Dallas Brokerage Devises App For On-Demand Real Estate Showings
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Sometimes the best way to find your next home is just by driving or walking the block. You learn so much about a neighborhood that way, just by going up and down streets, looking at front yards and landscaping, seeing people walking down the sidewalks, hear noisy dogs and see traffic in real time. And sometimes, while driving a neighborhood, you come across a home that’s too good to pass up. Your first instinct might be to call the number on the sign, but that might mean you can’t tour a property for several hours, if not a day or more. What do you do if you want to check out a property right then and there?
That’s the problem that Realocator solves, says David Maez, Realocator co-founder and broker at Vivo Realty Group.
“This app will revolutionize the way buyers and agents connect.” Maez said. “Mobile buyers want on-demand showings, and that’s what this app does. Comparable to UBER, buyers can visually see the cars of available agents ready to show you a home on demand.”
Jump for a video on how the app works:
REALOCATOR Demo from REALOCATOR on Vimeo.
The app will be free for buyers, and carry a buyer rebate as an incentive to use the app and stay loyal to the agent.
“We feel it’s a win-win for the agent and the buyer. The buyer stays loyal and there’s a level of comfort for the real estate agent in knowing that,” said co-founder Bernice Maez.
The app will feature a handful of other features such as agent-to-agent referrals, agent safety, pay-per-showing, lenders, and an apartment app is already in the works. The company plans to launch in Texas August 15, with plans for further expansion rolling out soon.
What do you think of Uber for buyers agents?
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If I understand this correctly, buyers would be selecting their buyer agent based on who was “on call” and nearby like Uber. If so, that seems like it isn’t the best way to pick a buyer agent, as you are not necessarily getting the best representation. A buyer would be much better off selecting an agent who is an expert on (1) homes in a given neighborhood, (2) contract negotiation and (3) the closing process, who also happens to be convenient to work with. Convenience should not be the top criterion.
Ah BF you are thinking in the old traditional box. Now buyers research the neighborhoods, the cities, crime stats, schools, everything on line. They hand their agents a list of homes they’d like to see. The agent has taken on a new role — still vital, but changing. The onslaught of pre market listings or pocket listings suddenly makes agents much more valuable: show me what’s NOT on the market (but maybe on the the market). You learn who is good in contract negotiation and closing process through word of mouth, because if you believe the ads, they ALL are! Convenience and availability are top criteria, but I’d like to see where this goes. Could be the agents who stick to their hood and work the hardest gets the sales…
I agree with the first post. If an agent happens to be in the neighborhood, because they are running an errand nearby, that doesn’t indicate that they know anything about that neighborhood or what homes are selling for. Getting the right agent to show you homes in the neighborhood, and give you advice and opinions about the value of that property, should be well worth the wait, even if it means coming back later in the day.
pretty horrible concept. how about getting rid of realtors completely as they are useless since we all have the internet. Only reason to use a realtor would be if they had access to something off market
Which they do: Unlisted and Hip Pocket
Sounds like a good way for buyers to “use” an “available” agent just to get in a property quickly and not have to “bother” the agent they are loyal to or have a buyer rep with. I wouldn’t want to be an agent signed up for that app service. I see some big problems for agents and clients on the horizon with this kind of technology.
Funny that I’m reading this in San Francisco at Inman Connect after having left a whole roomful of disruptors! Disruption is all over the place! And the consumer has ants in their pants, they want action and they want it NOW. Proud of David for breaking the mold… let’s see where this take us!
Hopefully, buyers understand that most homes in Dallas aren’t sitting vacant. A showing must be booked with the seller and typically that seller wants some advance notice.
And an agent expected to meet a stranger at a moment’s notice in a vacant property? Who can’t see trouble coming on this one? Forget about how unqualified the idle agent likely will be. How qualified is this potential ‘buyer’? There are enough scammers, con artists and thieves out there. This looks to give them another ‘opportunity’.
How do they propose to offer a ‘buyer rebate’? If the app is free, then are they offering a monetary incentive to the buyer when they actually purchase a property through one of these agents? In Texas, the buyer pays nothing to use an agent. Their agent is paid by the selling brokerage (and must be licensed). A buyer doesn’t earn a commission, incentive or rebate. So, I’m guessing this company will be charging the buyer’s agent a fee for making the ‘referral’ of a potential buyer. There may be plenty of inexperienced agents who would gladly hang around neighborhoods waiting for someone to throw them some business. But it might be more productive to just get a minimum wage, full time job.