Ken Baris, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Jordan Baris Realty in West Orange, New Jersey, is a huge proponent of leveraging tech tools to automate repetitive tasks in order to focus on the things necessary to help the brokerage grow.
“When it comes to technology, it’s not just about getting the newest shiny object. The key is to launch the technology when the time is right so that it works well for the company,” says Baris, who points to Inside Real Estate as the tech partner he can rely on today—and well into the future.
And while equipping agents with the best possible tech suite is vital to the firm’s continued growth, Baris credits Inside Real Estate’s flagship product, kvCORE, and CORE Present—a next-generation CMA and presentation builder integrated into the platform—as key components that give the brokerage a true competitive edge.
“I’ve been extremely impressed with both kvCORE and CORE Present,” says Baris, who was looking for a solution that wouldn’t leave him asking “what’s next?” just a few years down the road.
“We wanted something that would have sustained innovation, because what’s amazing today will be outdated by definition in just three years,” explains Baris.
“Inside Real Estate has a roadmap for continually improving, expanding and optimizing, so they’re an incredible partner to have,” adds Baris, who can’t say enough about the partnership—and the benefits associated with kvCORE and CORE Present, with communication topping the list.
“Most CRMs are linear, with no intelligence built in to allow for interaction, but that’s not the case with kvCORE,” explains Baris.
In fact, kvCORE has both a linear and non-linear component, with an unlimited number of action plans for any and all scenarios.
“Not only does the level of intuition that’s baked into the product enable communication via email and text, it also converses with website visitors based on the actions they take,” says Baris.
Therefore, when someone begins clicking on particular properties from the website, a text message is generated with a carefully curated message, asking if they’d like more information or to view the property.
“The automated tool, which is complete with customized messaging, saves a tremendous amount of effort for my agents,” notes Baris, who explains that company-wide training is crucial as far as inspiring agents to engage with the product.
“We do a lot of hands-on, situational training,” says Baris, who recently conducted training specific to CORE Present for his entire agent roster.
In addition to having agents create a listing presentation for a real property, or one they know really well, training was also conducted around the concept of being able to add one individual’s contact information per minute to their mailing list so that they can begin receiving property value emails on a monthly basis.
Standing above other CMA tools in the market, CORE Present is a gamechanger when it comes to helping agents win the listing and the offer, wowing clients along the way.
“CORE Present is very flexible, which gave us the opportunity to bring our own look and feel to the system. It also makes viewing comparables visually easy to follow, and it’s simple to present when making a listing proposal,” says Baris, none of which is lost on his agents.
“I don’t invest in tools or technology based on a development plan, but I buy them for what is here and now and ready,” concludes Baris. “As great as kvCORE is today, with what I’ve been told is in the development path, it’s going to go from great to astonishing.”
For more information, visit www.insiderealestate.com.
