Credit: SFIO CRACHO
The real estate industry is built on people and relationships, but new
technology and a larger slice of home buyers using it to help them purchase a
home has changed the game — and its not just millenials. If you’re not
embracing these three innovations to help you market your services to
prospective clients, and market your client’s home to potential buyers, you
could be missing out on a huge opportunity.
Virtual Reality
Buyers and sellers can’t be everywhere at the same time. And, you can’t be
either. Coordinating and attending open houses and showings account for a lot of
an agent’s time — and time is money.
On top of 360-degree and drone videography, 3D virtual tours are now possible.
With virtual reality (VR), a prospective buyer can sit in the living room of
your client’s home whenever they want, without them — or you — having to be
there in person. Rather than losing out on potential buyers who can’t schedule a
showing, you’ll increase your buyer pool — including those in global markets
unwilling to physically travel to view the property. You’ll also free up time to
take on more clients and provide more marketing for their properties.
VR is also key for homes or properties still under development. While it may be
hard for a client to imagine themselves in an unfurnished home with wall studs
showing, VR allows you to craft a tour that gives them a more realistic view of
the space when it’s finished. Virtual
staging is another innovative technology in which your client may be able to
present the look of a lived-in home without the hassle or expense of actually
moving in staging couches or dining room tables.
AI
Artificial
Intelligence (AI) is also a key efficiency tool for real estate
professionals. Matching homes on the market to buyers via local MLS systems has
been around for some time, but AI brings these efficiencies to the next level.
Within minutes of accepting a new listing, the details of that home can matched
with great accuracy to a buyer statistically likely to purchase it. Also, rather
than having to wade through mounds of paperwork, AI can help agents assess and
analyze documentation. This leaves more time for you to focus on handling the
transactions and delivering excellent service to your clients.
AI can also be used to scan photos in order to come up with an accurate estimate
of a home’s value, discerning granite countertops from formica or wood floors
from carpeted. AI is already being used by companies like Zillow, but it’s clear
the technology will continue to impact the future of real estate and streamline
the selling process for both home owners and agents.
Target SEO keywords
Search engine optimization (SEO) is using specific keywords to make your website
and other content show up higher in search results. People generally click
through to sites higher up in the list, so SEO is important, especially since
organic search — or people searching for certain terms — accounts for 95% of all
web traffic to most websites. The first position on Google has about a 35%
clickthrough rate, so you want your website to appear there and not your
competitors.
It’s important to include relevant
keywords throughout your website or any online advertising, as this helps
search engines drive traffic there and brings your website higher up on a Google
results page.
According to a 2018 survey from the National Association of Realtors, for 44% of
recent buyers, the first step that they took in the home buying process was to
look online at properties for sale. Among buyers who used the internet during
their home search, 87% of buyers found photos and 85% found detailed information
about properties for sale very useful.
Additionally, many use internet searches and reviews to find an agent with whom
to work. SEO allows real estate agents to reach potential clients that may not
contact them otherwise. Very few people will type in your exact website address
— instead they’ll do a quick Google search to find you. Leads from SEO keywords
may also be more likely to close the deal, since you can find out a great deal
about a client by their specific home buying or selling search.
While real estate giants like Zillow have cornered the market on getting broad
leads like someone searching for “buying a home in Atlanta,” individual agents
can capitalize by hyper-focusing on specific neighborhoods or zip codes.
You can also pay for Google keywords as a way to appear higher in search
results. You’ll be best served by drilling down to your specific expertise when
paying for keyword leads — whether this be first time homebuyers, sellers
trying to avoid foreclosure, or international clients looking for a summer home.
By specializing, you’ll set yourself apart from others, especially when it comes
to SEO keywords.