22 Jan
It’s finally here. We all knew it was inevitable, but it’s finally here. Realtor.com released their iPhone application this month and it looks pretty promising.
It has a ton of different features that will help homebuyers collect information, locate properties, and contact realtors. Watch the video below to get a full demo of the application.
The idea of using a smart phone for home buying might seem like a fad, but if you really think about it, you will see its utility. Here are 3 reasons why this application will work……
It’s Convenient
The success of any application depends on how convenient and helpful it is. The Realtor.com team seems to understand this well. Everything is streamlined and designed for easy use. You can easily find properties based on your current location or desired location within seconds. You can also make quick notes about the property on your phone.
It’s Designed For The Current Market
This application can actually help homebuyers in their search. More than half of all iPhone users are between the ages of 26 and 40. The median age of new homebuyers is 30 and a lot of them are taking advantage of an extended homebuyer tax credit. This is the current market. These Generation Y buyers will be looking for a new home on their lunch break and the little free time they have. Developing an iPhone app for this demographic makes perfectly good sense. You must cater to your market.
It Adheres to Marketing’s Emerging Trends
This is the big one. The most interesting feature of the application is that it allows its users to share home listing information and feedback in multiple ways including social media services and e-mail. This fits right into the “Real-Time Review” trend. Realtor.com is wise to incorporate this into their iPhone App. I believe that homebuyers will be using these social media outlets regardless of the Realtor.com iPhone app. I think its great that they encourage social sharing because they understand the value of it. As property owners, marketers, and developers, we need to understand the benefits as well.
The release of this iPhone application should be a wake up call to those non-believers of social media and real-time review. If a company like Realtor.com is developing software to accommodate users in this manner, you might want to pay attention.