Listings can now be found in many places, on multiple devices Technology is changing the real estate landscape, going beyond iPads, smartphones, interactive maps and virtual tours toward the aggregation and sharing of information across multiple databases so agents, sellers and buyers have accurate information in real time.
Once guarded by agents, listings now appear on multiple websites at once. Buyers can get immediate and extensive information about a property while simply driving by. New technologies will provide a more holistic view of properties for sale and their place in changing communities.
“Technology is changing the way we do business in more ways than I can count, and it’s changing so fast, at times it’s difficult to keep up,” said Trudy Severa of Long & Foster in Reston. “The importance of photos, video, an online presence and immediate availability of information has significantly affected the way a real estate transaction occurs.”
Two newer technologies Severa uses when promoting a listing are QR, or Quick Response, codes and a Long & Foster program called Curbside Shopper.
QR codes, which look like squares full of lines of tiny squares, allow buyers with a smartphone and QR app to scan the symbol and have details of the property, including photos, sent directly to their device. Like the bar codes they are based on, QR codes are usually black and white and can increasingly be found on signs and flyers.
Severa said buyers using a cell phone that is not a smartphone can choose Long & Foster’s Curbside Shopper, which allows them to send a text request for property information and receive a link to access details.
There are property search sites that allow buyers to search on their own and yet keep their agent informed of their interests. Sites such as HomesDatabase.com, Realtor.com, ListingBook.com and Homefinder.com all allow buyers to register, search and, with their permission, allow their agent to see what they’ve been looking at.
“There are many iPhone, iPad, Android apps that allow agents to promote their listings and feature their homes in various online venues such as the Realtor.com app, Trulia and Zillow apps,” said Brian Block of Re/Max Allegiance in Great Falls. “Several new and evolving technologies are being used by realtors to advertise, market and sell homes.”
One of those evolving technologies has the potential to change the game on the national level. The National Association of Realtors introduced the Realtors Property Resource to provide member agents with real-time information for clients.
“It’s the single largest property-centric database in the country, with information on 147 million parcels,” said Dale Ross of Realtors Property Resource. “We are layering in every possible resource of data. The goal is to know more about that property than the seller.”
Going beyond what sites like Trulia and Zillow now provide, this huge database will be accessible from the Multiple Listing Service and will include information from 12 additional databases such as those on job growth, trend reports, planned area expansion projects such as Base Realignment and Closure, property records, school system data, and unemployment rates.
“Montgomery County will be adding a lot of jobs because of BRAC,” Ross said. “[The National Institutes of Health] will be adding jobs. More jobs are planned for Fort Detrick in Frederick. What’s going on in those neighborhoods? Those are big job growths. What’s the impact? That’s what we will provide.”
RPR apps for the iPad and smartphones have been built and Ross has developed a suite of analytical products for agents. One of these will produce automated valuation models so an agent can show a seller the valuation for their home that underwriters will be looking at.
“We will have more accurate metrics and timely information,” he said. What will the house be worth next Tuesday in real time?”
