Mobile Real Estate can Thank the iPhone
With my new iPhone firmly planted in my pocket wherever I go now, I’m fully convinced the long term impact of this product should not be underestimated (and yes, I’m painfully aware of all its shortcomings).
1000watt Blog has this to say:
Mark my words, one day, people will be in their cycle class surfing homes for sale on their iPhone and texting their agent. Or not. It’s up to you to create your future. Starting today, brokers, make sure your development team makes every corner your web presence Safari compatible. From agent sites right up to the corporate site.
It reminded me of what I wrote earlier this year, in my post House Hunting On The Go:
House hunting seems to me to be an inherently mobile activity but as yet all of the house hunting options we have require you to root yourself in front of the computer.
Despite its hefty pricetag, the iPhone is going to take smartphones to the streets. lf the line waiting inside my Apple Store for an 8gig iPhone was any indication (retirees, big-haired women, suburban soccer moms, even kids!) this gadget is going to be in a lot of people’s pockets.
While none of what it offers is new (my BlackJack can and did do more, with faster Internet speeds to boot), the iPhone just does it slicker. It does what Apple has always done, package up existing technologies and make them appealing and easy to use for the masses.
Realtors are going to love this thing. But more importantly, the average Joe is going to love this thing. And for that reason more than any other, the iPhone could be what really kickstarts mobile real estate.
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20 Comment(s)
3 Trackback(s)
- From Mobivity Mobile Marketing Blog | Dec 31, 1969
- From iPhone and Real Estate - HouseReview | Jul 5, 2007
- From Mobile Real Estate Can Thank the iPhone : Real Estate Marketing Blog | Sep 14, 2007
Jeff Brown | Jul 4, 2007 | Reply
I have one question. Can the Realtor with his new iPhone access his local MLS?
Jeff Edmisten | Jul 4, 2007 | Reply
I don’t know about the iPhone, but I have been accessing my local MLS with my Treo for 2 years or more.
Jim Duncan | Jul 5, 2007 | Reply
I agree to a certain degree, but I think that the greatest benefit will be twofold -
1) that other hardware manufacturers will have to innovate to keep Apple from taking over the entire market the way they did with the iPod
2) if Apple really can do as has been speculated elsewhere - sell unlocked iPhones at Apple stores that will work on any network, then they will have utterly changed the market.
But - Average Joe probably won’t be able to afford the iPhone, so you’ll be marketing to “makes more than the average American-Joe.”
John Schroeder | Jul 5, 2007 | Reply
I know on the Treo for my MLS it comes down to being able to use Internet Explorer. If you can access your MLS with Safari you should be able to access it on the iPhone.
havensofmanhattan | Jul 5, 2007 | Reply
I have no doubt that it will be a great tool for the person who really needs it. I just don’t see myself using enough of the features to make it worth while at this point.
Alan Bradford | Jul 5, 2007 | Reply
I wish they worked with verizon. sigh. I’ll just have to wait…I don’t think I’m ready to switch to a network that doesn’t work very well in my neck of the woods.
John Schroeder | Jul 5, 2007 | Reply
I agree with you Alan. Verizon is tops for coverage in the Madison, WI area too. AT&T just doesn’t cut it around here.
Louis Cammarosano | Jul 5, 2007 | Reply
Apple will finally meet its match with the iphone. Apple created the best computer back in the early 80’s and allowed MSFT to clean its clock by refusing to license the MAC to third parties. MSFT licensed its lame operating system to then start ups Gateway, Dell and to HP etc to create low priced “IBM clones”.
Apple has let the success of the ipod go to its head-it also is a closed system. With at&t as the exclusive seller of the iphone but with At&t free to sell Napster enabled phones (the napster value proposition is far better than the itunes value proposition-with Napster you can for a small monthly subscription price play ANY song in their three million song catalogue AND you can also buy songs ala carte like on itunes)
Apple has once again closed off its distribution channels.
With Napster enabled (and Yahoo music, Rhapsody enabled) phones by Ericksson, Samsung, Motorola Nokia free to be sold on A&t, Cingular, Verizon, Sprint and every other carrier, Apple with it $600 phone may meet its match……
Kermit Johnson | Jul 8, 2007 | Reply
I wonder how many more car accidents I will have by using an iPhone.
According to Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader (the ultimate authority on everything!) , the mere act of answering a cell phone increeases your chance of swerving out of your lane by 8%!
I don’t know if I would be disciplined enough to refrain from using my iPhone while driving.
Let’s be honest… REALTORS and other salespeople are statistically the worst drivers. Hey.. it’s part of the persona!
Specindex.com | Jul 8, 2007 | Reply
In the very near future (3-5 years) mobile real estate technology will make or break a home buyer’s decision to tour any given property.
The hesitation of our industry giants to be leaders instead of followers with this type of technology is unfortunate.
Keith Carberry | Jul 9, 2007 | Reply
Using the treo 650 is too bulky but I love it. I use Topproducer on it quite a bit and Safari does not work with Topproducer (Waaaaaaaaa). I still think I am going to make the change once flash works on iphone. We do a ton of vlogs and it would be great to show the iphone to prospective sellers some video at there home on our iphone.
John Schroeder | Jul 9, 2007 | Reply
re: Keith- In the midst of trying to get our Treo 700W’s to work with Top Producer 7i. Supposedly we have to upgrade our phones to 700wx. (Does the upgrading ever stop!)
How do you like using Top Producer on your TREO? We are pretty excited to soon have everything that we need at our fingertips-literally!
Jeff Brown | Jul 10, 2007 | Reply
I keep asking and nobody seems to know: What will all the Realtors who buy iPhones do when they find out they can’t access their MLS?
All of a sudden they have a pretty, and worthless work tool.
Sherry Spengel | Jul 13, 2007 | Reply
My husband and I are both realtors. He bought an IPhone knowing that we could access the MLS. Once home we found out it is a watered down version of the MLS - virtually useless in the field. He had to take it back - weeping.
Steve Gasque | Jul 22, 2007 | Reply
Hi…
I’m in Washington, DC, and my iPhone is working perfectly with the MRIS Matrix system here…that’s our local MLS.
I can surf listings as easily as I can on my desktop.
Perhaps the problems are market-specific.
Chad Arend | Jul 23, 2007 | Reply
I’m interested to see if the Iphone works with the Arizona MLS. I tried buying a ppc6700 through Sprint with hopes of using MLS via Internet Exporer with it, but it could never load it. The big downer for me is the iphone doesn’t have infrared for lockbox access. So that means going back to the hold black keypad….
scott schmitz | Jul 24, 2007 | Reply
Another real estate software product that’s been optimized for iPhone is RealtyJuggler
Lisa Knapp | Sep 7, 2007 | Reply
In CT, our MLS only works on Internet Explorer. Top Producer also needs IE. We can’t use the iphones, or mac’s for that matter. I had to purchase a pc when I became a realtor, but I still use my mac for everything else. I love itunes and my ipod, I wish I could have an iphone too, maybe someday.
Breckenridge | Oct 16, 2007 | Reply
My wife is a Real Estate agent and uses the iPhone for almost everything except for accessing our MLS system. our local association of realtors uses MLXCHANGE which was built using IE and MS Windows specific ActiveX controls. Nevertheless, GTE provides us with MLS data on Palm or windows mobile os only. Two things must happen before the iPhone becomes a productive tool for real estate professionals.
1. Apple should allow third-party applications for easier integration with MLS systems
2. MLS systems should dump browser specific codes and use modern html/dhtml languages and provide universal browser support.
Otherwise, the iPhone is really the best phone I’ve ever used.
Kerry Jenkins | Jun 3, 2008 | Reply
Have you seen this Puluwai mobile real estate search application for iPhone? From what I’ve seen it looks fantastic.