Real AI: AI will kill showing traffic, headlines, fast facts and AI quote of the week
Real AI is a 100% human-created weekly roundup of all things AI in real estate and emerging AI innovations in other sectors likely to impact real estate. AI will kill showing traffic but that's a good thing The big AI takeaway from the 2024 National Association of Realtors Legislative Meetings (known in the industry as Midyear) held last week in Washington, D.C., was an unexpected consequence of AI. This concept materialized during the Q&A at the end of the Emerging Business Issues & Technology Forum, "Integrating AI and AR/VR Into Your Business." Julie Whitesell, SVP/Broker in Charge at Meybohm, moderated the panel, which included Jeff Allen, President of CubiCasa; Chris Christensen, NAR, Director of Tech Policy; Sam DeBord, CEO of RESO; and Scott Richard, Owner of Richard Realty. After covering a slew of AI-related topics (nearly void of all discussion on AR/VR until the Q&A despite being in the title), a Realtor in the audience shared her experience of creating a first-class listing, supported by all the tech bells and whistles. She observed that showings plummet when a listing reveals all the property data and insight when you include drone footage, 3D tours, floorplans, and high-res photos that highlight and identify all the amenities. The reason is that many home shoppers turn away when all this data and complete visual details are shared online. They read about or see something in the listing that turns them off, and they nix the idea of seeing the house. But that's a good thing. Why? Because the buyers who do ask for a showing are ready, willing, able, and, most importantly, highly interested. A highly tech-empowered listing will narrow the top of the funnel, qualifying buyers in a way that has not been possible until now. AI is going to narrow the top of the funnel even more. The more data AI consumes, the better it gets, and AI will enhance listings through tools like computer vision to unlock more data. For example, leading AI real estate firm Restb.ai can do so much more than tag photo features (e.g., Wolf stove, quartz countertops, etc.) and automatically write pithy photos and property descriptions. Its computer vision power is being used by appraisal firms to assess a property's condition. What AI will do for listings will result in fewer showings, but the buyers that come are the only ones the sellers want anyway. A great tip from the Realtor who shared her experience: You should educate your sellers upfront that their super-tech-empowered listing will result in significantly lower foot traffic. When you explain why, sellers will understand that lower foot traffic really is a good thing. AI Fast Facts 1 in 4 desk-based employees stated they have experimented with AI tools for their work tasks – Slack 73% of sales professionals feel that they're able to retrieve insights from data they otherwise wouldn't be able to find without the assistance of AI – Hubspot 55% of employees using generative AI at work are doing so without the formal approval or oversight of workplace management – Salesforce 60% of businesses using AI are not working to develop ethical AI policies – IBM Employers surveyed by Amazon acknowledged they would be willing to pay a 43% higher salary on average for staff with AI skills in sales and marketing – Amazon Source: Vena Solutions AI Headlines – Take 5 Navigating the Future of Real Estate Investing With AI: Insights for Small-Business Owners | 5/7/24 - ForbesAI can assist with real estate investing. The 5 subtle AI announcements Apple made at its big iPad 2024 launch event | 5/7/24 - TechRadarApple's products continue to integrate AI-powered features. Docusign to acquire Lexion for $165M in exit for Seattle-based AI contract management company | 5/6/24 - DocusignDocusign can now modernize as it buys Lexion's AI-powered tech. OpenAI working on new AI image detection tools | 5/7/24 - The VergeThe latest OpenAI tool will detect if an image was made with the DALL-E AI image generator. Microsoft announces $3.3 billion investment in Wisconsin to spur artificial intelligence innovation and economic growth | 5/8/24 - MicrosoftPart of Microsoft's investment will go toward developing an AI-powered data center. AI Quote of the Week Subscribe to our free Real AI newsletter here. Content suggestions welcomed: email [email protected]. To view the original article, visit the WAV Group blog.

What Should Your Open House Tech Checklist Contain? 9 Must-Do Items
Open houses are a tradition that started more than 100 years ago. According to the National Association of Realtors, before 1919, anyone could claim to be a real estate broker. So when a home went up for sale, multiple "For Sale" signs, each from a different broker, could be strewn all over the lawn. The open house, like the first professional real estate organization, was born to add organization to the home-buying process, which was chaotic. The NAR archives show the first recorded open house was held in the 1910s. Called "Open for Inspection," it was held over several days. The first "staged" home was in 1925, and in the 1930s and 40s, open houses gained popularity among agents as a powerful personal marketing tool. In the 1950s, "open house" was the new nomenclature for "open for inspection." Today's open houses have come a long way and are powered by technology. As a result, real estate agents can leverage tech tools to better promote – and host – an open house. Agents also need to remember that many of today's homes boast an array of new tech of their own. That smart home tech can positively impact an open house, but you must be prepared. Here's your tech checklist for an open house: 1. Wi-Fi and internet access: Make sure the home you are hosting offers a strong and reliable Wi-Fi signal. If not, check for cell phone coverage because you'll likely need access when hosting. Plus, you can create a hotspot to connect your laptop. Finally, having internet access can come in handy when you're trying to answer a question from a prospect or share online resources. 2. Make sure all your devices are fully charged: When your devices are fully charged, you won't panic if you leave your charger at home or in the office. 3. Do you have the alarm code? If the property has an alarm system, have a guest alarm code to turn it off — always double-check. 4. Do a run-through of the home's tech with the owners: Smart houses have some really cool features you can show off – if you know how to use them and what to say to Alexa or Google Home. Getting a demo and taking notes can add fun to a routine open house tour. 5. Let buyers know about cameras: Many homes have cameras today, which may always be on. Make sure you disclose this fact by having a sign that shares this information. 6. Offer a mobile charger: Here's a tip to get people to stay a while and spend time taking in the whole house. Set up a charging station for mobile devices and put out a sign to encourage use. 7. Digital sign-in apps: Instead of using a traditional paper sign-in sheet to track traffic, use an open house app – search the app store for your device. Most of these can connect to your CRM to add their contact info or are built to send out a follow-up email immediately afterward. It's the easiest way to track who visited the property and sync up with potential buyers. 8. Virtual staging software: While you know that professionally staged homes sell faster than vacant ones, sometimes, you must show a vacant property. Why not set up your laptop and virtual staging photographs to showcase the property in the best possible light? This helps potential buyers visualize themselves living in the space and may lead to more interest – and offers. 9. Live video broadcast: If you are accustomed to using video to showcase your listings and have tried your hand at live broadcasts such as Facebook or YouTube live, why not promote on your social channels a live broadcast at a specific time from your open house? The best part is your live video is recorded and archived for others to watch in the future on demand. Overall, this tech checklist for an open house may need to be modified depending on the type of home you are showcasing, your local market, and ultimately understanding the preferences of the potential buyers you are trying to reach. By going through this checklist before hosting your next open house, you can be well prepared to leverage technology – and spotlight the home's technology – that can help create a memorable experience for visitors and win more offers. And remember, if you are among the more than 725,000 Realtors in North America with free access to Tech Helpline, you can always reach out by chat, phone, or email for help with your open house tech issues. If you don't have access to Tech Helpline for free as a member benefit, ensure your MLS, association, or brokerage goes to TechHelpline.com to learn more. Finally, if you have an interesting open house tech story, please share it in a post on social media using the hashtag #TechHelpline! Tricia Stamper is Director of Technology at Florida Realtors®, which owns and operates Tech Helpline and Form Simplicity.

Advanced Office Solution (AOS) Real Front Desk™by REAOS

Real Estate Advanced Office Solution (REAOS) provides Advanced Office Solution (AOS) - Real Front Desk™ to real estate agents and brokers.  AOS is a web based front desk system for the real estate industry. AOS provides showing appointment, lead management and floor scheduling tools for brokerages and MLSs. This software provides also provides additional features like a Professional Feedback system for free to agents. AOS dashboard provides information on eight areas of management: listings, reports, to-do, call tracker, agents, user tools, control panel, and system info. AOS Real Front Desk Showing and free Professional Feedback system includes: First Real Estate Web Based Showing and free Professional Feedback system Fastest Showing Appointment taking system on the market No software to download for on line appointment taking from any computer anywhere Hosted database for online report capturing with networking of all offices Automatic listings and agents data base updates from the users’ MLS Online Multiple Reports from showings, activities to advertising Automatic web based confirmation and feedback email set with all showings Free Professional Feedback system with house images and customizable forms included Call Coordinator feature at no additional cost to track all calls Email alert system to quickly contact showing agents for any price reductions, etc. Centralize Showing Feature to network offices at no additional cost

ShowingTime Appointment Center

ShowingTime provides an Appointment Center service for listing agents and offices that handles calls, schedules showings, provides showing feedback, generates reports and incorporates 2-way text messaging for confirmations. ShowingTime's service brands all emails on behalf of the agent or brokerage, and makes branded calls to homeowners. Key features: Availability – the ShowingTime Appointment Center takes calls from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. EST 7 days a week Decreases administrative burden Enables appointments to be confirmed, declined or rescheduled via mobile phones Reinforces the agent's or broker's brand – calls are made to homeowners as if the representative were a part of the in-house team Notification and confirmation emails support the agent's or broker's marketing efforts by using their logo Online listing activity reports display showing feedback for sellers and are accessible 24/7 The Appointment Center service uses 800-SHOWING as its showing phone number and www.800showing.com as its login web site. It is also available on a part-time basis for offices that use ShowingDesk.

Local Showings

Local Showings is an independent, full-featured property showing software and service and is the culmination of years of technical preparation and the perfect mixture of right place, right time. Local Showings was designed to integrate with real estate organizations' existing technology and be used as either a standalone product or within the DeltaNET 6. The platform will allow agents to: Schedule showings of any listing in their MLS Offer a calendar view of available times Generate seller reports Highlight feedback Facilitate communication with other agents. Call center support is also included, providing agents and brokerages the help they're so used to receiving from Delta Media Group, as is a no-sell guarantee.

Showing Pro

Showing Pro - Showing Scheduler is a product of Pro Agent Solutions. It is designed to be an end-to-end web based solution to save agents time in scheduling showings. The features include, automated scheduling approval and confirming, showing calendar and automatically capturing showing feedback

SentriLock Launches New Offer Comparison Tool
SentriLock announced a new SentriKey Showing Service® feature, Offer Comparison, designed to increase listing agent productivity. The days of using spreadsheets to evaluate incoming offers and look at side-by-side comparisons are in the past. The new feature streamlines this process, so you can review all offers in one place, and easily share those offers with your clients. Benefits for agents: Saves time for listing agents and showing agents with an easy-to-use tool for adding offer proposals. Allows listing agents to evaluate offers efficiently using the side-by-side offer comparison tool. Enables a comprehensive "net view" of approximately how much cash the seller would receive from a specific offer. To learn more about these great features and how they can help you, check out this video: Offer Comparison is available on the Professional Tier of the SentriKey Showing Service®. To learn how you can add on this time-saving feature, contact your association. To view the original post, visit the SentriLock blog.

Showami
Showami provides licensed real estate agents on-demand for home showings, open houses, and more. Showami works with busy real estate agents, brokers, and property management companies to ensure their home showings are covered by professional real estate agents in the local area. With coverage in every state and tens of thousands of agents onboard, getting home showings covered is piece of cake with Showami.

Quikshow
At Quikshow, we know you can't be in two places at once. That's why we have developed the first app that allows you to post a showing opportunity and have other, available, nearby agents, show the property to your clients for you!

Showing Suite
Real Estate Productivity Suite Showing Suite is an all-in-one web-based real estate productivity software suite that helps real estate agents, teams, and offices harness their full sales potential by automating time-consuming tasks, allowing more focus on sales. Showing Suite boosts real estate productivity by automating the showing feedback process, allowing buyer agents to schedule showings on your website, and employing email marketing to communicate with both clients and incoming leads. Along with saving REALTORS® hours of valuable time every month, Showing Suite keeps clients and leads happy and informed during their real estate transaction. Reach your full sales potential, obtain more listings and sell in less time for more money with Showing Suite.

Dashfly
Why Dashfly? Whether you're making sales calls, viewing properties, building a delivery route or just running errands, Dashfly is quick and easy and takes care of all your route planning needs. Dashfly increases productivity and keeps you organized and efficient -- resulting in tremendous success for your business. Use dashfly anywhere in the U.S. and save time, money, and gas. New to Dashfly? Take a look at our new DEMO to help you get the most out of your Dashfly experience. In addition to our FREE service, Dashfly offers several account options tailored to fit your business and personal trip planning needs. Click here to choose the best fit for you or your company.