In recent years, technological innovation has truly changed the way we interact with the world. The real estate industry realized this and started making changes in the right direction. Real estate companies that do not embrace these changes will find that they are left behind and lose their relevance in the business world, which is not a risk anyone should take. Those making the switch and leveraging technology to their advantage need to find ways to stand out from the crowd and stay competitive. But how do you maintain this competitive advantage in such a saturated market? The best way is to use a tech stack that works for your business. The right stack will bring it all together, which means all the tools a real estate company might need to get ahead in the game should be conveniently located in one application. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at what exactly a tech stack is and how it can benefit your real estate business.
What is a tech stack?
In the past, a technology stack was meant to mean a combination of different types of programming languages and frameworks that when combined create a multi-faceted software application. In recent years, due to so many technological innovations, it is a set of technologies that companies can use to increase their overall productivity and a tool to boost sales. When it comes to the real estate industry, that means things like the prevalence of a communication tool and an IDX feed.
But what is IDX? IDX stands for Internet Data Exchange and is a generic term. It covers the software as well as the policies and standards relating to the display of ads which can be found on their real estate website. It is really important because it is responsible for how agents and brokers can integrate the list into their database. It works by importing listings from other sites and displaying them on another so your customers always have access to the latest listings. For example, when you look Introducing IDX Real Estate Technology from IDX you’ll see that it combines a wealth of information into a single space, making it easier for customers so they don’t waste countless hours browsing a multitude of different sites. The idea behind tech stacks is to allow not only the customers but also the agent to be as productive as possible with their time so they can close more sales.
People appreciate the convenience of using modern technology to their advantage as a way to better navigate their world. A real estate tech stack is one of the best ways for a real estate company to stay ahead and competitive in today’s market. Technology stacks must be integrated seamlessly so that each of its components complements the others, to avoid problems. If things are not well integrated, it could lead to wasted time and countless other unnecessary frustrations.
What a well-integrated tech stack looks like
There are quite a few things you should really watch out for in a well-integrated tech stack. Here are some of the most important things your real estate site should have.
1 – User-friendly interface
The most important thing about a website is that it should be user friendly. It should have a modern portal full of options that buyers and sellers can easily access. The platform should allow a user to seamlessly search across multiple feeds which is a very quick and easy way to search for different options. User-friendly tools should allow users not only to search, but also to organize searches and share them with others. It’s important for real estate companies to use these features to encourage people to invite others to use their site and interact more with their platform.
2 – Lead Generation
It is important that your technology stacks targeted acquisition assistance tracks. You need to be able to customize important calls to action, including when, how, and where visitors receive prompts to sign up for listings that match their search options. It should also help you get more genuine leads, especially those with social connections so the software can target them better with appropriate property searches.
These tools are important to give you a head start giants like Zillow, Redfin and Trulia. Software equipped with these types of marketing technologies allow small businesses to take advantage of and easily access these once expensive features that were only available to giants.
3 – State-of-the-art mapping tools
Cartography is naturally important. A real estate site should have a map that more or less shows the user where the property in question is. The location is naturally very important for the clientele because it indicates whether or not they will want to visit a property. People like to know the location in advance because they would rather know where something is before they fall in love with a property. A tech stack should have advanced, seamlessly integrated map research. This should be paired with additional filtering features that can help a site user not feel overwhelmed. On top of that, cards need to react to changes quickly and accurately, so users don’t get frustrated and click away.
4 – Customer relationship management tools
This one is pretty obvious but still needs to be considered. A site should have a variety of CRM tools so real estate agents can access contacts that need their immediate attention. These tools can do more than that. These tools can help you monitor what a customer is looking at, so you can better understand what they are looking for. It should also be able to give automated responses, with the best one being able to deliver all sorts of other clever content.
5 – Referencing
SEO is a bit of a buzzword right now, but it’s for good reason. Look for a tech stack that uses SEO. This will ensure that your customers will see great content aimed at them from some of the best IDX.
6 – WordPress integration
We’ve talked a lot about integration, but it’s really important. When looking for a tech stack, make sure it has a WordPress plugin. This ensures that your site can easily fit into it. This can improve your site’s indexability, design, or even user experience.
7 – Mobile Friendly
Research shows that people do most of their web searching on their phone, as it is usually a more convenient device to use. Picking up a phone first thing in the morning is easier than booting up a laptop or getting up to sit at a PC. A good mobile site experience is extremely important as it dictates how many returning users you will get, as well as how many people will share the site. A good service provider knows that just condensing a normal desktop application to fit the screen of a mobile device is not enough. A top-notch technology stack will give users what feels like a mobile app-like experience creating a very enjoyable user experience.
8 – Personalization
An important feature to look for in any provider is that they will seamlessly integrate the IDX consumer research and engagement tools they provide into your overall design. The technology stack should feel like it was designed to be part of the website from the start and not to be added later. This applies to all future updates. Find a company that offers powerful CSS, layout templates, page skinning tools, and a variety of other features to customize and optimize your site.
9 – Back-end management tools
To give you an even greater edge over your competition, it’s important that you have access to back-end management tools. Ideally, you want these tools to be simple, yet powerful when used correctly. These tools help you keep track of everything and help you fine-tune any features that need to be tweaked in order to meet your needs.
As we said above, running a modern and successful real estate business requires a well-integrated technology stack. This allows real estate agents to make better use of their time, it allows them to better communicate with clients, and it helps agents keep track of the different listings that may be found on their site. This also means that they will be able to automate certain tasks, in particular the answers to certain questions. When this is in place, real estate agents can better focus on serving clients by finding them their dream home and closing deals. The more seamlessly a component is integrated, the faster it can be used. This means that the quality of listing could also improve and can really be what a real estate company needs to stand out from the crowd, become competitive and efficient.