How to use an iPad in Estate Agency

 

Rightmove; there's an iPad app for that. Primelocation; there's an app for that too. I completely understand the practical benefits of the big portals developing apps, but have struggled to see the point in agents following suit unless they operate in a particular niche or are using it as an exercise to promote the brand. It's the same argument that exists for conventional websites; if it's just a property search tool, why would a consumer prefer something with a fraction of what's available over an app with everything like Rightmove's?

Is using and iPad in estate agency an expensive and unnecessary folly?

I decided to have a look at what agents could use the iPad for without needing to spend a fortune on development or to copy everyone else with a property search App...

Some critics have dismissed the iPad as a poor substitute for either a phone or a laptop, but the clue is in the name. Apple are seeking for the iPad to replace the writing pad, not laptops or phones; their two most lucrative product lines! I've used the iPad in a couple of meetings to take notes. Rather than trying to decypher my own illegible scrawl afterwards, I can just file or e-mail my notes with the iPad. Some of the software systems, like LetMC will already run on an iPad because their software is web-based and conforms to the web-standards that Apple are so rigorously championing. Taking notes and accessing data; all very well from a day to day perspective, but let's face it, if you've got an iPad, you're going to want to show off with it? Where does an agent need to impress whilst taking notes and presenting information?

The Valuation

How many of your listers still have a faithful old folder crammed full of comparable properties, marketing examples and other paraphernalia to support their pitch? You tried to give them laptops with very detailed Powerpoint presentations a few years ago, but these presentations were very generic and didn't provide them with the flexibility to refine their presentation depending on the listing. It was also rather awkward to find somewhere to perch the laptop that meant you could control it, see it and still pay full attention to the vendor. So, you soon found that the laptop was staying in the car and the folder was once again the preferred choice.

I've been helping people avoid death by Powerpoint for years by using Apple's own presentation software: Keynote. If you've been to any of our seminars or watched many Academy videos, you will probably have seen all sorts of whizzy graphics, these are usually done in Keynote. The simplest way for me to describe it to the uninitiated is that it is Powerpoint on steroids. So, when I saw that Keynote was available for the iPad, I put my design team at Phoenix to task and we've now got a demo of a listing presentation designed specifically for the iPad...

The idea behind this is to provide a lister with something that will help them impress a vendor without getting lost in a pile of supporting materials on paper or spending half an hour trying to login to your laptop. Simple, clear presentation of information which supports your pitch. What's more, updating and adapting it is pretty straightforward, so you could create a bespoke presentation for each listing appointment with relative ease. This is great for making things like comparable sales and market data customer specific. 

In addition to a slick presentation, the iPad would enable you to show potential clients your website, Rightmove and other sources of property data while you sit and explain things to them. The best presentations are those that engage and inform and I think the iPad has a lot of potential to help agents raise their game in this arena.

I will be armed with the iPad at Lettings Live on Tuesday, so if you're coming, then make sure you pop by The Academy stand and I can show you more.

Comments

[Simon Whale]

looks great Dan and would be amazed if a tool like that didn't have a massive take up.

Where do I buy. The only thing missing is 'One-Click!'