RE/MAX has launched the RE/MAX Real Estate Search App, along with a retooled website, in an expansion of its new proprietary technology, the booj Platform, introduced last year.
“We know that consumers are eager to find a new way to search for homes on their phone,” Adam Contos, CEO of RE/MAX, says. “Living up to our core value of being ‘Customer Obsessed,’ we developed a world-class product owned by and exclusive to the top producers in the industry which makes the personal experience of buying or selling a home much more interactive.
“Providing the consumer with technology developed with their current and anticipated needs in mind was our primary objective,” Contos says.
With the app, available in the App Store and Google Play, agents can communicate with consumers on one platform, branded to them and connected to their CRM, all while the consumer peruses properties. As the consumer searches, agents are notified of their preferences, so they can help make recommendations seamlessly. If the consumer earmarks a listing, for instance, their agent can help them set up a showing, or point them to similar styles—all within the app, so the communication is streamlined.
For consumers, the app contains search-on-the-spot tools, such as an augmented reality search, through their camera on their phone; a draw search, in which they can circle their desired location; and a nearby search, which finds listings based on their current location. Once they find a home, they can compare it to comparables and discover information on the listing, including commuting estimates and the expected monthly mortgage payment.
Booj developers engineered the new platform, with feedback from practitioners. RE/MAX acquired booj, a Colorado-based firm, in 2018, and brought on the company’s 70 employees to its in-house team. Since then, the development group has grown to 100.
“The ability to brand the RE/MAX app is invaluable, as it serves as a personal lead generator for agents and exceeds the consumer’s expectations of the value of a real estate agent by creating a platform where communication, scheduling, organization and task management are, in equal parts, controlled by the consumer and agent,” Ido Zucker, booj co-founder, says.
In addition to the app, booj developers overhauled the RE/MAX website, to improve the infrastructure of listings search, as well as integrate the main site with agent, brokerage and team websites, among other upgrades. As part of the revamp, engineers implemented more tools, including the ability to hide listings or see them side-by-side, and set up a “Preferred Buyer’s Agent,” so agents and consumers can easily interact.
“Enabling consumers to have greater control on their search and agent interaction—all from a device that is always on them—points to our culture at RE/MAX to innovate and provide services that elevate the customer experience beyond any comparison,” Jerry Modes, senior vice president of Information Technology at RE/MAX, says. “The highly customized app and website arm the most productive agents in real estate with a first-of-its-kind ecosystem to create a more efficient home-buying and -selling process.
“REMAX.com, agent websites and the RE/MAX mobile app all work seamlessly together to make finding a home as easy as possible,” Modes says. “When a consumer is ready to get serious about his or her home search, finding a RE/MAX agent or connecting with the agent you plan to work with has never been this straightforward.”
For more on the app and updated website, please visit www.remax.com.
Suzanne De Vita is RISMedia’s senior online editor. Email her your real estate news ideas at sdevita@rismedia.com.
