We’d be stating the obvious if we just told you that technology has taken real estate to a whole new level. In truth, this has happened to pretty much every industry out there.

However, it’s only when you start to analyze the real estate industry more that you see that technology has transformed it more than anyone could have ever imagined. We’re not talking about social media or any of the other ‘obvious’ marketing platforms – but the finer details which has made it much easier to target those looking to buy.

Brian Ferdinand has discussed the matter at length and highlighted the huge impact that tech has had on real estate. Now, we’re going to dive into some of the ways in which it has done this and just made the whole industry so much more efficient.

High-streets and newspapers are almost not needed

Once upon a time, there was only one way to way to find real estate. You either looked through the ads in the newspapers, or visited the real estate agents themselves.

Well, in truth this is one of the almost-obvious ways in which technology has changed things. Every property available in your vicinity tends to be listed on a property search engine – you don’t have to leave the comfort of your own home. It means that house-hunters can quickly draw up lists of must-see properties, rather than being embroiled in conversations with agents that don’t have as many listings at their disposal.

Agents aren’t tied to their desk

Years ago, the role of the real estate agent involved a long period of time sat behind a desk and filing reports. While desk time is still required, the fact that forms can now be completed and be auto-completed on a cloud-based system means that they can spend much more time on the road and ultimately, selling properties. Additionally, as everyone has access to these documents, it again adds that extra layer of efficiency.

For example, if an agent shows a client around a property, there’s now no need to head back to the office to deal with pressing questions. All documents can be pinged up through the cloud – and this also tends to make the buying process much quicker as well.

The fast answers

Sure, the telephone has been invented for years, but few would disagree that instant messaging applications have transformed communication in this industry.

It’s worked on two levels; both as a marketing tool, and as one to answer questions from both buyers and sellers. In terms of the former, a lot of local agents will now quickly send out WhatsApp messages in a bid to sell recently added property. The informal nature of these messaging apps makes the promotion appear less pushy, whilst it also can create those elusive relationships between client and agent.

Then, transactional communication is also aided by these apps. For a simple question, a formal email is not required. Instead, it’s much simpler to devise a short instant message and again makes the process much less formal and more efficient for all parties concerned.