Below, you’ll find my top transaction management software for real estate brokers to help you streamline your deals.

• Dotloop: Best for easy collaboration and e-signatures
• RealtyBackOffice: Best for streamlining complex deals
• Folio by Amitree: Best for email-centric transaction organization
• Trackxi: Best for deadline tracking
• SkySlope: Best for intuitive team workflows

The Close’s top picks for best real estate transaction management software

Software	Key features	Monthly Starting Price
	Robust e-signatures and digital forms Top-rated mobile app 75+ integrations via open API to connect CRMs, back offices, and more	$31.99
Get started with Dotloop
	Customizable workflow templates for any transaction type Easy broker review with audit logs and activity tracking Built-in CRM, e-Sign, and forms library for end-to-end back-office management	$15
Get started with RealtyBackOffice
	Automatic Smart Folders organize emails, attachments, contacts & key dates directly in your inbox Integrations with DocuSign & Google Drive Shareable timeline websites with automated reminders and professional branding	Free; subscription starts at $29
Get started with Folio by Amitree
	Interactive dashboards for task management and deadline tracking Customizable workflows and email templates for consistent client communication AI-powered transaction automation extracts deal details from PDFs	$39
Get started with Trackxi
	Customizable checklists streamline compliance and agent workflows MLS-synced Forms auto-populate fields to reduce data entry Integrated DigiSign e-signature and mobile app for on-the-go management	$340
Get started with SkySlope

Dotloop: Best for easy collaboration & e-signatures

Pros

• It has an easy-to-use interface.
• It offers multifunctional e-signature features.
• It has team collaboration tools.
• It can integrate with various CRMs.

Cons

• It can get pricey, especially for larger teams.
• Customization options are limited.
• Document uploading can be glitchy.
• Customer support can be slow.

The Close Score

4.8

PRICING

3.5

GENERAL FEATURES

5.0

ADVANCED FEATURES

4.8

EASE OF USE

5.0

CUSTOMER SERVICE

4.8

CUSTOMER RATING

4.8

EXPERT SCORE

4.8

out
of

5

Why I chose Dotloop

Dotloop is a leader in real estate transaction management. It offers extensive MLS and CRM integrations, customizable templates, and built-in e-signature functionality. 

Many brokerages use Dotloop, which simplifies contract creation and document management in one place, thanks to its volume discounts and collaboration tools. Its real-time loop sharing, @mentions, and role-based permissions keep agents, admins, and clients aligned on every step — no more digging through email chains or chasing down updates.

Additional features

• Extensive MLS information: Dotloop partners with MLS and Realtor associations nationwide, allowing you to access information, create forms, and obtain signatures in one place.
• Automated compliance workflows: Keep all required documents in one place, making regulatory compliance a breeze.

RealtyBackOffice: Best for streamlining complex deals

Pros

• It has a platform for compliance, documents, and more.
• It offers affordable pricing.
• It offers easy task and deal tracking.
• It offers detailed reporting features.

Cons

• The interface can feel outdated and hard to use.
• It has limited integrations.
• The mobile app lacks functionality compared with the desktop version.

The Close Score

4.6

PRICING

3.8

GENERAL FEATURES

5.0

ADVANCED FEATURES

3.9

EASE OF USE

5.0

CUSTOMER SERVICE

3.3

CUSTOMER RATING

5.0

EXPERT SCORE

5.0

out
of

5

Why I chose RealtyBackOffice

RealtyBackOffice excels at simplifying complex deals by offering customizable workflow templates, automated commission calculations and letters, and instant notifications whenever agents complete key tasks. In addition, the platform’s task management features help keep transactions organized and on track, while its affordability makes it a wise choice for teams seeking a cost-effective and efficient system.

Additional features

• Compliance tracking: This feature ensures all transactions meet regulatory standards, helping brokers avoid compliance issues.
• Task management: This feature allows efficient assignment and tracking of tasks, keeping transactions organized and on track.

Folio by Amitree: Best for email-centric transaction organization

Pros

• Automatic Smart Folders organize your emails, attachments, and contracts
• Shareable timeline websites
• Seamless calendar sync

Cons

• Limited integrations
• Occasional transaction glitches
• No dedicated phone support

The Close Score

4.5

PRICING

5.0

GENERAL FEATURES

3.9

ADVANCED FEATURES

4.4

EASE OF USE

5.0

CUSTOMER SERVICE

2.0

CUSTOMER RATING

4.3

EXPERT SCORE

4.1

out
of

5

Why I chose Folio by Amitree

Folio by Amitree lives where most deals start — right in your inbox. Its Smart Folders feature automatically groups every email, document, and contact into neat transaction buckets. Yup, that means no more digging through threads to find the proper attachment. And, because it syncs key dates straight to Google and Outlook calendars, all your deadlines will never slip through the cracks.

Additional features

• Timeline websites: Create professional, shareable timelines for each transaction that update clients automatically, reducing the need for constant status check-ins.
• Document storage and compliance exports: Store important transaction documents in one place and export a complete communication archive with one click.

Trackxi: Best for deadline tracking

Pros

• It has simple deadline tracking features.
• It’s user-friendly with a minimal learning curve
• It offers affordable pricing.
• It has reliable integrations for reminders.

Cons

• It does not include e-signature capabilities.
• It has limited reporting features.
• It’s not quite as comprehensive as other products.
• It offers minimal customization options.

The Close Score

4.4

PRICING

4.5

GENERAL FEATURES

3.4

ADVANCED FEATURES

4.5

EASE OF USE

4.5

CUSTOMER SERVICE

3.0

CUSTOMER RATING

4.6

EXPERT SCORE

4.6

out
of

5

Why I chose Trackxi

Trackxi is a budget-friendly, transaction-focused hub that scales from managing a simple deal to juggling 100+ closings at a time. It keeps things simple and effective — once you add a transaction, effortlessly create folders, set up a timeline website, and connect with your contacts in one central hub. Trackxi embodies the idea that “less is more,” delivering just what you need without the clutter.

Additional features

• Lockbox manager: Keep all your lockbox information and passwords in one place and share with your team. 
• Business dashboard: Real-time visualization of all your deals on a single dashboard keeps track of your (and your team’s) progress towards closing.

SkySlope: Best for intuitive team workflows

Pros

• Intuitive technology is created just for real estate.
• It has excellent customer support.
• It offers robust training resources.
• Brokers can easily collaborate with agents.

Cons

• It has limited integrations.
• It can be expensive for individuals and teams.
• Lagging can be an issue when loading pages.
• It has no automation features.

The Close Score

4.3

PRICING

1.0

GENERAL FEATURES

5.0

ADVANCED FEATURES

5.0

EASE OF USE

5.0

CUSTOMER SERVICE

5.0

CUSTOMER RATING

4.3

EXPERT SCORE

4.6

out
of

5

Why I chose SkySlope

SkySlope’s intuitive dashboard integrates transactions, listings, disclosures, and commission workflows into a single pane. Agents can create new deals in under five minutes, view recent files at a glance, and jump between tasks without hunting through multiple tabs. 

Its commitment to exceptional customer service is evident in every interaction. While Skyslope comes with a higher price tag, the comprehensive service and security make it worth every penny for high-volume brokerages and agents.

Additional features

• Tailored platform: Your branding is fully embedded, and your templates and automated tasks are customized for you.
• Auditing features: The backend audit feature enables brokers to quickly review paperwork and ensure their agents’ paperwork is up to par on every transaction.

Methodology: How I chose the best real estate transaction management software

Our methodology at The Close ensures that our team of professionals, writers, and editors thoroughly analyzes each software. We meticulously evaluate the affordability, features, usability, customer support, and reviews of each real estate transaction software to determine our expert score.

We selected the best real estate transaction management software to help agents enhance their communication strategies and grow their businesses. Our rigorous selection process ensures that our top picks make it easier for agents to connect with clients, streamline their operations, and achieve their business goals.

The detailed criteria we used to determine the best real estate transaction management software include the following: 

• Affordability (20%)
  • Cost is a key factor. We focused on tools that offer a strong balance between features and affordability, ensuring real value for real estate professionals looking to streamline their transactions.
• General Features (20%)
  • We evaluated the core features of each platform, considering how well these features support essential transaction management tasks like document storage, e-signatures, and compliance tracking.
• Advanced Features (20%)
  • We looked for software with advanced features that can significantly enhance productivity, such as automation tools, customizable workflows, integration with CRM systems, and detailed reporting.
• Ease of Use (10%)
  • We prioritized platforms with an intuitive interface, easy navigation, and robust support resources.
• Help & Support (10%)
  • We looked into each transaction management software’s customer support, whether phone, email, or live chat is available. 
• Customer Ratings (10%)
  • We examined feedback from actual users to ensure our research was grounded in real-world experiences and unbiased evaluations, reflecting the software’s effectiveness in everyday use.
• Expert Score (10%)
  • After considering all the factors, we compiled the scores to determine our expert rating, reflecting the overall performance, reliability, and suitability of each transaction management software for real estate professionals.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

What is a transaction management system in real estate?

What is the best way to keep track of real estate transactions?

Which CRM is best for real estate?

Your take

These transaction management software options 

offer something special, making your real estate process smoother and more efficient, whether you’re a solo agent, team leader, or managing a large brokerage.

What real estate transaction software are you using? Share your experience in the comments!

The post The 5 Best Real Estate Transaction Management Software for 2025 appeared first on The Close.

The Close’s top picks for best real estate apps

Our Top Picks	Best For	Starting Price	Learn More
	Lead generation	Free with Zillow Premier Agent membership	Zillow Premier Agent ↓
	Open houses	Free	Curb Hero ↓
	Home valuations	Free for National Association of Realtors (NAR) members	RPR ↓
	Commercial real estate listings	Free	LoopNet ↓
	DIY 3D tours	Free with a $400 Pivo Pro device	Pivo Tour ↓
	DIY design and marketing templates	Free; Subscription starts at $9.99	Canva ↓
	Video messaging	$33 per month	BombBomb ↓
	Organizing files and data	Free; Subscription starts at $10	Notion ↓
	Transaction management	$31.99 per month	Dotloop ↓
	Realtor safety	$20 per month	Forewarn ↓
	Social media on-the-go	$39 per month	Agent Crate ↓
	Agent coaching and goal-setting	$39 per month for agents; $459 for teams	Agently ↓

1. Zillow Premier Agent

• Best for: Lead generation
• Cost: Free with Zillow Premier Agent membership
• Favorite feature: Built-in CRM and automated digital advertising
• Available on:

Zillow is a powerhouse in the real estate world, especially when it comes to lead generation for agents. Sure, Zestimates can be hit or miss, but there’s no denying that millions of potential buyers flock to Zillow every day.

Becoming a Zillow Premier Agent lets you tap into an enormous pool of local, targeted leads. Plus, its app has a surprisingly robust customer relationship manager (CRM), allowing you to import leads, set up tasks, and automate texts and emails.

2. Curb Hero

• Best for: Open houses
• Cost: Free
• Favorite feature: QR-code sign-in forms; integrations with 6,000+ CRMs
• Available on:

Curb Hero is one of The Close’s best open house apps. It lets you create sleek open house digital sign-in sheets customized with your branding. These sheets are perfect for capturing visitors’ information for effortless follow-ups.

But it’s more than just a sign-in app — it gives you real-time data and analytics on your open house performance. Plus, the app integrates with most CRMs, allowing you to manage your leads easily after your event.

3. RPR (Realtors Property Resource)

• Best for: Home valuations
• Cost: Free for NAR members
• Favorite feature: In-depth property reports and neighborhood demographics
• Available on:

RPR (Realtors Property Resource) is a game-changer for NAR members, especially since it’s free. It’s packed with tools, including an in-depth property report and an Automated Valuation Model (AVM) that rivals how experienced agents do comparative market analysis.

You’ll get insights on home ownership history, mortgage info, neighborhood demographics, and market trends. The app also has GPS-enabled driving directions and instant property and market data access.

4. LoopNet

• Best for: Commercial real estate
• Cost: Free
• Favorite feature: Comprehensive property insights; map-based search feature
• Available on:

LoopNet is the premier online commercial real estate marketplace. It offers many tools and resources to help you access a vast network of potential buyers, sellers, and investors. It boasts over half a million listings, including industrial and multifamily properties. 

Its tools provide insights into property values, rental rates, and market conditions in specific areas or asset types. If you’re looking to scale your business, LoopNet is a must-have app.

5. Pivo Tour

• Best for: 3D tour videos
• Cost: Free with a $400 Pivo Pro device
• Favorite feature: Unlimited captures and AI-powered motion-tracking
• Available on:

Pivo is one of the best apps for real estate agents looking to create virtual home tour videos. It combines an AI-driven motion-tracking camera with a high-quality photo editing app, making it easy to create videos for open houses and new listings. 

The system costs $400 as a one-time purchase and includes the Pivo phone holder, tripod attachment, and a remote. Compared to pricier 3D tour services like Matterport, Pivo can pay for itself with just one listing.

6. Canva

• Best for: DIY design and marketing templates
• Cost: Free; Subscription starts at $9.99 per month when billed annually
• Favorite feature: In-app mobile editor; lots of free real estate templates
• Available on:

Seriously, who hasn’t heard of Canva these days?! Canva is the most well-known and versatile design platform — a must-have for all your real estate marketing materials. Its user-friendly interface and massive template library let you quickly whip up social media posts and edit real estate videos. It even has real estate-specific icons, stock photos, and prefilled templates to streamline your workflow.

Looking for video editing software? Check out the Close’s roundup of the best real estate video editing software for some curated options.

7. BombBomb

• Best for: Video messaging
• Cost: Subscription starts at $33 per month
• Favorite feature: Unlimited recording length; custom branded videos
• Available on:

BombBomb is one of those top-rated real estate apps that makes video marketing seamless. It helps agents connect with leads in a more personal way. The app compresses your videos so they’re easy to send via text or email. 

While it’s not real estate-specific, its seamless email marketing integrations make it a favorite among agents. If you’re looking for the most powerful platform to harness the power of video marketing, BombBomb is a stellar choice.

8. Notion

• Best for: Organizing files and data
• Cost: Free; Subscription starts at $10
• Favorite feature: Unlimited file uploads; custom websites and automation
• Available on:

Notion is an incredibly versatile tool for organization and productivity that lets you customize your workspace to fit your needs. Whether you’re managing transactions or tracking leads, Notion’s system helps keep everything in one place. 

It integrates with tools like Google, Slack, Trello, and Dropbox. Agents can use databases, project boards, and task management tools to stay on top of every deal.

9. Dotloop

Manage transactions and modify real estate contracts anytime

• Best for: Transaction management
• Cost: $31.99 per month for agents
• Favorite feature: Document scanner, clause manager, and audit trail
• Available on:

Dotloop makes transaction management a breeze, keeping all your documents, e-signatures, and contracts in one easy-to-use platform. No more chasing paperwork — everything’s centralized for easy collaboration with clients and teammates. If you’re tired of the back-and-forth and want to save time, download the Dotloop app on your phone. We strongly recommend it — in fact, it’s in our list of the best real estate transaction management software.

10. Forewarn

• Best for: Realtor safety
• Cost: $20 per month
• Favorite feature: Verify identities; view criminal histories and financial risks
• Available on:

Realtor safety is non-negotiable, and Forewarn gives you instant background info on potential clients before you meet them. No more waiting days for a report — all you need is a quick search on your phone for key details like criminal history and financial risks. 

It’s a simple, no-fuss way to vet strangers and add more security to your business. If you are looking for a reliable, efficient, and easy-to-use tool to protect yourself, Forewarn is worth checking out.

Honorable Mentions

I came across some cool real estate software that works perfectly on mobile, although they don’t have a dedicated mobile app (yet!). But here’s an insider trick: you can save any website to your home screen for an app-like experience. Just visit the site, tap the share or menu icon, and select “Add to home screen.” Voila! One-click access anytime. 

Here are two of those tools you can use this way:

11. Agent Crate

• Best for: Social media on the go
• Cost: Starting at $39 per month
• Key features: Marketing templates and a design studio that’s great for mobile

Agent Crate takes your social media posting to the next level. It features a vast library of content you can customize to fit your brand colors, logo, and design and post from anywhere. As with many real estate tech trends right now, it has also incorporated AI into its platform, helping you get your posts out even faster. If keeping up with social media feels like a chore, Agent Crate does the heavy lifting.

12. Agently

Set goals and stay on track with Agently

• Best for: Agent coaching and goal-setting
• Cost: $39 for agents; $459 for teams
• Key features: Automated agent onboarding and AI-powered listing builder

Agently is like having a real estate coach in your pocket. With innovative tools to assist in onboarding, training, and productivity tracking, Agently gives brokers a leg up in keeping their agents moving forward and hitting their productivity and GCI goals while supporting their professional development. 

One standout feature? There are agent challenges and contests that turn daily tasks into fun, rewarding competitions.

Methodology: How we chose the best real estate apps

With years of experience analyzing and reviewing real estate tools, I’ve seen firsthand how the right apps can transform how agents and brokers work. For this article, our writers, editors, and real estate professionals reviewed hundreds of mobile apps for realtors. Our top picks were based on the following criteria:

• Functionality: The app must address agents’ practical challenges and streamline workflows rather than add unnecessary tasks. It should enhance efficiency and make daily operations easier.
• Pricing: The app’s cost should align with the value it provides. A strong return on investment (ROI) is key, whether through improved efficiency, lead gen, or enhanced agent productivity.
• Ease of use: The app should be intuitive and easily integrated into a busy workday. Having a minimal learning curve, user-friendly interface, and straightforward navigation are essential.
• Feedback and verified reviews: Widespread adoption and positive agent feedback indicate reliability. Growth in user adoption and positive customer reviews add credibility. 
• Stability: The best real estate apps for realtors should run smoothly with limited interruptions, crashes, or technical issues, ensuring a seamless experience.

Our team regularly reviews and edits the articles on our site to ensure we provide you with the most up-to-date information. We pride ourselves on an independent editorial review process. Read more about our methodology here.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What apps do realtors use?

What is the best real estate sales app?

Which app is better, Zillow or Realtor?

How do real estate apps determine home value?

What is the best app for finding property?

Which site is best for selling property?

Your take

What are your go-to apps for real estate agents to boost your work efficiency, connect with leads faster, and close more deals? Do you agree with my list of the best apps for real estate? Which ones did I miss? Let me know in the comments!

The post 12 Best Real Estate Apps for Agents in 2025 appeared first on The Close.

What Is Real Estate SEO?

Real estate search engine optimization (SEO) is the strategy used to get your website ranking on search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing. With a strong real estate SEO strategy, your website will show up when potential leads search for real estate-related topics. This translates into more site visitors and—as long as your website is optimized for lead generation—higher quality leads who are ready to work with you.

How Google & Other Search Engines Rank Content in 2024

Google uses advanced artificial intelligence (AI) to “crawl” websites (look at and evaluate them) and determine which pages should appear on the first page of search results. Since Google wants to deliver the best and most relevant results, they continually tweak their AI to make sure the most helpful results rise to the top.

Here are just a few factors Google uses to evaluate and rank content in 2024:

• Expertise or authority: This goes back to Google’s E-E-A-T score (experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness). 
• Relevance to the search query: One page on “Minneapolis real estate” is unlikely to rank for more specific searches like “apartments in Minneapolis.”
• Content quality: Your content should be unique, accurate, and not just written by AI.
• User experience: The site should be well-organized and easy to navigate.
• User engagement: Google considers how long users stay on the site and whether they click on additional pages or exit immediately.
• Content freshness: Up-to-date content is valued more highly than dated content.
• Meta tags and descriptions: Optimize your pages and blog posts to help Google understand the topic
• Internal links: Linking to your own website pages helps the user experience and ultimately builds your authority.

How Much Does Real Estate SEO Cost? (+Tools)

Like most great lead generation strategies, it is possible to tackle real estate SEO with minimal upfront costs and a lot of dedication. By writing great content that puts the reader first, you’ll slowly but surely build trust with your audience and with Google—and there’s very little financial investment.

However, using this strategy will realistically take six months or more before you start seeing results. If you’re serious about using SEO and getting the biggest results more quickly and efficiently, investing in even one strong tool or hiring a contractor will go a long way. Make sure you research all your options, considering how much work you want to spend time on.

Here’s a basic comparison of the potential tools and costs that go into real estate SEO:

Another option to consider is hiring SEO freelancers or companies. There is a massive variety in the type of SEO service you can hire out; it can be anything from a single page or website audit to a total revamp of your website’s SEO and content.

Good-quality SEO experts can be extremely expensive—the best may charge more than $5,000 per month! And beware of “affordable” SEO freelancers. Some use dishonest tactics that might help you rank on Google for a week or so but can also result in your site getting blacklisted from Google’s search results. 

That said, there are many simple, individual SEO tasks that you can and should outsource to freelancers on a site like Fiverr as the need arises:

• Researching keywords
• Creating and optimizing you Google Business Profile
• Editing articles
• Reducing image sizes
• Submitting your pitches to HARO
• Doing basic link-building outreach

How Long Does It Take to See Results?

How long it takes to see results from SEO for real estate is like asking, “How long will it take until I can speak French?” The answer ultimately depends on the kind of work you put in, the quality of your content, and how competitive your specific market is. The quality of your content, website, and backlink profile determines how quickly you can see results from your SEO efforts. 

Also, the competitiveness of your target keywords matters. For example, if you’re trying to rank for an extremely general keyword like “New York City real estate,” your chances of seeing significant results are very low. On the other hand, if you’re aiming for long-tail keywords for a specific audience, like “best neighborhoods in Elmira, New York,” you will see results much faster since there is significantly less competition.

Benefits of SEO for Real Estate

Do real estate agents actually need SEO? The long answer is that if you create online platforms and no one sees them, do you have an online presence? The short answer is yes! The benefits of SEO extend beyond your website to your real estate social media marketing and, ultimately, your lead generation. Here are the benefits:

• Increased online visibility: Ranking in search engines is easily the best way to generate website traffic and get the highest number of eyes on your content.
• Higher quality leads: SEO attracts a targeted audience of local buyers and sellers more likely to start a real estate transaction.
• Affordability: While there are upfront costs to optimizing your site for SEO, you can do a lot without spending thousands of dollars on ongoing content and advertising.
• Builds credibility: When users find you while searching online, they automatically view you as a real estate and marketing expert.
• Long-term results: Strong website content can continue to rank in search engines for months and years instead of publishing content multiple times per day.
• Translates to all platforms: You can promote website content on every real estate social network, as well as email and direct mail, making all of your marketing materials cohesive.

10 Steps to Perfect Real Estate SEO

Ready to start your SEO journey? Here are the beginning steps to optimizing your website front-to-back for search engines and users.

Step 1: Run an SEO Audit on Your Website

If you already have a real estate website, this will be your first step. If you don’t have a website yet, check out the best real estate website builders to get started. Start by setting your real estate website up for success with an SEO audit. This will show you any technical issues that might cause Google to rank your content lower (or ignore it entirely). It’s important to start with this step so that you don’t spend weeks creating great content that isn’t optimized.

Option 1—Hire someone to do it: The easiest way to do an SEO audit is to hire someone to do it for you. It requires highly technical expertise, so I recommend looking into freelance SEO auditors on a site like Fiverr, which should cost about $50. Choose from real estate SEO specialists based on their services, pricing, and previous reviews. An audit will include a report showing any issues that might be holding your site back from ranking on search engines.

Option 2—Do it yourself: If you want to start by doing a DIY website audit, you’ll need to use the right marketing tools. If you don’t have existing technical or SEO expertise, keep in mind that your audit will not be as thorough or easy to understand as a report from an expert in SEO for realtors. However, doing a simple audit at the beginning is better than nothing! Start with this in-depth guide from Semrush on setting up and running your audit, and consider the following tools:

Step 2: Fix Issues Found in Your SEO Audit

Now, you can start fixing any problems your audit uncovered. There might be some easy fixes, like deleting duplicate content or fixing broken links, or more complex issues, like upgrading your security protocol to HTTPS. Fix what you can and hire out for the rest. Here are a few common issues found in an SEO audit:

• Meta descriptions missing or not optimized for SEO
• Image alt text missing or not optimized for SEO
• Wrong image size and resolution
• Poor keyword usage
• Improper or missing heading structure (H1, H2, H3, etc.)
• Duplicate content
• Broken links
• Using HTTP protocol instead of HTTPS

The right SEO professional will help you understand which issues must be addressed, what they mean, and how they are fixed. If you do the audit yourself, you’ll have to dig in to learn how to fix different issues. 

Step 3: Set Up Your Google Business Profile Account

After your website is set up for technical SEO, it’s time to claim your Google Business Profile account. Whether you already have a website or are preparing to create one, this is arguably the most important step to establishing SEO for real estate sites. Your Google Business Profile is Google’s tool for indexing local businesses for searches, particularly searches in Google Maps.

When someone searches for a local service like real estate, Google automatically shows them results near their location. In 2024, Google Maps results are almost always at the top of search engine results pages (SERP), and these results only show realtors’ Google Business profiles. For example, when I search “real estate agent” from a device in New York, Google puts a map of nearby real estate brokerages at the top of the SERP.

Of course, having a Google Business Profile doesn’t guarantee you’ll appear at the top of search results. However, without it, you might not ever show up!

Step 4: Research Keywords You Want to Rank For

With your website and Google profile set up correctly, you can get into the real bread and butter of SEO for real estate agents. At this stage, you must thoroughly research the keywords your target audience is searching for. It’s important to gather this data before you start creating website content so that you can craft it to appeal to their questions and concerns directly. 

Here are a few tips for researching and choosing real estate keywords:

• Use a strong keyword research tool like Ahrefs or Semrush.
• If you don’t want to pay a monthly fee for SEO or keyword research, hire a freelancer on Fiverr to do research for you.
• Check the SERPs for your target keywords to see the current results. Are they articles or videos? How long are the articles?
• Use the “People Also Ask” section for even more content ideas. These are questions that Google’s algorithm thinks are related to the main keyword. For example, here are the “People Also Ask” results for the keyword “Condos in Miami.” Each one of these questions would make a great blog post.

Pro Tip: If you do keyword research before creating your website, try to work a few simple keywords into your real estate domain name and even social media titles. For example, if people are searching for “Windy City realtor” more than they’re searching for “Chicago realtor,” your domain name could be windycityrealtor.com or even [yourname]windycityrealtor.com.

Step 5: Create a Content Strategy with Clusters

Search engines consider your overall website when they rank individual pages. You might have the most well-optimized page on Miami real estate, but it won’t rank well if the rest of your website is bare. You have to show Google that you are a subject matter expert. There’s a reason that Google does this! 

To show Google that you are an expert and that your website deserves a spot in the SERPs, you need a variety of content and a well-organized website format. This is where content clusters come in. Content clusters are groups of articles organized from top-level subjects like “condos in Miami” that then drill down to more specific related topics like “Condos in Brickell” or “How to qualify for a condo in Miami.” 

Here’s what a cluster map might look like for an agent who sells condos in Miami:

Step 6: Craft Useful & Compelling Content

Once you’ve mapped out a cluster strategy, the next step is to create the content for your website. Some people think that SEO for real estate just means making endless blog posts, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Realtor SEO content includes website pages, real estate listings, written blog posts, images, and video content.

For example, Park City Luxury Real Estate is the only real estate website in the Google Image results to rank for the keyword “Empire Pass Deer Valley.” They beat out all other real estate competitors because they have a combination of written content and images optimized for this keyword.

Step 7: Increase Backlinks to Your Content 

Another way to show search engines that you are a valuable resource that should be ranked in searches is through backlinks. When another website links to any page of your website, that is a backlink, and it is a powerful tool for improving SEO for real estate investors, agents, and brokers.

There are a few ways to get backlinks, but our best recommendation in 2024 is to use Connectively, formerly HARO. Connectively is a forum for publications and journalists to find content creators and small businesses (like real estate agents!) to connect and collaborate. Sign up for the platform, and you’ll get access to a huge variety of online publications for those looking for input on real estate-related topics. You answer their queries with a pitch; if they use your answer, they’ll link back to your website.

Pro Tip: Link quality counts more than quantity! Getting one link from a well-respected site like the New York Times or Inman is as powerful as getting 100 links from smaller websites or blogs. Plus, links from websites related to your pillar content are more valuable than general websites. For example, if you’re writing about Miami condos, a link from the Miami Herald could be more valuable than one from the New York Post. Since you are writing about real estate, a link from Realtor Magazine or your state’s Realtor Association would be even more valuable. 

Step 8: Regularly Update Your Content

In general, search engines rank new, up-to-date content higher. This is especially true in the realm of SEO services for real estate, where the real estate market is constantly changing. Of course, your website should have a large percentage of evergreen content, but you should still update it regularly.

It may take some testing to find out how long it takes Google to rank your content and how long it is considered “fresh,” but here is a general calendar to follow: 

• Pillar pages: update once per quarter
• Subpillar and cluster pages: update once or twice per year
• Time-sensitive content: update regularly (i.e., monthly or biweekly newsletter or market update)

Step 9: Monitor Your Traffic & Analy

Analytics are a vital part of real estate SEO. If you aren’t checking the data to see if your posts are indexed, getting ranked, and driving traffic, I call that a “spray and pray” strategy—and I don’t recommend it. It’s essential to see where you are generating traffic and which pages are getting the highest rankings and clicks. This information will help you create more content and improve your lower-performing pages.

Google Analytics is the best, most reliable source of gathering website data. Most real estate website builders include reporting and analytics tools, and they are sometimes even easier to use. However, Google Analytics generally has the most accurate data, so it’s essential to understand your traffic and user behavior on this platform.

Step 10: Regularly Audit Your Website for SEO Issues 

As you publish more website content and your traffic increases, make sure you continually monitor the site for technical SEO issues. Even if your content ranks well, keeping tabs on this for the absolute best results is important. For example, articles or videos you link to might change their URLs, leaving you with dead links. Or your articles might load slowly if you install a new plugin or forget to compress images. Scheduling biyearly or quarterly SEO audits can help you find these issues before they affect your ranking. 

Best Practices of Real Estate SEO

It can be challenging to learn SEO for real estate because there are so many factors to consider, and it can be highly technical. However, it’s a challenge that can be overcome with determination and by following a few best practices. If you invest your time, energy, and finances into real estate SEO, the result can massively increase your business growth.

Here are a few basic SEO concepts and best practices to keep in mind:

• Build authority (E-E-A-T): Google will only rank websites that are topic matter experts. Build your EAT score (expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness) by creating original content, collaborating with other respected websites, and maintaining a well-organized website.
• Use the right tools: Finding the right tools (or freelancers) for keyword research, optimization, and website analytics is essential for optimizing your content for search engines.
• Write with structure: Your content should use structured data like H1, H2, and H3 headings, numbered lists, bullet points, and keywords. Using Ahrefs, Semrush, or a website builder with SEO tools like Easy Agent Pro will help you create optimized content.
• Keep your website speed fast: A slow website will be devalued in the search engine’s algorithm. Keep track of your website speed with Google’s free PageSpeed Insights tool, and follow that report to improve your site’s speed.
• Keep your website mobile-friendly: Most agents work on their website on a desktop, but more than 60% of website traffic is from mobile devices. If your site isn’t mobile-friendly, users may not have the patience to stay and become one of your leads.
• Make navigation simple: It should be easy for users to understand how to view different pages on your site. Using menus and internal links will keep visitors on your website for longer, which builds your authority—and, ultimately, your rankings—in search engines.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is SEO schema for real estate?

What are the stats for SEO in real estate?

Does SEO work for realtors?

Bringing It All Together

Real estate SEO can be complex, but it is a compelling way to grow your business. By creating a well-organized website and high-quality content optimized for the right keywords, you can attract thousands of users to your website and generate leads ready to work with you. With the tips in this guide, you’ll be able to start using SEO for real estate immediately.

The post The Ultimate Real Estate SEO Guide: 10 Steps to Better Ranking appeared first on The Close.

You need to embrace this technology and use it to help more clients (and help your pockets grow, too)! I will break down what predictive analytics in real estate are, how you can use them, their benefits, and which real estate analytics software you can use to boost your business. Here we go! 

What Is Predictive Analytics in Real Estate?

Predictive analysis is a technique that uses data, statistical algorithms, and machine learning to identify the likelihood of future outcomes based on historical data. It involves analyzing current and past information to predict future events. 

In real estate, predictive analysis can help agents forecast market trends, identify potential buyers and sellers, set competitive prices, and make strategic business decisions. These real estate analytics companies pull together millions (if not billions) of data points from multiple sources to give you important insights. 

Common data sources include the following:

• Property
• Demographics
• Behavioral trends
• Event data (user-generated activity data from products, software, or websites)

Why Predictive Analytics Matters in Real Estate

If you’re a MARVEL fan, you may remember in Captain America: The Winter Soldier the scene where Jasper Sitwell gets kicked off the roof by Black Widow for information about Zola’s algorithm. Ok, we won’t be kicking anyone off any rooftops, but Zola’s algorithm is a great example of predictive analysis. It provided data on who to target, when to target them, and how to take them down.

The same concept is applied to PA in real estate. Imagine if you had a list of homeowners in your farm area who were identified via predictive analytics as highly likely to sell their homes in the next 12 to 18 months. Think of the time, energy, and money you could save by marketing specifically to those homeowners. You can make it work for you in your real estate business with a company that knows how to harness it.

Ok, let me give you some actual data to consider. One of our top picks, Offrs, provides 30 guaranteed leads in a chosen ZIP code every month, and those leads come with an astounding 72% prediction accuracy rate. Assuming that prediction rate, you’d have about 20 solid leads each month. The average listing commission is over $12,000. So, if you convert half of your leads, that’s $120,000. As Offrs says: It’s not magic; it’s math.

Benefits of Using Predictive Analytics for Real Estate 

Real estate predictive analytics is changing the game, giving agents and brokers powerful tools to understand market trends and customer behaviors. With tons of data and smart algorithms, this tech helps you make better decisions, market more effectively, and stay ahead of the competition. 

Using predictive analytics in real estate offers several key benefits:

• Accurate market predictions: Helps agents predict market trends, including which properties are likely to sell and when.
• Targeted marketing: Allows more accurate marketing efforts by identifying potential buyers and sellers, leading to better conversion rates.
• Improved pricing strategies: Assists in setting competitive sales prices based on data-driven insights rather than gut feelings.
• Enhanced customer insights: Provides a better understanding of customer preferences and behaviors, allowing you to personalize your services.
• Competitive advantage: Gives agents an edge over competitors who may not use predictive analytics.
• Increased sales: Ultimately leads to higher sales and revenue through more effective and targeted business strategies.

How Agents Can Use Predictive Analytics

Now that you know what PA is, why it’s important, and what the benefits are, it’s time to put predictive analysis to work for your business. While residential real estate analytics isn’t fully on par with the commercial side yet, we’re getting closer to seeing every agent, team, and broker using AI or data analytics tools in 2024.

Here are a few ways you can start to incorporate PA into your business practices: 

• Identify potential sellers
• Competitively price the properties
• Optimize lead generation
• Improve client relationships
• Predict future market trends

The Best Predictive Analytics Companies in 2024

Wondering which companies are at the forefront of predictive analytics in real estate? These companies are transforming how agents predict market trends and make informed decisions. If you’re considering integrating predictive analytics into your real estate strategy, here are some top recommendations for real estate data analytics companies that are reshaping how agents predict market trends, identify potential clients, and optimize their business strategies.

Take a look at some of the top players in the game.

1. Smartzip

Pros It has easy-to-use CRM and dashboard. Smart Targeting product allows automated print marketing. It is easily applicable to an existing real estate farming strategy.	Starting Monthly Prices The company’s prices are based on the size of the geographic area you’re targeting. Prices start at $299 per month with a 12-month contract.
Cons Pricey—most Smartzip users spend at least $1,000 per month (or more). Leads are nonexclusive. It can take a long time to nurture and convert leads.

By combing through consumer data (from places like credit card companies), market data (from places like your MLS), and demographic data, Smartzip predicts which homeowners in your targeted region are most likely to sell. Realtors who sign up with Smartzip immediately get access to the Smartzip CRM, populated with “Smart Data” for their areas. 

Essentially, this is a list of all the property owners in your targeted area, ranked by how likely they are to sell their home in the next year and a half. Armed with this information, you can focus your outreach on only the most likely sellers, saving you time and money on marketing efforts and making your lead conversations more meaningful and fruitful.

Smartzip: Is It Right for You?

If you’re already investing heavily in real estate farming and seller lead nurturing, Smartzip is an excellent real estate predictive analytics tool for you. Since leads from Smartzip tend to take a little longer to nurture than traditional listing leads, you will need a solid keep-in-touch strategy. If you’ve got a good lead nurturing game in place, Smartzip is absolutely worth considering.

2. Offrs

Pros It is the same great Smart Data that sister company Smartzip is built on. Roof provides an entire inside sales and marketing team with no upfront costs. Unique ad tools help connect your analog and digital marketing.	Starting Monthly Prices It offers 30 guaranteed leads from one ZIP code for $299 monthly. This includes predictive sellers, an ad budget, a customized territory builder, and a lead capture page. If you want a larger target area, spring for the premium plan, which is five ZIP codes for $599 monthly. Offrs does not require a contract.
Cons Leads are nonexclusive. Leads take longer to convert than organic or referral leads. The Offrs Smart Data CRM isn’t as user-friendly as the Smartzip version.

While Offrs is owned by the same company as Smartzip, the actual product is very different. Both are built on the same Smart Data platform, but Offrs customers also have access to sophisticated and automated marketing and nurturing tools.

Plus, the Offrs Roof referral system is an added bonus. For a 25% referral fee, Offrs’ call center and email marketing team will initiate at least 30 touches in the first 90 days, starting immediately when a lead comes through. This makes the nurturing process even less of a lift, especially since about 67% of clients go with the first agent they speak with.

Offrs: Is It Right for You?

If you need automated marketing services, this is a platform you should absolutely consider. If you don’t need the more specialized lead types or automated marketing features, you’re probably better off going with Smartzip, with its upgraded CRM and user interface.

3. Catalyze AI

Pros It has high accuracy percentage. It offers exclusive, local leads. It has an easy-to-use, intuitive dashboard.	Starting Monthly Prices The two-tier pricing at Catalyze AI is relatively unique. The first tier is for properties valued over $1 million dollars, which is $450 per month. For $360 per month, you get leads on properties valued under $1 million. There are no contracts, so agents can subscribe month to month.
Cons Costs will add up if you subscribe every month over a year. It relies on excellent interpersonal and follow-up skills. Large radius may not work well for agents in urban areas.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of properties are inherited. Catalyze AI helps sort through all of the data points (over 400 million of them) to narrow these properties down to excellent leads. It is so excellent that it boasts that four out of 10 predicted leads sell within 12 months. Catalyze AI estimates this market represents $77 billion in property value each year.

I like that Catalyze AI offers leads within a 20-mile radius of your search area and that you can pay based on the value of the property: one monthly rate for properties valued above $1 million and one for below. And finally, and perhaps most importantly, these leads are exclusive, which makes them pretty darn valuable.

Catalyze AI: Is It Right for You?

Inherited property leads are fairly niche, and it takes someone with strong interpersonal skills to convert them, especially if the new property owner is recently bereft. It will also take patience and strong follow-up. That being said, this is a really strong market, and the leads are local, not outrageously expensive, highly probable to convert, and exclusive. Because it’s month-to-month, it’s definitely worth checking out Catalyze AI; it’s a company in the PA space that we’re excited to watch.

4. Top Producer

Pros It offers full end-to-end solution with top-notch lead gen, integrated marketing, and CRM. CRM helps prioritize PA leads and follow-up. It has excellent customer service.	Starting Monthly Prices Top Producer’s Pro + Framing package includes the CRM plus AI-powered farming and marketing starting at $399 per month. Pro + Leads includes the CRM plus social media leads starting at $429 per month. The baseline Top Producer product—called Pro—starts $129 per user, per month. The Top Producer Pro Teams package is $299 per user, per month. A Top Producer website is an additional $35 per user, per month.
Cons You can’t subscribe to just the PA solution. It lacks 24/7 customer support. It is not an option for agents who already have a CRM they like.

While Top Producer’s predictive analytics product, called Smart Targeting, isn’t far from what other PA companies are doing (in fact, its data is supplied by the same company as Offrs and Smartzip), it is unique to have the analytics as part of a larger lead generation and tracking ecosystem. There are some real advantages to having everything working together in the same place. If you’re using Top Producer, one of our favorite CRMs in the industry, to prioritize, track, nurture, and convert leads fed to your funnel by predictive analytics, you’re cooking with gas, as they say.

Top Producer’s biggest value is in its CRM, which allows a busy agent to rely on automatic follow-up with leads. It’s not cheap—in fact, it’s hard to tell exactly what Smart Targeting costs as it’s an add-on to the base price—but it is an exciting development in the industry. Synergy between all of your sales and marketing is a beautiful thing.

Grow your database with a steady stream of affordable, exclusive real estate leads from social media ads. Social Connect from Top Producer is designed to get you a high volume of leads and move them through your pipeline until they’re ready to buy and sell real estate. Connect with an average of 30 consumers interested in real estate in your local market for just $300 per month!

How Social Connect works:

Top Producer: Is It Right for You?

If you already have a CRM that you love, Top Producer isn’t for you. You’re better off subscribing to Offrs or Smartzip and integrating it into your existing CRM. It’s only if you’re already using Top Producer or you want to make a CRM change that you should consider jumping in with two feet. Real magic can happen when all of your systems are not only talking to each other and working together, but also taking advantage of cutting-edge technology that can skyrocket your business.

Are you a lender or homeowner interested in hearing about other great predictive analytics tools that are easy on the wallet? Check out our review of Homebot to kick off your search.

Methodology: How I Chose the Best Predictive Analytics Companies

Our methodology at The Close ensures that our team of professionals, writers, and editors thoroughly analyzes each platform. We meticulously evaluate the features, usability, integration capabilities, performance, and affordability of the AI tools available for real estate. 

Even though our team has decades of combined real estate experience, navigating through the wild, complex, and sometimes confounding world of data analytics wasn’t easy. To make sure we were using objective measures, in addition to our educated opinions, we looked at these five key criteria to select our picks for the top companies:

• Affordability and value for money: Cost was an important consideration. We looked for tools that provided a good balance of features and return on investment.
• Feature set and functionality: We evaluated the range of features each tool offers and focused on how impactful these features are to real estate operations. 
• Usability and customer ratings: We looked for tools with intuitive interfaces, straightforward navigation, and comprehensive support resources. We want to ensure it can be easily integrated into an agent’s workflow. 
• Integration capabilities: Because so many tools are needed in the real estate industry, we want to ensure that an agent’s technology stack can communicate with other tools necessary for business. 
• Effectiveness and performance: We considered the effectiveness of each tool to make sure that it increased productivity and would achieve the desired outcomes that it promised. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS)

What are the challenges of using predictive analysis in real estate?

What problem is being addressed by applying predictive analytics to real estate?

How do predictive analytics impact the real estate industry?

Bringing It All Together

Data analytics, and predictive analytics specifically, is an exciting, cutting-edge field that has the potential to completely shake up our industry. I believe that agents, teams, and brokers will see a serious ROI with the right data analytics tool. I hope this guide has helped narrow down the options and decide what might be the right company (or companies) for your business. 

Are there any predictive analytics companies serving the real estate world that we missed? Who should we include the next time around? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Predictive Analytics in Real Estate: Best Practices & Software for Agents appeared first on The Close.

Agently Pros & Cons

My Verdict on Agently & Why You Should Trust It

With my extensive research experience in various real estate topics, I can provide readers with a thorough analysis of Agently’s platform and features—objectively highlighting its strengths and limitations. My commitment to honesty and transparency at The Close guarantees that my Agently reviews will provide valuable insights into your decision-making process.

Agently goes beyond traditional real estate management and lead generation platforms by offering robust coaching and training features to support brokerage owners and agents. With Agently, brokerage owners can streamline agent operations, including the onboarding process and training courses. 

This approach to agent development enhances productivity and fosters a culture of continuous improvement within small brokerages. Therefore, Agently is an ideal choice for solo agents or small teams searching for a modern, user-friendly solution to streamline their operations and empower their teams.

Agently Alternatives

While Agently is a great platform for professionals looking to maximize efficiency, other platforms better suit agents’ and brokerages’ budgets and real estate needs. Agents and brokers looking for budget-friendly solutions might feel like Agently is too pricey, and those seeking instant customer support might find that Agently’s support team takes too long to respond. Here are some alternatives worth considering.

Platform	Why It’s a Great Alternative	Learn More	Ready to Purchase?
	It’s a real estate company providing coaching, branding assistance, and a community of 80,000 agents.	No review yet	Visit Radius Agent
	It has a transaction management feature and can integrate with more platforms for a more efficient workflow.	No review yet	Visit Rechat
	It’s a customer relationship manager (CRM) that boasts strong automation and lead nurturing tools.	LionDesk review	Visit LionDesk

Platform	Why It’s a Great Alternative	Learn More	Ready to Purchase?
	It’s a real estate company providing coaching, branding assistance, and a community of 80,000 agents.	No review yet	Visit Radius Agent
	It has a transaction management feature and can integrate with more platforms for a more efficient workflow.	No review yet	Visit Rechat
	It’s a customer relationship manager (CRM) that boasts strong automation and lead nurturing tools.	LionDesk review	Visit LionDesk

Key Features of Agently

In this section, let’s take a closer look at Agently’s strengths and areas for improvement.

Agently Dashboard

Agently’s dashboard is a centralized hub for real estate brokers and agents to manage their activities efficiently. Upon logging in, brokers are greeted with a clean, intuitive interface, offering at-a-glance insights into engagement, training, accountability, and recognition. Solo agents, on the other hand, are welcomed with today’s tasks, challenges, their goal tracker on the right, and training courses assigned to them.

Agent Coaching & Onboarding

Agently provides comprehensive coaching and training features tailored to the needs of brokerage owners and agents. Through the platform, brokers can do the following:

• Create personalized onboarding checklists, guiding new agents through tasks such as downloading onboarding videos and documents, familiarizing themselves with brokerage manuals, and updating their real estate agent bios
• Upload and receive documents requiring agents’ signatures
• Provide access to various training materials, such as legal, marketing, and sales training videos
• Create coaching challenges to motivate agents and enhance sales productivity

Goal Setting

Agently offers goal setting and tracking capabilities to help agents achieve their weekly or annual goals. Agents can set specific goals, such as client acquisition milestones and sales targets. Team leaders, on the other hand, can monitor and ask agents how they’re progressing toward their goals. However, while agents can set their goals through the platform and monitor their progress, this can appear to be a competition among agents within a brokerage. 

The Hub

Agently’s Hub is a location for storing files, contracts, templates, and other assets, allowing seamless file sharing. It’s like Agently’s Google Drive, where teams can centralize important documents. Not many platforms offer storage, so this is an excellent feature from Agently.

AI Marketing Suite

Agently is a great lead generation tool for agents. Agents can get buyer or seller leads by creating video posts based on Agently’s topic suggestions or creating ads and posting them directly on social media. Additionally, I’m impressed with Agently’s artificial intelligence (AI) listing builder. This tool simplifies the creation of visually appealing listings by allowing agents to upload photos, which are then enhanced using AI algorithms. Afterward, Agently generates a comprehensive MLS description that is ready to be posted.

Agently Pricing

Agently offers transparent pricing plans to accommodate the needs of solo agents and small brokerages. If you have a limited budget as a solo agent, Agently can be cost-prohibitive. But if you’re a broker coaching many agents, you can ask your agents to pay a small charge to cover Agently’s monthly cost for brokerages or cover it from earned commission splits. 

Here are the features and benefits of each subscription plan so you can determine which best suits your business goals. If you’re still exploring other options, Agently offers a seven-day free trial.

Methodology

In my assessment of Agently, I conducted thorough research to ensure accuracy and reliability in the final evaluation. At The Close, we aim to guide real estate professionals in making informed decisions. We analyzed Agently’s platform, its pricing structure, features, user feedback, and reputation, and then based our Agently reviews on the following criteria:

• Value for Money
  • I reviewed Agently’s pricing, subscription plans, and whether it offered discounts or bulk pricing. 
• Features
  • I considered features such as its management dashboard, marketing suite, agent onboarding, listing builder, social media templates, and goal tracker.
• User Interface
  • I evaluated Agently’s user interface, customizability, and operation ability.
• Reputation
  • I examined Agently’s overall reputation and usability through verified user reviews.
• Help & Support
  • Phone, email, and live chat availability were assessed for real estate agents needing support.
• Expert Score 
  • The Close reviewed Agently for standout features, value for money, and additional considerations from a real estate agent’s perspective. 

Read more about our methodology here.

FAQs

How much is Agently per month?

Does Agently offer mobile accessibility?

Can Agently integrate with other software or platforms?

Bottom Line: Is Agently Worth Your Money?

Agently revolutionizes the way real estate brokers and agents work together. From agent management to helping agents acquire leads, Agently offers a comprehensive suite of tools to boost productivity and streamline processes. It provides essential tools for starting agents without overwhelming complexity. Additionally, Agently’s suitability for smaller brokerages lies in its tailored approach to real estate management. But while Agently excels in simplifying operations for smaller players in the industry, those seeking advanced functionalities may find other platforms better suited to their needs.

Your Take

At The Close, we’re committed to giving real estate agents solutions to your needs. Have you tried Agently? What do you think about it? We’d like to hear your Agently reviews—let us know in the comments!

The post Agently Review: Pricing, Features, Pros & Cons appeared first on The Close.

1. Intuitive AI Integrations are on the Rise (But With a Caveat) 

What I’m seeing from the conference 

Many companies incorporate AI into their platforms, especially for lead qualifying and nurturing. The AI is improving at mimicking human interactions, asking questions that make sense, and giving clients a more robust user experience. As much as agents feared incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) tools into their workflow, the sizable amount of data collected and delivered to agents will become too challenging to manage alone.

How will it impact agents in the field?

The idea is to help agents manage more significant amounts of leads so that fewer slip through the cracks. These lead gen companies are generating tons of leads, but agents need more time to work the leads through to the closing table. Most of these companies are trying to take the heavy lifting out of lead conversion to positively impact the ROI for agents.

My takeaway

I love this for agents! Working leads, especially the leads that are more than six months away from converting, is a huge time suck. Any company that can help agents convert more of their paid and organic leads is a partner in my book. 

In fact, one of the coolest AI iterations I saw at Inman Connect New York was ROOF from Offrs. Their  AI assistant does more than help you with leads. It will set appointments, segment your marketing audience, automate marketing efforts, track website visitors’ behaviors, and much more. Raia has a memory, so it can pick up a conversation even if your lead leaves the site and returns later. It’s pretty impressive!

2. Overproduced Videos Are Out 

What I’m seeing from the conference 

Many speakers at Inman Connect New York stressed the importance of authenticity in marketing. One element that was singled out is the overproduced videos we’ve seen so much of since video first took over social media. Kyle Scott, President of SERHANT Ventures, specifically said, “Raw is in” for 2024. Audiences are immune to the overly polished, overproduced content agents have created. It’s time to just get on camera, no makeup, hair in a messy bun, and show clips of you doing you in real life. 

Check out our video with Kyle here.

How will it impact agents in the field?

This trend is good news for agents. If anyone hesitates to get on video because they’re afraid it won’t be “perfect,” this is liberating. Your audience wants to get to know you so you can let go of the idea that you must look perfect and polished every time you get in front of the camera. 

My takeaway

I would love to see more agents take advantage of this easily accessible way of communicating with their clients and leads. Here’s the truth–you’re not used to seeing yourself while talking, but everyone around you is. So, let people like you for you. This rawness is how your audience is going to connect with you. We’re entering a new era where the old methods of trying to reach your audience will be taboo–no one wants to get into a legal situation over cold-calling or door-knocking, but that’s becoming a thing. So, now is the time to lean into this authentic marketing that lives online.

3. Closed Ecosystems Are Coming On Strong

What I’m seeing from the conference

In the past, I’ve pushed against these all-in-one ecosystems, called walled gardens, because I like having options. But more and more, companies are creating exclusive ecosystems, and agents are taking advantage of an all-in-one system that handles everything from lead capture and prioritization to hand-off when the lead is hot. These companies are, in essence, building an entire system that runs the back end of real estate agents’ businesses from end to end.

How will it impact agents in the field?

For agents who are not tech-savvy, these walled gardens are ideal. What’s great about them is they make things simple for agents. For example, companies like Zurple or Lofty start with an IDX website that gives users a positive experience to keep them returning. Then, it deploys lead generation strategies, nurturing, funneling from outside lead gen sources, and lead prioritization on autopilot within its built-in CRM.  

My takeaway

In my experience, agents typically aren’t great at follow-up or lead conversion. With the new AI integrations taking this lift, agents will see a higher return on investment from these platforms. My only issue is that for new agents just starting, the investment for this tech level might be a lot to take on. I didn’t close my first deal until I was six months in the business. Paying hundreds of dollars monthly for tech in my real estate business until that first transaction closed might have bankrupted me before I started. 

These walled gardens aren’t made for solo agents anyway. I talked with an agent at the conference about how things are moving towards more team structures, leaving solo agents out in the cold. One of the speakers, Mauricio Umansky, founder and CEO of The Agency, said that boutique brokerages will become extinct within several years.

4. Using Real Estate Technology for Transparency in Negotiations is In

What I’m seeing from the conference

I visited Final Offer, a real estate technology company to watch while exploring the vendors at Inman Connect New York. Final Offer allows listing agents to place their listings on the platform and track listing prices, best offer pricing, and seller terms to get the house sold quickly. A listing agent can share as much or as little information as they and their seller agree. Still, anyone who has favorited the listing will be notified when an offer is submitted, opening the floor for anyone else who may have been interested in submitting an offer.

How will it impact agents in the field?

One thing that has become painfully obvious is our clients, both buyers and sellers, have an innate distrust for our industry. As real estate agents, we are responsible for creating more transparency in what we do for our clients. This real estate technology trend is timely, with the real estate commission lawsuits still looming.  

My takeaway

This type of tech is the future of real estate technology. If clients demand more transparency in their real estate transactions, more tech that allows everyone to get on the same page in real time will enter the field. I love their platform and its ability to expose transactions, creating a transparency that has been touted as a needed shift in our industry. 

Your Take On Real Estate Technology Trends

Inman Connect New York was an exciting event, and I got to take in a lot. I love going to conferences, and if I walk away with one little nugget, something that I can take back and implement in my business, it is worth the investment. This year at ICNY 2024 I was blown away by all the amazing technology in real estate that’s being created to help agents build more relationships, increase their lead gen ROI, and close more transactions.  Did you attend Inman Connect New York this year? What were your takeaways? Let me know in the comments!

The post 4 Real Estate Technology Trends to Watch appeared first on The Close.

The Close’s Top Picks for Real Estate Technology Companies

1. NEO (New Estate Only)

NEO is a listing service exclusively for new construction. It allows more sustainable marketing for property developers. Plus, it opens up the market to the international community. One thing about the multiple listing services agents currently use is it’s not an ideal setup for new construction. The days on market tend to hurt new construction as they languish in a system prioritizing the most recent listings. This real estate tech company showcases the listings’ unbuilt features instead of focusing on how long the home has been waiting for a buyer. 

Why NEO is on Our List

One of the coolest features of NEO is its ability to allow investors to use Bitcoin at the point of sale in the transaction. That opens many doors for home buyers from countries where Bitcoin is much more prevalent than in the U.S. I definitely see this as a real estate tech trend coming in the near future.

2. Lofty

Formerly Chime, Lofty is looking to dominate the all-in-one space, and it might have the chops to do so. Lofty is an all-in-one exclusive platform, known in the tech world as a walled garden. It now offers voice AI for phone conversations with your clients and leads. It’s scary and exciting at the same time. 

Why Lofty is on Our List

The Voice AI is a new feature launched ahead of Inman Connect New York. It receives real-time phone calls and interacts with leads and clients like a personal assistant. I learned it can make outbound calls, as well. So, when you need to contact a client about an upcoming inspection or set a showing appointment, you can relay that to your Lofty AI. That is wild!

3. Final Offer

Final Offer is a real estate tech company that keeps everything in a transaction open to sellers, buyers, and agents. Agents will have some control over how much people see on the platform. Still, when a home is on the market and receives an offer, the software will notify everyone interested in the listing that an offer has been submitted. 

Why Final Offer is on Our List

While talking with the ladies at the Final Offer booth, I couldn’t help but think that their product will become ubiquitous in the coming year. It creates a level of transparency that hasn’t ever existed in this space. And with the latest in buyer commissions, the distrust between buyers and agents, and lawsuits making their way through the courts, this could quickly quell some of the chatter. I can see real estate associations adding this kind of software to their menu of benefits to justify those Realtor association dues. And keep an eye out for more real estate tech companies entering this field with myriad ways to elucidate transactions.

4. Localize AI

Localized AI lives within the Localize OS family of services. It combines the power of AI for lead nurturing and follow-up with actual human interaction. The AI, Hunter, will immediately interact with a lead upon capture. But if the lead asks a question the AI doesn’t know the answer to, it refers them to someone, a live human, who can answer it. That person has a strong incentive to help agents get a client to closing by claiming a chunk of the commission. 

Why Localize AI is on Our List

I see the value of Localize AI, but it seems like an overreach to charge agents each month for this service and then take a 15% commission at the end of the transaction. Localize AI could be a major contender in the real estate tech company space, I just hope they get rid of the 15% referral fee.

5. Sphere

With Sphere, agents can use their iPhones to take a video of a listing. Then, Sphere will create an immersive walkthrough video for a fraction of the price of Matterport. It’s a new real estate tech company that could be a serious game changer for agents. We, as agents, know the value of a virtual walkthrough in our listings, but paying for a Matterport tour is expensive. 

Why Sphere is on Our List

I really enjoyed seeing Sphere in action! I love that Sphere could make this technology more accessible to agents who may not have the budget for the Matterport cameras. Sphere makes it super easy–all you need is your iPhone. The only caveat is that you can only use an iPhone 12 or later model. I only have an iPhone 11, so it didn’t work on my phone. But my coworker, Nick Thomas, has an iPhone 13, so it worked perfectly on his. If Sphere can roll this out soon, I can see them ranking as one of the top real estate tech companies of 2024.

6. HomeHQ.ai

The way HomeHQ.ai works is each agent and listing gets an individual AI bot. So, when a lead pulls up a listing, a chatbot pops up to represent the agent on the listing. The lead receives a friendly greeting, “Hi, I’m [agent’s name}’s AI assistant, and I’m here to answer questions about {listing address}. So, the lead knows it’s an AI bot, but the AI assistant engages in a conversation about the listing to help answer questions. 

Why HomeHQ.ai is on Our List

I was impressed with this real estate tech company. It’s not widely available yet, but it can be huge for agents once it gains traction. The thing I loved the most about HomeHQ.ai is the ability to analyze the marketing for the listings and then offer advice on how to improve it. I couldn’t stop reading the AI suggestions in the easy-to-read dashboard. The company designed the dashboard so the broker can see every listing and know what needs to happen to get the listing closer to being sold.

7. Offrs ROOF

What Offrs has that other AI chatbots don’t is that RAIA can engage in conversation with leads, summarize and score every interaction, and seamlessly integrate with existing systems sets. RAIA seamlessly integrates with your current system, feeds leads into your existing CRM, and identifies ones that need immediate attention. These features streamline the process from capture to close. 

Why Offrs ROOF is on Our List

I love that Offrs lets you build the system you want with tools you already love. There are tons of walled gardens out there.  But for the agents who have been with their current tools a long time, transferring your entire database to another system is a lot more trouble than it’s worth. And that’s not including all of the expertly crafted drip campaigns created over time. For those agents, accessing a powerful AI lead nurturing tool that easily integrates with your existing systems is pure gold. Check out our Offrs review for more information.

8. Broker Blocks

Broker Blocks scrapes thousands of breadcrumbs about your leads so you can provide a tailored experience as they make their way through your sales funnel. Agents can even send the most appropriate and likely-to-be-loved closing gifts based on the person’s personality, hobbies, likes and dislikes, etc. Say goodbye to generic closing gifts and hello to personalized gifts that indeed leave a lasting impression.

Why Broker Blocks is on Our List

Broker Blocks is still in development, but I had a chance to sit down with one of the founders, who showed me how it works. There are two things I love about what this tech does. First, it picks up in the middle of the sales process and guides agents and their clients through to the end of the transaction. It focuses on the point in the sale funnel where the lead is already hot and gives touchpoints for the agent to perform throughout the rest of the process. I love this because no one else is doing it.

The second thing I love is that it standardizes the process and does the heavy lifting mentally for agents. I can’t even begin to calculate the hours I spent trying to decipher what type of closing gifts would delight my clients. Data that tells me what my clients would like and what would be an appropriate amount of money to spend would have been priceless to me as an agent.

Your Take

One of my favorite things is attending conferences like Inman Connect New York and talking to the people behind some amazing real estate tech companies. I love seeing their faces light up as they explain how their tech will help agents in the field. I got to shake hands with these innovators and see their technology in action. 

These are just a few of the cutting-edge top real estate tech companies I got to check out this time around. But it’s by no means an exhaustive list. Did you attend ICNY 2024? Did you see some cool stuff I missed? Let me know in the comments!

The post 8 Real Estate Technology Companies to Watch appeared first on The Close.

Establishing a solid foundation for your brokerage is not just a recommendation—it’s the key to ensuring long-term sustainability. By understanding these nine potential mistakes on the brokerage management side, you can position yourself as a trusted broker and ensure the growth and viability of your new business. 

1. Lack of Proper Market Research  

Do you understand your target market and how are you going to reach them? What is the demand for your services? Who is your competition? 

If you open a brokerage, these are all questions you need to answer in order to reach your target demographic and succeed. A great reputation as a Realtor doesn’t necessarily translate to a successful brokerage, especially in the beginning. I quickly learned that most people won’t hang their hat on a maybe!  

How to Avoid This Mistake 

Understanding your target market is the first step to success. Dive into thorough market research to identify your audience, assess demand, and comprehend your competition. Being a top producer in your area is an asset, but translating that into a successful brokerage requires a clear strategy tailored to your target demographic.  

When I opened my brokerage, I drove through town and did a thorough evaluation of my competition. At the time, there was nowhere that aligned with the way I wanted to do business. In essence, I created my own solution, and that allowed me to be different and stand out.

2. Poor Business Planning & Financial Management                                   

I don’t doubt that you understand that starting a brokerage takes a significant financial investment. But many new broker-owners still manage to underestimate how long it will take to start bringing in consistent income. It is crucial to have a contingency plan for slower-than-expected startup or even a market shift that could prolong your projected trajectory.  

How to Avoid This Mistake 

Secure your future. Never let yourself forget that launching a brokerage requires a significant financial investment, and success might not happen overnight. Develop a comprehensive business plan that not only factors in financial investments but also considers the time it takes to start generating consistent income. After you create your ideal business plan, create a secondary contingency plan that takes into account slow starts or market shifts.

3. Inadequate Legal Compliance 

No one needs a lawyer until they need a lawyer! Legal issues may seem distant, but having a legal partner who understands them on your side is crucial. Also, as a broker-owner, you’re taking on a lot more liability than you ever did as an agent.

A lawyer is your best business friend—mine literally is my best friend! My lawyer is also a real estate broker, and as both a lawyer and practitioner of real estate, we together were able to successfully navigate many difficult scenarios.

How to Avoid This Mistake 

Not all lawyers are created equal, so do your research and find a good partner in a real estate attorney to help you navigate legal issues as they arise—and they will. I suggest finding a lawyer who is also a practitioner of real estate and someone who understands your market along with your local boards and how they operate.

4. Failing to Expand Your Leadership & Management Skills   

Most broker-owners are the highest selling agents in their areas. But being a top producer is often a whole different skill set than running a real estate brokerage. If you are looking to truly grow the brokerage, you will likely need to step out of the top producer role and into a full-time broker management role. Be watching for when that shift starts to come. 

How to Avoid This Mistake 

Recognize the point at which you need to step into a full-time management role to truly grow your brokerage. For me, that point was about 3.5 years in, where I didn’t need my sales to support the brokerage functions. It is often a hard shift to make for yourself financially, so make sure you are ready to make that leap.

But before you make the leap, ensure you have what it takes. Transitioning with grace from being a top-producing agent to a broker-owner requires a shift in skills. Learning to balance leadership and management is key to fostering a thriving, collaborative environment.

The Close Recommends

When you’re ready to start hiring at your brokerage, check out ZipRecruiter. It’s the number one rated job search app on both Apple and Android devices, which means you’ll cast the widest net possible for new talent.

Visit ZipRecruiter

5. Not Mastering the Intricacies of Real Estate Contracts 

I know it seems like common sense, but alas, I run into brokers all the time who do not have a real understanding of the contracts underpinning their business. The majority of questions you will field from agents will be contract-related and it is important to be able to advise them correctly to avoid legal complications.

How to Avoid This Mistake 

I love contracts! As a continuing education instructor, my favorite class to teach is our three-hour contract class. I pride myself on the fact that seasoned agents walk away from my class with a new understanding of contracts that they didn’t have before. Let’s take it a step further: Get yourself certified as an instructor so you can keep your agents educated and keep yourself in front of your agents providing value. 

6. Failing to Prioritize Networking & Relationship Building   

Relationships—whether we’re talking clients, fellow brokers, or other professionals in the field—are the backbone of the real estate industry. For me, building trust with fellow brokers was something of utmost importance as I built my brokerage. It paved the way for my agents to have successful transactions. Upholding a high level of professionalism and integrity will build your reputation and foster trust with clients and colleagues.

How to Avoid This Mistake 

You will feel pulled in so many directions in the beginning. But if there’s one thing I attribute to my success, it’s jumping into anything I could to get involved in, community-wise. Follow your passions and do what you can to give back, and it will come back to your brokerage tenfold.

7. Not Devoting Enough Resources to Marketing & Branding 

Remember—branding isn’t just your brand colors and logos, but much more. It is the essence of your values and philosophies and how you do business. Your branding should tell a story about you!

How to Avoid This Mistake 

Develop a robust online presence through a professional website and social media platforms. Invest in marketing strategies to showcase your listings effectively and build that online resume for the future of your business.

The Close Recommends

In examining the best real estate lead generation companies available to agents in teams, we found CINC’s custom, hyperlocal advertising strategy, advanced customer relationship manager, and artificial intelligence nurturing tools work together to live up to its lofty promise of better leads for your agents.

Check Out CINC

8. Neglecting Technology

Embracing technology is vital for real estate agents. They are drawn to technology that will help them do their jobs better and more efficiently and edge out their competitors. You can look at this as part of agent recruiting and retention.  

How to Avoid This Mistake 

You must be prepared with tools, brokerage software, and online platforms. And you may have to look to other teams and companies to see what you’re missing. As I transitioned out of brokerage ownership and took my team to a large brokerage, I realized that—while I had indeed invested in good tools and we were thriving—there was much we were missing. Now that my team has these new tools, I see that we have an even bigger edge today thanks to the great technology they have access to.

9. Failing to Adapt to Market Changes 

Real estate is dynamic and ever-changing. Markets fluctuate and challenges arise, but adaptability is your greatest asset. Develop resilience to navigate uncertainties and bounce back from setbacks. We are all feeling this a bit in our current market! 

How to Avoid This Mistake 

No one can predict the future. But you can be proactive about remaining relevant in your market and to your agents, ensuring your brokerage remains a dynamic force in the ever-evolving real estate landscape. Another element that can help you here is adopting the mindset of a lifelong learner. Stay updated with the latest trends, technologies, and legal changes through continuous education.

Cheers to You

Congrats on setting the stage for a successful, optimistic journey in the competitive world of real estate brokerage. Here’s to your thriving brokerage and a future filled with growth and success!

The post 9 Common Mistakes New Broker-Owners Make (+ How to Avoid Them) appeared first on The Close.

In this article, I will uncover the full list of the services that your brokerage may choose to provide, a detailed description of each, and the estimated costs so you can make the best decision for your brokerage. Starting with software and outsourcing is not a bad idea while you continue to grow. Let’s dive in.

Buyer & Seller Leads

In an agent’s world, prospecting is the name of the game. They’re hungry for leads, and as more companies provide them, that appetite seems to grow. Keep in mind that when brokers supply their agents with leads, everyone wins. With more leads to work, your agents should close more deals—and add money to your brokerage’s pocket. 

The game has changed nowadays to make leads more accessible (as long as brokers are willing to pay). However, the benefit of buying these leads directly is that you can also save money on marketing—just cut out the advertising middleman and buy the leads directly from a platform like zBuyer. 

Of course, it’s not as cut-and-dry as all that. Providing your agents with leads means that you’ll need to budget for them. You’ll also need to hold your agents accountable for the leads you provide—that’s a fine line to balance. By offering leads, you may be attracting more junior agents with less experience who may need more coaching and education. This balance is important in keeping your brokerage alive with seasoned professionals as well as the fresh new agents.

Why Smart Brokers Provide Leads

Your return on investment (ROI) on providing leads will be directly related to your training and accountability to the agent. Brokerages that do this well can see a three to four times return on their money. Additionally, there are a lot of talented agents who just need a little momentum in their business, which brokerage-supplied leads may provide.

Lead Generation Cost Breakdown

Of course, the cost of providing your agents with leads will vary depending on where your brokerage is located. But if you want to provide enough leads to attract and maintain motivated newer agents, then you should expect to spend anywhere from $10,000 to $100,000 per month on leads. Once you throw in a lead manager, you can expect to pay another $45,000 per year for their salary. Let’s review some of the top lead gen companies that brokers should be looking at:

Consistent Digital & Print Marketing

One of the most important lessons learned over my 28-year real estate career is that nothing is more important in an agent’s business than them getting their marketing out consistently. Despite all the systems and tools that are available, more than 80% of agents still fail to follow up with their clients after a sale—not even a postcard!

Brokerage-provided marketing services can include mailing monthly postcards to their sphere of influence (SOI) and farm area as well as helping agents with social media content and creating professional listing and buyer presentations. Your brokerage can provide marketing services through software, outsourcing, or, when you’re large enough, hiring a full-time marketing manager.

Agently offers a full AI marketing suite with thousands of real estate social media templates—including buyers, sellers, video marketing, listing marketing, open houses and much more. It automatically integrates your brand so you spend less time on social media. You can also track your productivity and enhance your communication with your broker. Check them out at the link below.

Why Smart Brokerages Provide Digital & Print Marketing

If you want to add a service that provides value and measurable returns in both productivity and profits, then taking over your agent’s marketing is the answer. Agent marketing will attract other agents, increase referrals and repeat business from your agents’ SOI, and—best of all—it helps maintain your brokerage’s brand image and standards.

Digital & Print Marketing Benefits vs Costs Breakdown

Coffee & Contracts is a real estate marketing company that offers thousands of social media templates designed specifically for real estate agents. This includes Instagram Reels, carousels, Broke Agent memes, and more. You’ll get access to fresh content and new options every month as a subscriber. You can get started with $15 off your first month with the promo code THECLOSE.

Listing Preparation & Marketing

This is a no-brainer if you’re trying to recruit listing agents. Many high-producing agents are good at lead generation and sales but can fall short when it comes to marketing and managing their listings.

That means you can take a big burden off their plate by offering to handle all the details of listing preparation, like cleaning and staging. You may also help them with marketing tasks like photography, video production, sign installation, MLS input, and promotion.

These services should be outsourced until your real estate brokerage is large enough to support a full-time listing manager. Be sure to negotiate volume discounts with your vendors to keep your expenses within budget. If you’re just dipping your toe into this brokerage service, I recommend looking into providing your agents access to a service like Apply Design, an easy-to-use virtual staging software that charges $7 to $10 per image.

Why Smart Brokerages Provide Listing Preparation & Marketing Services

Of course, these services will allow you to attract the right agents for your brokerage, but there are other benefits you may not be aware of.

Maintain Your Brand’s Image & Standards

This way, listing marketing will be up to the standards of your real estate brokerage and in line with your branding. No more cell phone pics, dark and blurry images, or real estate signs printed with the wrong colors or font. Just this by itself will attract image-conscious homesellers.

Listings Sell Faster & for a Higher Price

When your marketing is done correctly, you will attract more buyers, too. The more buyers who see your listings, the greater chance they will sell quickly and for top dollar, and this will make your agents look good!

Higher Splits & Fees

Believe it or not, many productive and top-producing agents are happy to pay their broker more for the benefit of having all the listing marketing done for them. This provides them with the confidence they need to go after luxury listings and gives them back more time to do what they love—making more sales!

Listing Preparation & Marketing Benefit vs Costs Breakdown

Transaction Management Services

If you have a highly accountable group of agents, then any task you can take off their plate will increase their productivity. Simply put: If your agents are chasing paperwork, they are not  generating leads. Transaction management is an easy and low-cost way to get some of those red-tape tasks off your agents’ schedules.

You can choose to offer this as an a la carte service, but I prefer to increase my fees and include it on every file.

Why Smart Brokerages Provide Transaction Management Services

Taking over the transaction once it has gone under contract will not only free up your agent’s time, it will also eliminate the challenge of chasing down paperwork from your agents to complete your required brokerage file.

Since you have to pay someone to manage that file, it is easy and inexpensive to add this transaction management service to the list of what your brokerage provides. We’ve done a breakdown of our top transaction management software picks to make the choice as easy as possible.

Transaction Management Benefits vs Cost Breakdown

Agent Signs & Lockboxes (Installation, Removal & Storage)

It may sound simplistic, but providing signs and lockboxes and having them installed, removed, and stored is very enticing to agents. Why? Because what self-respecting agent loves to swing a sledgehammer at a steel sign frame to get it into a frozen lawn? No one, that’s who! Even worse is placing 20 open house signs on busy intersections wearing a black Armani suit in 100-degree weather. Been there—hated it!

Save your agents the pain and embarrassment of having to install listing and open house signs. Let someone else deal with the headache of where to place the lockbox and finagling it onto a metal screen door. Your agents will love you for the simple gesture. To provide this service, you can contract with a local sign company to manage the whole process. The cost is typically $30 to $50 for each install or removal.

Why Smart Brokerages Provide Sign & Lockbox Services

Maintain Your Brand Image & Standards

If I had a dollar for every time I saw one of my brokerage signs printed in the wrong color or with the wrong font, I could buy the Miami Dolphins! Most agents are not in tune with the importance of maintaining a brand, and if they have the ability to save $10 a sign by having them printed more cheaply, they will. If you include listing and open house signs as part of your services, this will ensure that your brand is always presented with quality.

Promote Your Brand

If your listing and open house signs are branded to your brokerage, you are also promoting your brokerage—and the best part is you only pay when your agents take a listing or hold an open house.

Signs & Lockboxes Benefits vs Cost Breakdown

• Sign installation, removal & storage, $60 per listing
• Lockbox installation, $20 per listing
• Open house sign installation & removal, $50-$100 per open house

Meetings & Events

Real estate sales is a social business, and most agents love to socialize. A healthy event calendar will not only increase agent retention, but will make recruiting easier. Real estate can also be a lonely business, and many agents are hungry for connection, especially if they are struggling.

3 Types of Events Successful Brokerages Host

Team Meetings

Believe it or not, team meetings are less about education and information and more about building and maintaining relationships and company culture. Coffee and donuts, or lunch right after your team meeting, can give agents a reason to socialize and bond. It also gives them a reason to show up (besides listening to you or your sales manager talk shop).

Social Happy Hours

A monthly happy hour at a local brewery or trendy restaurant will make your agents feel like you value them and want to get to know them better. Additionally, these social happy hours are a great opportunity to invite agents from other brokerages to check out your company’s culture.

Client Events

Getting in front of your agents’ clients not only builds your brokerage’s brand, but it provides a reason for your agents to reach out to their SOI and past clients. Many busy agents would love to throw customer appreciation events but lack the time or skills to do it. And some agents with small SOIs or client databases fear that they won’t have enough people show up. Why not give them all a helping hand and coordinate the event for them? There’s no need to do them monthly—quarterly or bi-annually will be enough to keep your agents in front of their SOI.

Meetings & Events Benefits vs Costs Breakdown

Education & Training

Any real estate brokerage that wants to serve agents throughout their careers must provide a full suite of education and training. If they’re not getting it from you, they will get it somewhere else. Plus, keep in mind that your educated agents tend to be more productive and on top of the newest contract changes, leading to less mistakes—in short, your errors and omissions insurance will thank you. 

Begin by thinking about what type of agents you want your brokerage to serve. What phase of their career are they in? What skills and knowledge do they need to be successful in order to push through to the next phase?

If you don’t have time for this rhetorical question, I did some of the thinking for you. Below you’ll find a short list of the phases of an agent’s career, as well as classes that will support them in that phase. 

Types of Agents & Training Smart Brokerages Offer

Unlicensed Prospects

People interested in getting into real estate need access to a real estate school. Many successful brokerages either offer an in-house real estate licensing school or have an affiliation with one, where they refer students in exchange for promoting their brokerage as an affiliation option. So if your business model includes recruiting brand-new agents, getting into prelicensing education is a no-brainer.

New & Newer Agents

This is where you need a structured training calendar—one that can walk a new licensee through a marketing plan, lead generation strategies, and all the required tasks related to working with buyers and sellers.

Newer agents also need the support of a mentor who they can call to get their urgent questions answered. This ensures that they are doing the right thing and protects your brokerage.

Productive Agents

Busy productive agents don’t want to sit in classes week to week. They only want to attend classes that they can directly apply to their business. Productive agents are attracted to business planning, lead generation classes, and continuing education (CE) credit courses that offer knowledge they can use.

Top Producers & Teams

Top producers and teams are looking for educational opportunities that are geared toward the latest systems, tools, and strategies that help them bring their business to the next level.

Try bringing in coaches, trainers, or top producers from other markets to teach your driven agents. Agents from outside your market area are more likely to share their secrets without the fear of a competitor taking their market share away.

Education & Training Benefits vs Costs Breakdown

Office Management Services

Beyond just printing fliers, holding classes, and running team meetings, you still have to fulfill all the state-mandated managing broker activities, such as agent supervision and file compliance—not to mention all the management tasks that go with running a brokerage, such as financial management, office reception, and recruiting.

While these services may not be on your company brochure, if you wish to have a successful brokerage, they still need to be managed. 

Office Management & Services Benefits vs Costs Breakdown

Essential Software to Manage Real Estate Brokerage Services

Now that you have decided what services you are going to provide the agents with your real estate brokerage, next look for the software solutions that will help you deliver these services and manage your brokerage.

To keep your expenses low, use software whenever you can. Even though the upfront cost and setup of software can be pricey, it will save you money over the cost of hiring an employee.

For a full list of software solutions to run a real estate brokerage, please check out the article: Real Estate Brokerage Software: Our Top 26 Picks for 2023 (+ Pricing).

It’s a Fine Balance & Further Reading

The types of services you choose to offer will ultimately determine the employees you will need to successfully run your real estate brokerage. A common mistake new brokers make is offering too many services when their brokerage is small. This mistake puts too much stress on a young brokerage’s limited staff.

To avoid this misstep, you must find creative ways to provide a full range of services to your agents—all while not breaking the bank. One way to do this is to use software solutions, outsourcing, and then hire employees to manage the remaining tasks.

What mistakes did you make when you set up your first brokerage? Are there any services I might have missed? Let us know in the comment section below.

The post 9 Services Smart Brokerages Are Offering to Attract More Agents appeared first on The Close.