In this digital age, there’s an app for everything. It was only a matter of time before they entered the real estate market. Previously mentioned was Haus, the online platform to help buyers and sellers, giving them full transparency on offers and bids. Now there’s Easyknock, a direct sales platform that pulls real time market data on homes that are both listed and unlisted. It matches homeowners with vetted buyers and facilities their transactions. They even provide third party referrals of appraisers, inspectors, mortgage advisors, lawyers and more. Easyknock is still in its early stages, but it streamlines the process and cuts out the middle man.
And now Alexa, Amazon Echo, has an app for real estate as well. It can be found in the amazon Alex Skills section. Alexa can tell you the weather, turn on your lights, play music and now she can become your virtual agent. She’ll ask if you’re buying or selling, and she will pull matches from the local MLS integration. This app is currently being tested in Albany, New York. It’s directed to buyers, sellers, and renters and also designed to be a lead captor tool.
These apps attempt to make buying, selling, and renting easier. They want to make the process more efficient, but at the same time lack the experience a seasoned agent would have about staging, marketing the property, and of course the dreaded paperwork that follows. If only Alexa could fill out board packages, leases, and contracts. These apps can’t replace the human touch an agent provides. But should real estate embrace the change technology is bringing or stay on the same course? Where do you stand on this?