There’s no question that as a society, we are more mobile than we have ever been. With over 300 million mobile users in this country, a 96% penetration rate, it’s safe to say this isn’t going to change anytime soon.
The real estate industry in Los Angeles, California, has obviously taken note and, in an effort to move inventory and make information more readily available to today’s mobile consumers, has adopted many new ways to get property info into the hands (literally) of prospective buyers: Property Search 3.0.
On July 15, The MLS/CLAW released to all its members innovative new technology that allows them to do just that—put property information right into a prospective buyer’s hands via his/her cell phone.
By partnering with Mobile Real Estate ID, The MLS/CLAW is giving every member access to today’s most popular mobile components so they can mobilize their listings for potential buyers. This comes in a couple different forms.
First is text messaging: each listing entered into the MLS can now have a text code assigned to it. This text code can be used in all forms of advertising, especially on the “For Sale” sign. When a prospective buyer is in front of the house, they can simply text the code to 85377 and get instant information about the property, a link to all the photos and the agent’s contact information. They can also request a phone call from the agent.
Second, each property will be available via QR code. QR codes are two dimensional bar codes which, when scanned, will take you to a piece of content, in this case, property information. As a prospective buyer, you can either scan the QR code on the yard sign and, using the GPS on your device, get info pertaining to the property you’re in front of, or scan a code from a magazine ad and go right to the listing page.
Third, every property in the MLS now has a mobile website created for it. This way, as a buyer—whether you text or scan for info—you can pull up a website for that listing that is formatted specially for viewing on your mobile device so all content and pictures appear correctly and are easily navigated. All property pages are linked to the agent’s other listings and have features, such as the ability to map the listing and email the listing to a spouse or friend. Some agents have even enhanced their mobile property sites to include a search of all properties for sale in the market and allow you to use your phone’s GPS to search for listings near you.
Now when you’re out looking for properties, rest assured you need nothing more than your cell phone. Whether you text or scan, you can get all the info you need right in the palm of your hand using Property Search 3.0 with all members of The MLS/CLAW.
Seth Kaplan is president of Mobile Real Estate ID.
For more information, visit www.mobilerealestateid.com.
