Realtors Property Resource® (RPR®) has announced the results of its recent 2018 REALTOR® Mobile Usage Report, which includes findings from a survey of more than 500 REALTORS® about the way they use smartphones and tablets in their work lives.
According to the report, REALTORS® have become increasingly more reliant on their mobile devices for work-related tasks. REALTORS® stated that using a mobile device to accomplish day-to-day tasks during the work day is very important, growing to 85.28 percent—up 10 percent from 2017.
When asked to rate how often (“frequently” to “always”) they perform specific tasks using a mobile device, REALTORS® cited client communication (93.6 percent), housing research (70.7 percent) and social media (70.65 percent) as their top three uses, compared to other real estate-related tasks, such as home showings (62 percent), contact management (60 percent), financial calculations (56 percent), photography (49 percent), and mileage/expense tracking (50 percent). Videography and presentations ranked at the bottom in terms of tasks, coming in at 26 percent and 17 percent respectively.
Other notable survey findings include:
- In 2018, 33 percent of respondents said they spend more than seven hours per workday on their mobile devices, compared to only 18 percent in 2017.
- A large majority (66 percent) of REALTORS® surveyed use tablets, many of which prefer iPads over other brands. Of that group, more than 50 percent use their tablet “frequently” or “always.”
- Survey respondents revealed their favorite mobile apps, including RPR, Homesnap, Zillow, ShowingTime, Realtor.com and a variety of MLS apps.
“Consumers rely on REALTORS® to keep a pulse on the housing market in particular areas, and are often expected to produce insights on the spot,” said Reggie Nicolay, RPR vice president of marketing. “With a smartphone or tablet, REALTORS® can provide experiences that are convenient, quick and personalized – allowing them to meet and anticipate those asks.”
RPR’s recent product update introduced a seamless Buyer Tour interface and report option for its app. The tool allows agents to select listings, determine the order with which to tour them, and then create a client-friendly report to share with buyers. The new Buyer Tour Report includes a map of selected properties on the report’s cover page, a side-by-side view of included properties, and a details page for each property, as well as the agent’s photo, contact information, and any additional photos or notes about the property.
RPR’s release also included the completion of an Esri data refresh, which includes more than 1 billion new data points. According to RPR, Esri data plays a critical role in empowering the real estate data and reporting site’s commercial trade area analyses, federal and local economic area reports, and residential neighborhood statistics.
View the full report here.
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