[Podcast] How Agents Can Leverage AI Tools, with Jeff Lobb
This month's episode of Decoding Real Estate is centered on a hot topic: Generative AI for real estate. Reggie and Genie from RPR® (Realtors Property Resource®) welcome special guest Jeff Lobb, founder and CEO of SparkTank media and Coach 52. Jeff brings over 26 years of real estate experience to the table, where he specializes in mobile tech branding, social media, video content creation and digital marketing. And for this conversation, he brings deep insight as a specialist who is experienced at marrying technology with real estate. Jeff and the DRE crew discuss generative AI ChatGPT tools and the impact they're having on agents as individuals and the industry as a whole. Jeff explains that many of the tools being introduced, especially the Market Trends ScriptWriter from RPR, are so easy to use and have so many benefits, that not using them is a real missed opportunity. On the flip side, the group also talks about the concerns of relying on too much AI and how to avoid these pitfalls. Hit "Play" and hear how AI (and RPR) are making it easier for REALTORS® to market themselves and navigate a tricky market. Don't miss this month's Decoding Real Estate with guest Jeff Lobb! Decoding Real Estate is hosted by Reggie Nicolay and Genie Willett. Subscribe/Follow And be sure to check out these helpful and relevant links: SparkTank Media Coach 52 Realtors Property Resource RPR Market Trends ScriptWriter Listen on: Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Spotify To view the original article, visit the RPR blog.   Thank you to RPR for sponsoring this article on RE Technology!

Stressed About Low Inventory? Read This.
The current state of the housing market is leaving everyone in and adjacent to real estate feeling uneasy at times. But it doesn't have to completely knock you off your rocker. With low housing inventory and high interest rates, the time to buy or sell can seem unpredictable to prospective clients. This is where you come in. You know it's more complex than that, and that investments in real estate, even in a tricky market, can pan out successfully in the short- and long-term. Clients need a real estate pro to guide them through this, and someone they can trust. But with low inventory and a ton of competition, how can you cut through the noise? We have a few solutions. The Issue at Hand Low inventory isn't just a cause for concern for aspiring homebuyers — it adds plenty of pressure to real estate pros, too. With low inventory comes an increase in competition for listings. It's not to knock the wind out of your sails, it's just an indicator for you to get with the times and maximize how clever, comprehensive and well-rounded you are in your approach to your clients. Ways to Ease the Tensions Caused by Low Inventory Thankfully, there are ways to help ease the issues low inventory is causing so you can offer a stellar experience for clients and get one step closer to closing. Harnessing Your Technology Platform Leaning on technology as a key part of your real estate business's arsenal is more critical than ever before. To help ease the pressure low inventory is putting on us all, tap into your tech stack. Make the most of online lead generation by posting and advertising on social media. This gets more eyes on your brand, as well as engagement with you as a real estate professional. When you purchase ads on social media platforms to promote your business, you also have an opportunity to tap into previously-unreachable audiences. You'll also want to ensure you're well-positioned on real estate websites. Make sure your MLS feed is hooked into each one so your listings are seen, as well as ensuring your headshot, bio, and contact information are up-to-date across all major sites. As you start to grow momentum with online ads, social media, and the big players of the real estate portals, make sure your real estate CRM is on point. This is the hub where you track prospects and their activities, as well as automating key elements of your follow-ups, like emails and text messages. It's also the central place to nurture your relationships and monitor every step of the journey you're guiding your clients through. With help from your CRM, you can also develop and send targeted email campaigns. Take advantage of list segmentation to send personalized, relevant emails to subsets of your database. For example, a set of prospective buyers in your ZIP code are going to want to hear more about listings and mortgage rate updates, while prospective sellers will want to get notices about market changes that could favor them in their home sale. Always seek to share relevant, customized, helpful information your clients will actually want to read. Lastly, break into the art of virtual tours for your listings. Not only does this save time by allowing your prospective clients to self-serve their walkthrough, it also illustrates your commitment to new marketing methods — a great way to stand out from your competitors. Embrace Direct Mail Marketing Going hand-in-hand with the power of tech is embracing more classic approaches. Integrate direct mail marketing into your outreach plans to really stand out from the crowd. It adds a personal touch, which can help leave a lasting impression. With a similar formula to your online approach, you want to use targeted prospect lists specific to your market, or even your niche in real estate. When you're creating your marketing materials to send out, make sure they're compelling and eye-catching. You'll also want to be consistent in how often you send direct mail, so you can help get prospects to the point where they're anticipating your promo materials and know your name and face. As you start to ramp up your outreach and generate interest, you can track and measure how many prospects came your way from your direct mail marketing throughout your early conversations. Nurturing Relationships with a Personal Touch Another great way to nurture relationships and maintain a strong personal connection? Getting involved in your neighborhood. By volunteering, sponsoring, hosting, or simply networking, you can quickly become a fixture in your community. Aim to get to know the people in your neighborhood and forge personal connections; you don't have to hit them hard with real estate from the very start. By building relationships first, your ability to guide them and provide your expertise can unfold naturally. As your connections progress, both online and offline, add personal touches to your communication plans, like handwritten notes or specified educational content that adds elements of the neighborhood, like local guides or your top recommendations. By adding more of a human element to your marketing, follow-up, and communication planning, you can cut through the noise, beat out the competition, and make it crystal clear to prospects they need to partner with you. Want more insight into why this type of approach truly matters? Check out this article: Why Agents Should Prioritize Meaningful Outreach. To view the original article, visit the Inside Real Estate blog. Related reading Low Inventory Got You Down? 5 Tips for Finding More Homes for Sale Protect Your Real Estate Business with These 6 Foundational Principles Low Inventory? No Problem! 3 Digital Ad Campaigns for Finding Seller Leads

Matterport Signs Multi-Year Partnership with Vacasa to Provide Digital Twins for International Portfolio of Vacation Homes
Matterport's Property Marketing Solution will become an integral part of Vacasa's home onboarding and guest experience for the tens of thousands of properties Vacasa manages SUNNYVALE, CA (November 30, 2023) — Matterport, Inc., the leading digital twin platform to access, understand and utilize properties, and Vacasa, Inc., North America's leading vacation rental management platform, today announced a new multi-year partnership to leverage Matterport's Digital Twin Platform and Capture Services. Vacasa will expand its use of Matterport's Digital Twin Platform as an integral part of its home onboarding and guest service experiences for the tens of thousands of properties Vacasa manages. Matterport's full-stack digital twin solutions will enable Vacasa to more efficiently and effectively capture, document and promote its listings. Each digital twin will produce an immersive virtual tour as well as high-resolution photos to deliver a consistent showcase experience across Vacasa's rentals, all through a single capture appointment. Sourcing visual documentation through Matterport will assist Vacasa in delivering a consistent guest experience and maintaining brand consistency across its international network of listings. Vacasa will leverage Matterport's APIs and software development kit to integrate Vacasa's platform data with the digital twin of each listing to automate historically manual data-capture processes and improve efficiency. "Vacasa is proud to provide our owners with immersive home tours and high-quality digital photographs for each and every one of the properties under our care," said Chief Operating Officer, John Banczak. "It's one of the many benefits we provide to ensure their homes stand out from the rest. Matterport tours ensure guests have a full picture of what they are booking and the vacation experience they'll have in that home—whether that is simply understanding the layout of the home for family and friends to addressing if the home meets accessibility needs." "Matterport is the only all-in-one solution to both market and optimize a global network of properties," said Jay Remley, Chief Revenue Officer, Matterport. "Our work with Vacasa demonstrates our ability to deliver value throughout the property life cycle, from marketing to operations, and ultimately the customer experience–all made possible by the investments we've made in our digital twin platform for promoting and operating properties anywhere in the world." Matterport is the industry standard for marketing properties, helping people and businesses across industries such as real estate, travel, hospitality and entertainment increase engagement and sales. To learn more about how Matterport can support your organization's property marketing, management or design needs, visit Matterport.com. About Matterport Matterport, Inc. (Nasdaq: MTTR) is leading the digital transformation of the built world. Our groundbreaking spatial data platform turns buildings into data to make nearly every space more valuable and accessible. Millions of buildings in more than 177 countries have been transformed into immersive Matterport digital twins to improve every part of the building lifecycle from planning, construction, and operations to documentation, appraisal and marketing. Learn more at matterport.com and browse a gallery of digital twins.