Not long ago agents and brokers lugged around MLS catalogs. Back then, finding a listing that fit a consumer’s needs took a while. The search was not exactly instantaneous. Newspaper ads were at the top of the advertising mix, and mobile technology wasn’t on most people’s minds.
The advent of the Internet created new opportunities & new challenges. A few expressed concern that this medium would eliminate the role of agents and brokers in the home purchasing and selling process. It soon became obvious to everyone that consumers would continue to find value in real estate professionals because these agents & brokers knew the business and could help the consumer navigate the tricky real estate process. And just as listing aggregators began to find a home on the Internet, mobile tech tools popped up. These tools gained momentum among real estate practitioners, and tools like e-mail, digital cameras, virtual tours, laptops, GPS and PDAs proved to be popular among agents and brokers who used them as a way to keep up with the way consumers used technology to shop for and sell homes.
Now that we are a decade into the 21st century, listing placement and mobile tech tools are coming together. Today, smartphones have taken a leap and put home listings in the palms of our hands. At the drop of a hat, the consumers sitting in your car may ask to explore other ‘homes for sale’ in a given neighborhood. And the information you need is accessible instantly. That kind of access is hard to beat. But, what if you—as a real estate professional—were armed with a device slightly less bulky than a laptop but larger than a smartphone to help with a listing search on the go….would you use that tool with clients? Or in sales presentations? This question comes to mind in response to Kindle’s recent announcement about a limited release of its SDK. It sounds like they are laying the groundwork for an app store. And then, of course, there’s the iPad. These devices may lend themselves to clever ways of presenting listings in the future.
“Bah, humbug! Another device to carry?” Many may say that, but you might want to think of it this way: in an era where differentiation is key, what might that client think when they find out that their house can be viewed via an app on one of these e-readers? Or that they can search for a house that way? Picture this: someone sitting quietly on a train, on their way home, can use an e-reader to navigate home listings. They come upon the property that exactly fits their criteria, and then finds you. This is not that farfetched. With the development of new technology, the question becomes, “What’s next for real estate listings?”
Of course, no tech tool could rival a real estate professional’s knowledge, integrity, & network. But technology tools could bring them and their listings closer to the consumer.
For your consideration:
Whether you’re an agent, broker, or an association executive, you may want to consider a GPS unit for your car. GPS units are common in today’s market. Over the past five years the number of different GPS units available has been growing at an exponential rate. With recent advancements in mapping and location, finding where you are and where you want to go quickly and easily has never been simpler. The popularity of GPS units has been so great that most smartphone manufacturers now include GPS radios in their phones.
Occasionally we here at CRT mess around with tech that catches our eye because it looks fun. This is the result of one of those investigations. 
