Social Media and Smartphones: Real Estate Game-Changers

It is enough of a truism by now that we can skip the obligatory talk of how the Internet has changed the way people do business. It is now possible to get an unlimited amount of information on just about any subject with the click of a mouse. The next piece of game-changing technology fits in the palm of your hand. Social media and smartphones are revolutionizing the way businesses advertise and the way consumers decide where their hard-earned dollars should go. This smartphone and social media-driven revolution has even reared its head in the real estate industry.

Zillow launched it’s hugely popular app on April 29, 2009 and two years later, the app was attracting about 8.5 million visitors per month. The app allows users to find homes for sale and create appraisals based on an undisclosed set of criterion. In December, the app went social and now allows users to rate real estate agents in their area. There are now almost 50,000 reviews on the app.

That’s 50,000 reviews in a span of about one month. Further proof of the changing face of the real estate industry can be found in an unlikely spot. The dwindling amount of ink being sold. More specifically, fewer pages are being dedicated to the Classified Ads, that area that was once synonymous with house-hunting. Many sellers have changed their strategy to focus on digital ads in favor of their  archaic newsprint counterparts.

Social media and smartphones have changed the way the real estate industry is working by allowing agents to keep in better contact with clients and potential clients. It has also kept them honest (you wouldn’t want one of those 50,000 reviews on Zillow to be a knock on you, right?). It will be interesting to play spectator and see how the industry continues to evolve. For now, we just have to try and keep up with all the change.

Ryan is a guest writer who works namely with homes for sale Austin and Circle C homes for sale.

Tagged as: Real Estate