What is the real estate agent’s most dreaded aspect of their job? Is it haggling over negotiations? Managing the transaction? Or could it be the headache of scheduling showings?
No agent ever said, “I love chasing down clients’ schedules to book a tour.”
So when Denver-based West + Main Homes, a boutique brokerage operating in five states, unveiled a ShowingTime+ online calendar with real-time availability on westandmainhomes.com earlier this year, the brokerage’s 400+ agents had reason to celebrate.
Thanks to a ShowingTime+ API integration deployed on West + Main’s website by Real Estate Webmasters, visitors to the West + Main site can now view a calendar with real-time availability, check the box next to a time that works for them and receive a confirmation.
The real-time availability calendar has helped cut the back and forth associated with the traditional methods of checking schedules while contributing to the brokerage’s efficiency by connecting “high-intent” buyers with West + Main’s agents.
“This extra step in the flow shows you there’s someone with intent behind the screen,” says Managing Broker Greg Fischer. “In the past, it was easy to pretend that all leads are the same, but they’re not. This is a step in the right direction for brokerages.”
Being able to see an online schedule in real time has helped conversations move forward and “removed the mystery” for shoppers wondering whether they’re going to connect with someone about viewing a house.
“Seeing a calendar that’s connected to something real breaks down a barrier between shoppers and agents,” Fischer says.
Real-time availability also helps reinforce West + Main’s modern, tech-forward image. “Showings are the most important part of the transaction-ready status of home shopping, so having an experience powered by tech, which feels modern and fast, makes that experience better for agents, brokerages, buyers and sellers,” he says.
Fischer says the addition of the new online feature comes at a time when the industry is looking for new ways to empower and automate all the moving pieces of a transaction and distinguish the high-intent buyer from those just browsing listings.
“The tech needs to match what consumers see in other parts of their lives,” Fischer says. Whether it’s a fully online computer to curb car purchasing experience or as simple as ordering a pizza with a delivery tracker, customers are demanding real-time information and solutions.
Real-time touring and being able to plug into the brokerage ecosystem is one step toward moving the real estate transaction into the future. Click here for more on ShowingTime touring management services.