How the real estate industry uses SMS
Speed and clarity are of the utmost importance in the real estate industry. From leasing a property quickly to keeping your investment in good nick, SMS is a handy tool whether you’re a renter, buyer, landlord, or agent.
Property Managers & Landlords
As a landlord or property manager, your key focus is keeping your properties in great condition and getting the best return on investment possible. A big part of this is maintaining a good relationship with your tenants, as a breakdown in communication between tenants and landlords can take a toll on your property.
To keep things on track, use SMS reminders to:
- Notify your tenants that a routine inspection is coming up;
- Remind your tenants to tidy up before prospective buyers or renters are due to drop by;
- Prompt your tenants before their rent is due or let them know they’re behind on rent;
- Connect your tenants with tradespeople to arrange repairs.
You’ll also want to ensure that all your tenants are aware of any upcoming events in their buildings. SMS alerts or broadcast SMS can be sent en masse, which is particularly handy if you have a large portfolio. SMS also has a much higher open rate than email, making it perfect for important reminders like fire alarm testing.
Real Estate Agents
Real estate agents have plenty on their plates, working to generate quality leads and close deals quickly. One trend you might notice as a real estate agent is that your prospects like to take their time when it comes to choosing a new home.
Buying a house can be stressful for homebuyers, so a good real estate agent will make sure to find an effective and easy way to communicate with prospective homebuyers.
SMS gives your prospects the time they need, letting them reach out to you via SMS when they’re ready to settle. This means that you won’t be interrupted while you’re with other clients and can also get back to these them at your own convenience.
According to the National Association of Realtors, a whopping 62% of homebuyers prefer to be sent property information via text message. To make a great impression on prospects and close your deals quicker, be one of the first to harness the full functionality of SMS.
Finally, as real estate agents spend the majority of their days out of the office and away from their computers, it makes sense to have the power of SMS right in your back pocket.
How real estate agents can effectively use SMS
SMS keywords are the key to generating and organising your prospects. Simply display your personalised SMS keyword and virtual mobile number outside the property you have available. Any interested passersby can text the advertised keyword to your number (for example GREENWOOD), which will then prompt a 2-way SMS conversation and gain you a new lead.
Considering that 50% of homebuyers notice signs and more than half of buyers search for information on property signs, using a virtual mobile number will pay off in spades.
If you’re anticipating a lot of interest for a particular property, consider activating email to SMS so you can easily get back to individuals via email, and keep a better record of your conversations.
Other ways you can use SMS for your real estate business include:
- Sending text reminders for appointments or before inspections, auctions, and open homes to reduce no-shows and improve attendance rates;
- Reminding prospects of any documentation that they still need to send through to you to progress their application;
- Sending an alert to prospects when a new property of interest is listed (make sure to personalise these alerts based on what your prospects are looking for).
