“The data is clear. Consumers have overwhelmingly flocked to mobile web/app experiences over desktop in the last few years,” says Adi Pavlovic, technology strategist at Keller Williams Realty International. According to the U.S. Mobile App Report by comScore, 60 percent of digital experiences take place on mobile.
But do consumers actually purchase the homes they find online? This is where it gets interesting.
“We’ve known for a couple of years now that the majority of real estate traffic today occurs on mobile and that consumers begin their home buying/selling journey well in advance of their intentions to transact,” Pavlovic explains. “In 2016, real estate search portals claimed that 66 percent of their traffic came from mobile devices, and on weekends that number got as high as 75 percent. While those numbers affirm mobile usage, our research illustrates how real estate agents are at the heart of the sale.”
Pavolvic is talking about a recent study by Keller Williams that shows how consumers found the home they actually purchased.
“We discovered that only 9.5 percent of home buyers found the home they purchased online, while 91.5 percent found their home with the help of their agent.”
This means two things for you:
One, without a doubt, mobile is playing an increasingly important role in the search process. If you haven’t tapped into the power of mobile search, now is the time to do it.
Begin by downloading the KW Mobile Search App, branding it and asking clients and potential clients to download your branded app. Through the app, consumers can easily connect with you, search for properties, view details and photos, and share property information with their family and friends.
JD Tomlin of the Frisco (Texas) market center was one of the early adopters of the mobile app and has seen great success with it! In the first month of the app launch, Tomlin had 400 downloads, and his efforts are now paying off with an average of 1-2 listing leads per month as a result.
Here’s a toolkit filled with resources to help you leverage your branded app as a lead generation engine.
Two, as technology advancements come to the forefront, your expertise is needed now more than ever. “Transaction management platforms have played a huge role in modernizing the buying/selling process, but still have room for improvement,” says Pavlovic.
Consumers are relying on you to help them navigate the complexity of buying or selling a home and advocate for them during difficult negotiations. You are at the core of one of the biggest financial decisions of their life.