As a national brand, Coldwell Banker continues to lead real estate technology. We were the first real estate brokerage firm to use a visually driven search platform on coldwellbanker.com and the first to launch a customized iPhone app. So when Apple released the iPad back in April, we watched with interest. Would it change the way our REALTORS® serve clients or how clients search for homes?
Over the last six months, the iPad has been called everything from a “game changer” to “the future of real estate.” I decided to ask a few tech savvy real estate pros to give their view of how the iPad is revolutionizing the buying and selling process.
Instant Access Means Instant Gratification
Exceptional real estate service happens now—not an hour later. By using apps such as Zillow or Coldwell Banker on the iPad, REALTORS® can immediately find nearby open houses and look up tax records, listing statistics, Comparative Marketing Analysis (CMAs), contact details and interior photos for specific properties. REALTORS® can even use apps such as Google Earth to show their clients an aerial photo of the neighborhood or find nearby amenities. “It’s all about location-based search,” one real estate agent told me.
Better Mobility Means Better Real Estate Service
Another exciting feature of the iPad is the ability to store large quantities of information electronically. It reduces real estate agents’ reliance on paper and increases operational efficiency and mobility.
“Coldwell Banker has already created a customizable listing presentation for use on the iPad,” said David Marine, director of products and innovation at Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. “We are also actively looking at how some of our traditional products can be translated for better use on the iPad.”
Video, Video, Video
Brad Inman, founder of Inman News, Homegain.com, TurnHere and Vook, has said that “a picture is worth a thousand words, but video is worth a million.” The iPad’s full-size display is ideal for viewing video sharing sites such as On Location, Coldwell Banker’s YouTube channel— all on the go.
Most real estate experts agree that the iPad is tailor-made for real estate content. Inman recently said, “The device brings together all of the best elements of the web—video, photos, real-time data, social media.” The iPad provides today’s real estate agents with an opportunity to be more productive, more accessible and more knowledgeable for their clients.