This is almost 2024, not 2019!  In all seriousness, as technology has advanced so have mobile real estate apps.  This blog post will provide 5 reasons why you should be thinking about a real estate app for your business in 2024 as a must-have and not a nice to have.

• Consumers are using apps: Did you know that 72% of all buyers found their home using a mobile app? Or that 88% of mobile screen time is using an app?  As consumers shift to using their mobile devices for searching real estate and keeping up to date with current market trends, if you are not providing them an app to do this they are searching for other tools that can accommodate them.  In many cases, YOUR clients are going to apps of your competitors. When they do, you start to lose them as your client because now your competitor is marketing to them and working to gain their business.  We have all heard the story about a client that buys or sells and the agent says they didn’t even know they were in the market.  Well, don’t let this story repeat itself because you aren’t giving your clients what they are looking for.

88% of mobile screen time is using an app

• Update your marketing strategy: A custom mobile app can be incorporated into your marketing strategy extending your brand from email marketing, print marketing, and other current methods into a mobile strategy.  We are entering a new era of mobile marketing.  Email engagement is not as high as it used to be with consumers having their inboxes flooded with 100s of messages daily.  With a mobile app from HomeStack, you can create custom push notifications that have up to a 92% engagement rate. These messages allow you to push content to your consumers that shows up as a badge on their home screen.  It doesn’t get lost in the consumer's inbox. 

• Adoption: In the past, you may have considered an app but abandoned the idea because of low adoption rates.  I referenced at the beginning of this article that this is not 2019 anymore.  As more digital strategies have been adopted such as websites, email marketing, social media posts, and more, consumers are now provided with more ways to download your app.  You can provide QR codes on all print marketing pieces and your signs. QR codes became popular during COVID and are now used daily.  Not to mention the phone cameras now incorporate a QR code reader rather than needing a 3rd party app. You can prompt a user to download the app when your website detects they are on a mobile device and you can include links to your app in all digital marketing content. If you compare consumer behavior and tactics today to 4 years ago you will understand why you have a much higher adoption of apps.

72% of all buyers found their home using a mobile app

• Lead Capture: When I talk with agents and brokers many are looking at ways to increase lead generation and conversion rates.  They are also looking at how to convert their existing sphere of influence into new opportunities.  When you use a mobile app you are capturing leads each time a consumer downloads the app and registers to create a search.  You will have the same experience when you share your app with your sphere of influence.  Want to convert more of those leads to actual transactions and listings?  Once your users are in your app you will be alerted to their activity so you know what they are searching for, where they are searching, and when they may be in the market to buy or sell.

• Improved Communication: Improved communication comes in a couple of different ways.  First, with in app chat your clients will be able to communicate with agents directly and agents can share information as they need to. If they see a listing they think their client would like they can send it in the chat.  If they want to connect their client with a lender you can have a multi-party chat in the app. Second, many companies will use the app to push notifications to their agents to remind them about company events or meetings. These notifications come directly to their phone's home screen rather than relying on them to open an email or log onto an intranet.  Finally, you can use these same custom push notifications to let your consumers know about company events, charity events, what is happening in the city or even to promote other company services.  

As the calendar turns to 2024 and beyond a mobile app should become table stakes for your technical ecosystem.  Thinking about the client experience and how you engage with your real estate clients in the ways that work for them is more important as consumer behavior evolves.  A mobile app will be at the center of the consumer experience. If you want to learn more about HomeStack and how it fits into this objective visit homestack.com

- Alex Jacobs, VP of Business Development at HomeStack, LinkedIn