notes about prospects without having to access their computers.
4. Virtual Tours
Real estate agents can use virtual tours to take their clients on a walkthrough of properties, both in-person and online. These are essentially 3D models or panoramic views of the interior and exterior of a property that allow you to virtually tour the property in real-time.
It enables your client to stand inside the home they are currently seeing by walking through the front door and moving throughout the home, taking note of what is visible in each room.
The virtual tours can be embedded online so that your clients can tour your listings even if they are not on your site or on social media sites such as Facebook or Pinterest.
5. Social Media Marketing
Social media channels are now the most visited sites on the Internet. Most people use social media platforms to engage with their friends, family, celebrities, and brands they like.
It is also an effective marketing tool for real estate agents to actively engage with potential clients through these same social media platforms. They can capture leads by posting new listings on Facebook or tweeting links to the properties they have for sale.
They can also use social media to pitch new listings to existing clients. Many sites like Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram provide user analytics to help you understand your market better and create campaigns highly targeted to them.
6. Online Database Management
No matter where a real estate agent is in the world, they can be sure that their database of contacts and property listings is always up-to-date through online database management tools.
They can sync their contacts with social media platforms like Facebook or LinkedIn, and automatically add new potential leads and properties to their database. Other benefits of online database management include a private cloud-based server, cutting down the need to purchase additional hard drives or hardware upgrades for a computer and allowing you access to your information from any web browser. They also allow multiple users from different devices to manage the same database without having to sync through a central server, which is ideal if you’re collaborating with a team.
Conclusion
Using these tech tools effectively will help you manage your listings better, save time when it comes to property management, land more exclusive listings that are harder to find, keep track of client engagements better via social media platforms, and manage your contacts more efficiently.
