In this article, we’ll share which tech tools every real estate agent needs to maximize to expand their business and become more efficient.

Selling properties is all about building trust.  But being a real estate agent comes with many responsibilities—assisting sellers and buyers, understanding the needs and requirements of each client at every stage of the sales and buying process, and performing comparative market analysis. Juggling all of these tasks at once daily, how can agents still have enough time to nurture client relationships?  

The answer is to automate real estate functions so agents can focus more on important and meaningful tasks. Thankfully, the rapid evolution of software technology, such as tech tools, has made specific processes easier and more convenient for real estate agents.

We live in an exciting time where almost everything is digitized and automated. With massive IT transformations shaping the future of business, it’s hard to imagine a career or business that doesn’t involve technology. You miss many opportunities if you’re a real estate agent who doesn’t maximize these available tools.

In this article, we compiled a list of the tech tools we believe can help the real estate agent became more efficient and productive in 2021.

Customer relationship management tools

Finding and nurturing leads is always a challenge. By using customer relationship management tools (CRMs), managing current and potential leads can be done all in one platform. CRMs are designed to take care of the end-to-end process management in business transactions. 

By using CRM platforms, realtors can manage their incoming leads and monitor client interactions. Their features allow you to digitally keep track and take note of client conversations. CRMs also enable you to create sales pipelines for properties, investors, and buyers. These tools are also helpful in managing incoming requests, preparing price quotes, and selling a property. 

CRMs are also built for lead generation. Typical CRM software can help you collect a customer’s contact information, such as email, telephone, and social media data across multiple platforms, as well as store personal details like personal communication preferences. These tools help organize client information so you don’t have to create multiple spreadsheets and documents for your contact list.

Among the top CRMs for real estate are HubSpot, Apptivo, Wise Agent, and Agile CRM.

Live streaming apps

With strict social distancing and community restrictions still in place in several areas, going digital allows you to connect to your prospects in the absence of physical activities. It is no wonder that the future of property house viewing is live streaming. 

Live streaming is a creative strategy to promote your property listings through virtual property viewings. Traditional house viewings can eat up too much of your buyer’s time. By going digital, you’re saving a lot of resources.

Live streaming your house viewings can bring a lot of benefits to your business. For one, you and your potential clients no longer have to commute or dress up (or even adjust personal schedules) just to view a prospective property. You also don’t have to schedule individual meetings to conduct a tour of the same property. Your virtual open houses can be posted on your social media accounts, where hundreds of buyers can attend at the same time. Even international clients can view the property without having to be physically present.

This is how live streaming platforms, such as ViuLive, can help you leverage your business. ViuLive is a live streaming app that enables you to seamlessly stream and broadcast your house tours live from multiple cameras, locations, and angles. This platform also allows you to engage with your audience in real-time. You can directly answer any questions about the property during the live viewing session. Moreover, you can save your live stream and share it on your social media accounts for those who were not able to attend your live streaming. 

Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are among the social media sites that also have live-streaming features that you can use.

Social media management apps

Undoubtedly, social media has proven its powerful ability to boost your real estate business, especially during a pandemic outbreak. They are particularly useful in finding new leads, engaging with your existing clients, and driving traffic to your website (if you have any).

But social media algorithms are designed to make users post content every single day. With a lot of tasks to accomplish, updating your social media accounts multiple times in a day can be time-consuming. To make sure that you keep your followers updated without spending too much time, you may need a social media management app.

Social media management tools help you automate your social media posts. Moreover, these tools can help you analyze your social media statistics so you could focus on creating content that truly matters to your audience. By using social media management tools, you can automatically post updates across all your social accounts, schedule future posts, and understand the most appropriate content and effective time to post them.

Some of the most popular social media management tools are Buffer Publish and Hootsuite.

Document management software

One of the most time-consuming tasks for real estate agents is managing documents. Agents have to prepare and read endless piles of paperwork, such as contracts, agreements, disclosures, legal forms, and even property brochures. These documents can crowd your office table and eat up a lot of precious time that could have been used in nurturing client relationships or looking for more leads. Moreover, you not only need to prepare them, but you also have to keep them for several years. This is why having a document management system that will organize and store your important documents can save you time and effort.

A document management system is an automated software where you can organize, secure, digitize, tag, approve, and complete paperwork in your real estate business.  These platforms securely store your data in the cloud, so you could easily access your files wherever and whenever. Document management systems help you keep all your offers, loan agreements, appraisals, sales reports, and titles well organized in a single location so you could easily retrieve and track the flow of such documents. These tools also enable you to share documents in digital forms with your clients faster.

Document management systems not only save you time. They also save you ample space in your office. Some of the great document management software are Zipform and Dotloop. 

For more efficient document management, you can also sign up for electronic signature and agreement clouds, such as DocuSign, for faster signature requests from clients.

Scheduling apps

A typical week of a real estate agent is always busy.  Attending client and company meetings, managing ads, screening inbound leads, responding to client questions, and showing properties can be chaotic. This is why some realtors pull 60- to 80-hour workweeks. 

To prevent burnouts, you need to manage your time wisely. Using scheduling apps can help you organize your schedule, manage your time , prioritize urgent and important tasks for better productivity. Scheduling tools allow buyers and sellers to schedule, confirm and communicate showings, meetings, and other services. These tools also notify upcoming events so you can attend all important appointments. Most of these tools also have in-app messaging features to coordinate in real time with your buyers and sellers.

Popular scheduling apps include Google Calendar (and the entire Google Workspace platform), Calendly, and Apptoto. 

Property listing and management apps

Managing properties is more complex than others outside the industry might think. The amount of paperwork and bureaucratic processes to list and sell a property can be exhausting. Not to mention the different rental and ownership agreements that real estate professionals deal with daily.

Real estate technology has fortunately made the lives of both agents and property seekers easier. Property listing and management apps such as Ziba Property, have simplified the complexity of procedures and tasks in real estate businesses. These apps are designed to save agents time and effort in generating leads, promoting properties, and closing deals.

Ziba Property is both a property listing and property management app that can connect you to your target buyers. It is a 100% free subscription, with no hidden fees, that allows you to list unlimited properties. 

The app’s easy-to-use features make property listing convenient. You can market your listings at no cost by posting your properties on the app or website. Additionally, the app’s search function makes it easy to look up properties for sale or rent for your buyers.

Ziba Property also connects agents, landlords, sellers, and buyers on one platform. You can find landlords and owners who want to sell or lease their properties. The app will notify you once owners list their units on Ziba Property. The in-app messaging feature enables agents to directly contact owners. This makes it easier for agents to draft and send proposals to landlords to help them sell or lease their properties.

You can download Ziba Property on Google Play Store and Apple App Store for free.

To Recap

Being a real estate agent takes work. Despite the perks of high commissions, unlimited earning potential, and flexible schedules, a realtor’s job takes time, effort, sweat, and tears just to beat the quota. 

Thankfully, the availability of tech tools has made it possible for the real estate agent to conveniently manage multiple tasks simultaneously and be more productive. With these apps, you can work less than 80 hours per week just to sell a house. You can quickly generate leads, contact prospects, manage daily promotions, list your properties, and close deals effectively.

Here are the top tech tools we recommend to every real estate agent need to maximize for better productivity:

  1. Customer relations management tools
  2. Live streaming apps
  3. Social media management apps
  4. Document management software
  5. Scheduling apps
  6. Property listing and management apps

Are you looking for leads or planning to list your properties? Download Ziba Property and connect with landlords, tenants, sellers, and buyers in your community!