The connection between real estate and mobile technology is growing by the day. In fact, chances are you’re currently reading this article on an iPhone or something similar. But are there any mobile phone applications out there specifically designed with agents and their clients in mind?
Applications for agents
At this stage, mobile applications designed for agents seem relatively scarce, but at least one company has decided to try to fill this gap. mobileapploader.com, an online marketplace for mobile phone applications, has launched its first customisable application, Real Estate – Real Easy. The application is currently available without any setup or monthly fees. It’s made up of six customisable pages that include agent contact details, a search function, an “about” page with an “add to contacts” link, and a location based feedback page where clients can email their agents with reactions to a particular property or neighbourhood.
mobileapploader.com takes an agent’s contact details and creates their own branded version of the application, which can then be downloaded from the iPhone App Store. The idea is that clients will download the application and use it as they search for properties.
At the moment, Real Estate – Real Easy seems to be the only option for agents looking for a customisable mobile application. Most of the attention remains on creating a search application for mobiles that presents a true picture of the market in a user friendly way.
Mobile search applications
Many real estate portals are now working towards their own search applications for mobile phones. zillow.com offers a search application, Zillow Mobile, which also includes an instant property market value estimate, or Zestimate. trulia.com offers Trulia Mobile, and realestate.com.au also has its own mobile-specific website and an sms based property evaluation, to name just a few examples.
Other real estate search applications that are not connected to a specific portal include Puluwai and Home Finder. Puluwai is free, and agents can ensure their listings show up in its search by adding them to the Google database. Home Finder is also a free application that, according to its website “searches some of the top online real estate sources like Trulia and Google Base”.
One more real estate search application that has recently been launched by Smarter Agent is simply known as Real Estate. It claims to be “much more detailed and comprehensive than other mobile apps,” with information that is updated “at least once daily”.
Needless to say, the influx of these mobile, real-time search applications have print newspapers more than a little concerned.
[image: flickr/kidperez]
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I wanted to share some news about the Homes.com iPhone App for you to test and provide us with feedback.
Thanks,
Mark Frederick
Business Development Director
Homes.com
757-351-7519
http://www.emediawire.com/releases/2009/3/prweb2282634.htm
Smarter Agent’s application is called Homes for Sale. While we are a consumer search, Smarter agent offers agents and brokers the ability to brand our application with their name and logo to give out to an unlimited number of consumers. With a branded Homes for Sale app, the agent or broker receives calls on all listings not just their listings.
With this partnership, consumers get to view all publicly viewable MLS
(IDX) listings.
You don’t need a Smartphone to use Smarter Agent. Our Homes for Sale application is available on every device on every U.S.carrier either by downloadable GPS application or Mobile Web (wap) search.
Our GPS mobile real estate search pulls up the addresses and information for the closest homes for sale in the user’s immediate area. If they don’t want to search the area where they are standing, they can also search by city, zip code, address or community name. http://www.smarteragent.com
Smarter Agent’s application is called Homes for Sale. While we are a consumer search, Smarter Agent offers brokers and agents the ability to brand the application with their name and logo to give out to an unlimited number of consumers. With a branded Homes for Sale app, the agent or broker receives calls on all listings not just their listings.
With this partnership consumers get to view all publicly viewable MLS
(IDX) listings.
You don’t need a Smartphone to use Smarter Agent. Our Homes for Sale app is available on every device on every U.S. carrier either by downloadable GPS application or Mobile Web (wap) search.
When consumers search for properties using Homes for Sale, our app uses the GPS technology in their phone to pull up addresses and information on the closest homes for sale. If they don’t want to search they area where they are standing, they can also search by city, zip code address or community name to see listings and details.
Thanks for mentioning Puluwai Real Estate Search. We’ve just released the best Puluwai yet (1.09) in iTunes (App Store link: http://bit.ly/3tO70). We hope that everyone involved in real estate services finds it useful for keeping track of the state of the housing market, and that it helps consumers make informed househunting decisions. Enjoy!