RISMedia’s Real Estate magazine recently had the opportunity to chat with Doug Seabolt, CEO of Rocket Homes, about the company’s focus on helping consumers navigate the complexities associated with the home-buying and -selling experience. In this exclusive interview, Seabolt provides a closer look into how he believes technology and innovation will continue to challenge the status quo of how consumers buy or sell homes.
Real Estate magazine: How have things been progressing at Rocket Homes since the rebranding in 2018?
Doug Seabolt: Since rebranding our company and launching RocketHomes.com, we’ve maintained our focus on expanding and enhancing the building of an end-to-end home-buying and -selling experience that provides transparency and bridges the gap between the disparate real estate and mortgage processes in order to eliminate the confusion and stress that is often associated with buying or selling a home.
RE: What steps did the company take last year to improve the home-buying experience for consumers?
DS: This past year, we’ve spent tremendous energy on helping consumers navigate the complexities associated with home-buying and -selling by providing them with real-time access to our sister company, Rocket Mortgage, and our Network of Partner Agents at the point and time they need it. In addition, we created multiple products that provide consumers with in-depth insights, using both real-time and historical data, into what’s going on in a specific market, right down to a neighborhood level. What’s clear to us is the insatiable appetite consumers have for data, insight and information to help them make the best, most informed real estate decisions possible.
RE: Why is it important to provide consumers with a more seamless, one-stop experience today?
DS: We believe that providing consumers with tools, information and services that give them better insight and knowledge, as well as access to all associated services they may need during their home-buying or -selling journey, lessens the confusion and stress of buying or selling a home.
RE: How is the current overall investment in the proptech space ultimately going to benefit real estate consumers?
DS: We’ve said many times over the years that technology and innovation will continue to challenge the status quo of how consumers buy or sell homes. With the ever-increasing flow of investment into proptech, and more and more industry thought leaders reimagining the home-buying and -selling experience, consumers will ultimately benefit by having more data and information at their fingertips and more transparency into the process, creating a higher degree of certainty and a better overall home-buying or -selling experience.
RE: What’s your major focus for the year ahead?
DS: In 2020, we will continue our focus on enhancing the consumer’s overall home-buying and -selling experience by providing them with enhanced housing insight and information, and access to mortgage approvals and real estate professionals in real-time through our integrations with our industry partners.
For more information, please visit www.rockethomes.com.
Paige Tepping is RISMedia’s managing editor. Email her your real estate news ideas at paige@rismedia.com.
Great interview Doug!