Are Your Presentations iPad Friendly? Why REALTORS Are Embracing Tablet Technology

With over 55 million units sold through the end of 2011, Apple's iPad has quickly become one of the most successful consumer products in history. With its vast array of features, outstanding resolution and extreme portability, it's not surprising that the iPad has also become the premier presentation tool for real estate professionals and their consumers.

However, while there has been significant adoption of the iPad throughout the industry, many brokers and agents are struggling to transition their listing presentations to a tablet device, searching for a simple and efficient strategy that allows them to take advantage of the rich feature set the iPad offers.

At the Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® (Leading RE) 2012 Conference in Orlando, Fla. last month, John Lim, CEO of New York-based Mobile Real Estate, LLC (MRE)—one of the industry's most progressive providers of mobile solutions—unveiled a beta version of MRE's new Tablet Listing Presentation product for Leading RE member and long-time RISMedia Power Broker Coach REALTORS®. With 19 offices and 650 sales professionals, Long Island, New York-based Coach REALTORS® closed more than 2,400 transactions worth almost $950 million in 2011 (according to RISMedia's 24th Annual Power Broker Report).

"We know how incredibly influential tablet devices are in today's market and we believe their influence will only continue to grow," explains Coach COO LP Finn III. "Coach REALTORS® has always been ahead of the curve in utilizing cutting-edge tools and the tablet potentially represents one of the most significant evolutions of listing presentations to date. Real estate professionals must be able to deliver their message and the information the consumer wants, when they want, and in the method they prefer. Today's consumers will increasingly expect an agent to be communicating and delivering information through a tablet device."

According to Lim, 25 percent of web users in the U.S. access the web exclusively through mobile devices, which include tablets. This percentage is low compared to other developed nations, so mobile usage in the U.S. is expected to skyrocket further in the very near future. "What Coach REALTORS® and other industry leaders recognize is that the typical real estate buyer and seller is more sophisticated than the typical consumer," says Lim. "Today's real estate professional has to be seen as a solution provider in the real estate process. Brokers and agents who don't embrace a mobile-enhanced listing presentation solution will not meet the expectations or needs of their increasingly mobile clients."

According to Lim, MRE's Tablet Listing Presentation program will not only optimize for display on the iPad as well as other tablet devices, but will provide the ease of creation and customization that is paramount to brokers and agents. With MRE's Tablet program, brokers are ensured that their brand image is protected while agents are allowed to create a truly interactive experience for prospective sellers, regardless of the software or operating system installed on the tablet.

MRE's Tablet Listing Presentation program features a web-based backend platform in which brokers can upload and manage all approved company slides for the firm's listing presentations, as well as set permissions for agents. Agents will then be able to log in, select the slides they want to incorporate into their listing presentation for a particular prospect, and then customize the presentation for that prospect with their name, additional information, and photos or videos of the home. Once completed, the presentation can be e-mailed or downloaded right to the iPad, where the brokerage's custom-branded App icon can be installed on the tablet's home screen. The Tablet Listing Presentation will then store locally to the tablet device so the agent can present without having to worry about the availability of an Internet connection. The Tablet Listing Presentation can also be emailed from the agent's online account directly to the prospect for viewing on their iPad or on the web.

"When we debuted the beta version of this product for Coach REALTORS® at the Leading RE Conference, other brokers took note, and the reaction was extremely positive," reports Lim. "They immediately recognized the same benefits discovered by our focus groups: the quality and flexibility the program brings to listing presentations but more importantly, the control it provides the broker with to protect the integrity of his or her brand. This is unrivaled in the industry."

While Coach REALTORS® will be the first to implement this cutting-edge tool, based on the reaction at the Leading RE Conference, Lim believes they will be joined by many other brokers in the coming months. While he cannot yet comment on other commitments from brokers, Lim states, "This is a must-have for brokerage firms and we are pleasantly surprised at the number of pre-orders we are taking."

To view the original article, visit RISMedia.com.