The most popular websites for potential homebuyers, such as Zillow (Z) and Trulia (TRLA), allow for a great deal of flexibility in the client/real estate agents relationship.
Indeed, the homebuyer does all the searching and is free to jump from one real estate agent to the next, and even contact as many as they like.
These portals are consumer-friendly, but are they service-oriented?
One startup out of San Francisco says not enough so, and they think they have the solution for those who are more into the latter business model when it comes to buying a home.
According to this piece in TechCrunch, RealScout raised $6 million to develop "better real estate technology."
It costs Realtors and real estate agents $79 to participate, but how is it not just another app trying to nickel-and-dime agents to death?
RealScout says that for the price of membership, agents get access to tools to help them seek business, instead of business coming to them.
This is an excerpt from the article, with a video below that explains the project in less than two minutes:
"With RealScout… real estate agents themselves can offer their clients through an agent-branded mobile app for iOS and the web. Using the service, potential home buyers can perform narrow, personalized searches on RealScout, allowing them to look for things like homes with “big back yards,” or “gourmet kitchens,” for example. Those natural-language queries can then be responded to via automated email alerts that help customers find home that match their niche criteria, and can help agents better retain, and ultimately convert, their high-value customers."
