Listings-On the Go

By Paige Tepping

RISMEDIA, Dec. 30, 2008-In this tough real estate market, Realtors that want continued success have to work smarter and find ways to be more productive and efficient. Today’s tech-savvy customers demand a Realtor that is highly responsive and will often work with the agent that is first to respond.

The obvious tools to increase productivity are smartphones. Products like the BlackBerry and iPhone have redefined our idea of a traditional office, giving access to information 24/7 and virtually anywhere.

You’ve got a Bluetooth. You have a smartphone. What other tools are out there?

Mobile property listings are relatively new in the real estate industry. Instead of brochure boxes, an interested buyer calls a number on a sign rider or texts into a number for more information on the property.

One of the leaders in this technology is PropertyByPhone.com. The company offers English- and Spanish-language options, a text description, 10 photos, video delivered instantly, and the opportunity to speak to a live operator to schedule a showing.

“Brochure boxes are almost always empty,” explains Todd Crosbie of Coldwell Banker Devonshire in Illinois. “The service allows me to create a relationship with someone while they are outside the property, and brochure boxes never let me do that. There’s no tracking ability with brochures, either-just that the box is empty.”

Not all the benefits are on the customer’s end. When subscribing, the Realtor creates their property description and uploads their photos and videos online. Realtors receive a text message capture of the cell number at the same time the buyer is getting the property information. Activity reports on the Realtor’s portal track all leads received and can be shared with home sellers.

The green aspect is also important. “Our agents like the fact that they can cut costs by not having to print so many brochures, hence going green for 2009,” says Leeann Iacino, CEO of Denver-based Prestige Real Estate Group.

Not all homes are matches for the customers, but with PropertyByPhone.com, inquiries can actually be turned into leads for other properties, as Jack O’Connor, also from Prestige, notes: “We follow up on every call within minutes to see if the customer needs any additional information. Of course, if the home is priced right, the people want to see it. If the home is outside their price range, we have been able to convert some of those inquiries to leads for other properties.”

For more information, visit www.propertybyphone.com.