Four Technologies to Watch
When one of the largest real estate events in the country asks you to speak, the only thing you can do is hop on a plane and head east. And Jeff Cohn, CEO of kwELITE, did not disappoint those attending Inman Connect New York 2020 in late January.
Participating in the panel “Tech Culture in Real Estate,” Jeff was one of two experts who discussed the growing importance of technology in the buying and selling of properties. The pair sifted through the latest innovations and shared with the audience four key technologies they believe are worth the investment.
- Better video – Superior imaging yields immediate results. Be sure to include closed captioning as 80% of online viewers turn the sound off.
- Virtual reality – VR opens opportunity. Clients can view homes prior to site visits, thus whittling down the number of showings to save you, and your clients, precious time. They will also have the ability to see custom home design rendered in 3D prior to construction.
- Podcasts – The podcasts medium has exploded in the last few years. People like to learn. You can educate clients and fellow real estate professionals on the latest trends and best practices while also showcasing your personality. Knowledge is power! Check out Jeff Cohn’s podcast, The Team Building Podcast, on iTunes.
- Agent analytics – Knowing what works and what doesn’t saves you time and money by showing you where your agents excel and then letting them play to their strengths.
Jeff says that technology combined with good communication is central to success, however. New virtual reality goggles and a fancy tech platform is money down the drain if agents don’t use them.
“To avoid that, ask your people about what they need,” he advises.
Jeff also explored some of the latest tech offerings at Inman, which included some playtime at the Matterport booth. Matterport technology gives clients immersive 3D tours of properties to better evaluate the space. And Jeff noted an especially cool feature – the ability to insert metatags while viewing to highlight different features, like appliance make and model or flooring material.
kwELITE uses this Matterport technology, as well as the four technologies presented in the panel discussion.
“The consumer of the future will demand a tech-powered agent providing a one-stop-shop solution to the home buying or selling process, with the ability to do every function virtually or in a physical space.”