The COVID-19 pandemic has forever changed certain industries, and real estate is one of them. As a real estate agent, your continued success depends on your ability to adapt to current trends. For example, many people have gotten used to social distancing and feel more comfortable with remote meetings and tours.
One of the keys to meeting clients where they are now is technology, including software that helps you perform tasks in new ways. In the following sections, we review specific areas in which software can be a major component in helping you not just survive but thrive in today’s market. And we explain why you might want to look into custom real estate software development.
Provide Top-Notch Service
During the pandemic, your clients have been exposed to companies that go the extra mile to help them live more convenient, healthier lives. Many consumers have come to expect this level of service. So, more than ever, you should adopt a client-first stance and strive to meet clients’ and prospects’ needs, rather than focusing your efforts on closing sales. (Don’t worry, the sales will follow.)
One example is reaching out to everyone in your database to see how you can help them in their current housing situation, whatever it may be. Another is creating helpful content — such as blog posts about how to find affordable homes in unaffordable locations — and sending it to everyone on your list.
Software that can help: customer relationship management (CRM)
Consider Safety First
Virtual tours may have started during the pandemic when social distancing was necessary. Now people continue to want them for health reasons. Some clients may want to meet via Zoom rather than in person for the same reason. Because of the increased focus on health — and especially how diseases are spread — over the last couple of years, you should always make virtual tours and meetings an option.
Software that can help: virtual tour and virtual meeting
Make It Convenient
Another benefit of virtual tours and virtual meetings is the convenience. Clients can view 10 properties in one day from their living room, then go in-person to see the 2 they like best. Or they can meet with you during their workday without having to take the time to drive to your location. As you navigate the post-pandemic real estate market, consider these and other solutions that bring convenience to your clients’ lives.
Software that can help: virtual document signing and document uploading
Make It Easy to Reach You
Just as your promotional efforts must reach prospects where they are in the physical world, they must also find them where they are in the online world. It’s not enough to “be on social media.” You must be on the social media applications that your target market uses. For example, Gen Xers are likelier to be on Facebook while their Millennial counterparts are likelier to be on Instagram.
Software that can help: social media management
Make Sure Your Software Suits Your Needs
As you shop for software that will help you perform the critical tasks described in the sections above, remember that commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) software may not be enough. If you find yourself having to repeat workarounds to get the technology to perform as you want it to, consider working with experts who can provide custom real estate software development that will give you the software you truly need.