If you don’t believe that every home buyer is looking at homes on the Internet these days, then switch hats for a minute and plan to find your retirement home in… Miami!
I bet you will start with the Internet.
These are the most visited sites…
- Zillow
- Trulia
- Realtor.com
Today’s home buyers live on their smartphones, and mobile-ready real estate apps are easy to use by anyone familiar with scrolling through an iPhone.
You see, they have captured the essence of the experience using the photos, maps, school. And added lifestyle information too.
Real Estate Apps are an Addiction
These apps are free and most buyers have three at any given time…
- Zillow
- Trulia
- Realtor.com
- Redfin
- Homesnap
- HomeFinder.com
- Estately
- Sotheby’s International Realty (Luxury)
If you are a client, then know your home will be on these sites. And over 100 more too!
Zillow is an Advertising platform only
These apps are great opportunities for advertisers and vendors to interact with consumers especially after trust and confidence are established through the app. I have seen it especially when people get addicted to the “ding” alert of a new listing in their profile.
Clients have called in a frenzy… weeks after negotiating a contract and possibly already moved in but unable to delete their real estate apps.
Zillow isn’t a real estate brokerage, but a web site designed for advertising mortgages, insurance and real estate agents. In many Zip codes, real estate agents pay $1,000 or more monthly to be listed a “Premiere Agent” to gain visibility next to listings that are not theirs giving the appearance of authority in a particular market. It is highly profitable and you can buy Zillow (Z) shares listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
Like most web sites facing consumers, mortgage companies and insurance companies advertise heavily to capture leads. Do you really want someone to capture you and sell you to the highest bidder? Probably not.
Consumers can also fall for advertising as credible from mortgage lenders or unscrupulous lead generation software – yes, AI, Artificial Intelligence. And yes, real estate agents are lurking too.
So, to effectively market your home to the most active consumers in the market, then your house must be available to all these apps. And I put it all there.
(Yes, I may be critical of the system, like Zillow’s “New Rules of Real Estate” but we have to pay to be where consumers are spending their time.)
Let’s Get More In Depth:
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Digital Signatures
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MRIS
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Zillow Value Estimate vs. RPR Value Estimate
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Home Inspections & Radon Inspections
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Sotheby’s Lifestyle Websites
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What is My Home Worth?
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Facebook Marketing
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Open Houses
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Negotiation
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3D Tours & Floor Plans
