This article is a guest post by Max Karänke. In our guest articles category, PropTechs, ERP providers, housing companies, agents and property managers write about digitalisation and news from the housing industry.
Today, digital media are part of every area of our lives. They save journeys and time, simplify many processes and make it quick to get in touch. This applies to the property sector just as much as to dealings with public authorities, shopping or booking a holiday. Enquiries and offers for properties to buy or rent have been handled digitally for quite some time. Online property platforms above all complement the advertisements in daily newspapers. Anyone looking for a flat or wanting to buy a house no longer has to wait for the Saturday editions of the papers. A quick look online is enough to discover numerous offers.
Various online services now offer a comprehensive service. They collect the requirements of prospective tenants and buyers and match them against the available offers. If the recorded data match, everyone involved automatically receives a message with the offer that suits them.
Virtual flat viewings – only a matter of time
So far, only a few estate agencies and online property brokers offer virtual flat viewings. Technically, however, they have long been possible. Immomio, for example, was already able to offer virtual flat viewings in spring 2020. Using virtual reality, prospective tenants and potential buyers get a very realistic impression of the layout and feel of the rooms. Virtual viewings and the very lifelike form of augmented reality are particularly interesting for:
- prospective tenants searching for a flat from far away
- letting planned construction projects that have not yet been completed
- flat hunters with a tight schedule
After a virtual and very realistic tour, prospective buyers or tenants only book a viewing if they really like the flat. For prospective tenants, landlords and sellers, these solutions save a great deal of time on viewings that ultimately do not lead to a purchase or tenancy.
Contactless property purchases – still a thing of the future
Legal requirements currently still stand in the way of a completely contactless property sale. Purchase contracts for land and property must still be concluded before a notary and notarised by them. All other steps have long been possible digitally. Property financing is often already arranged and processed online.
In this context, big data or blockchain files would be helpful. A blockchain can provide useful services in a property sale. It allows all data on a property, such as repairs, conversions and renovations, to be bundled. Combined with smart contracts, a property purchase contract would be concluded automatically as soon as agreed conditions such as secured financing are met.
Interesting prospects for agents and housing companies
Today, having their own website is an indispensable matter of course for companies and service providers. Housing companies and agents present themselves and their offers on websites. With entertaining and interesting content, such as short videos or information on how a property purchase works, they make themselves memorable. Social media offer further ways to raise awareness and win new customers. Being constantly up to date is key to the quality of a website and social media activity. It is therefore essential to keep online presences current at all times.
Advertising is meant to attract attention. Modern technical equipment such as digital signage is available for this purpose. Digital signs replace printed descriptions of property offers in the windows of banks and estate agencies. These are monitors that display offers as moving images. A screen in an estate agency window or the use of moving advertising space elsewhere arouses interest and generates new customers. Interactive touchscreens in the estate agency or bank branch even allow direct communication with customers. Digital signage saves time and money. Offers can be changed at any time from the PC in the estate agency and sent to the information screen. Software tailored specifically to the needs of the property industry automatically transfers the data from the portfolio files.
Keeping track of the current market – but how?
CRM stands for customer relationship management systems. This customer management software gives agents and letting companies a comprehensive overview of the market at all times. Always up-to-date data on
- rent trends
- supply of and demand for properties
- local concentrations of demand
- market and price developments
make it possible to react quickly. CRM systems such as Immomio also provide practical services for managing internal data. They organise the customer database and produce statistics on successful lettings and sales. With the help of this data, advertising campaigns can be optimally targeted and communication based on individual customer needs.
Simple for prospective tenants, beneficial for providers
Immomio offers web-based applicant management for flat hunters and landlords. Through a partnership, the platform now also supports buying and selling property. Prospective tenants benefit from the portal’s free service. They store all the data needed for their flat search and of interest to landlords in their account. This includes a detailed tenant self-disclosure form (Selbstauskunft) and, if desired, a SCHUFA credit check. They then receive flat offers from Immomio’s files tailored to their search profile. The online service puts them in touch with the landlord and helps organise viewing appointments. Prospective tenants are spared mass viewings with long waiting times and time-consuming attempts to contact the landlord. Cloud-based solutions already allow important documents such as the energy performance certificate to be viewed online.
Landlords and agents benefit from these advantages for prospective tenants at the same time. They get answers to their questions from the tenant self-disclosure form available online. Immomio coordinates the scheduling of flat viewings for them. The service includes numerous other functions such as
- bundling offers across different property portals
- creating a clear list of prospective tenants
- automatically answering enquiries
- tenant matching
- an interactive viewing calendar
- a dedicated Immomio Messenger for landlords
As part of tenant matching, Immomio creates a ranking of how closely applicants match the desired tenant profile. In the Immomio Messenger, landlords decide to what extent they wish to be contacted.
Digital property listings included
To spark the interest of flat hunters, landlords publish digital property listings (exposés) on Immomio. This gives prospective tenants a comprehensive overview of the location, size and layout of the flat as well as technical details. Photos and videos give a first impression of the fittings and design of the rooms. Some landlords also offer a 3D tour and drone footage of the building and its surroundings.
About the author:
Max Karänke is a certified property valuation expert and has been working on digitalisation in the property sector for many years. On his blog, he informs his readers about relevant property topics such as creating an energy performance certificate online, renting vs. buying, understanding hereditary building rights and more.