Estate agents’ new digital tools

Particularly since the Covid crisis of 2020, many estate agencies have been proposing digital tools to meet their clients’ evolving requirements. An overview…

Already highly digitalized, estate agents’ activity has increasingly turned towards digital tools, now indispensable for remote presentation of a property to a client, facilitating administrative formalities, or even providing 3D immersion following renovation. Social networks have become a strategic marketing tool for many agencies.

By posting on a regular basis, they acquire greater visibility and renown, convincing clients of their expertise and values. Furthermore, as in the more classic print and web media, they know that an appealing photo can trigger love at first sight - though no-one expects a sale to be completed on Instagram. Productive contacts for seasonal rentals can, however, be developed here.

And the publishing of client reviews on-line can work like recommendations. If a good number of verified positive comments are published, the feeling of confidence naturally becomes stronger. Virtual tours, the star feature of digitalization, have continued to win popularity, especially during the now famous periods of social distancing with each new surge of Covid.

Equipped with a video camera, a camera worthy of the name, or more simply a new generation smartphone, the estate agent captures each room in a house or apartment at 360°, not forgetting the outdoor area(s) and, of course, the view, offering prospective buyers an immersive tour. If they use a VR (Virtual Reality) headset, they can even propose virtual tours on the spot. Potential buyers can observe everything just as they would on a real visit.

Some agencies propose this service particularly when they are negotiating an exclusive mandate. A real filter enabling buyers to make a selection from home, the virtual tour is now seen as a major strategic advance. Also increasingly prized, 3D modelling enables clients to project themselves more effectively into a property by discovering in concrete terms the result of their property projects following renovation, for example.

Some software offers to personalize plans to include home decor, providing immersion that is even more complete. Still under-used, virtual home-staging could gain in popularity over the coming years, especially to reassure and convince those who find it hard to imagine themselves in a property or lack ideas in terms of indoor architecture. Now indispensable for a good number of buyers, geo-localization of on-line properties allows them to discover the location quickly, even if approximate, of the property for sale, and thus make a rapid investigation of the neighbourhood, its amenities, means of transport, schools, distance to and from main roads...