The real estate industry has long been heavily dependent on word of mouth; a couple considering the purchase of their first home, for example, may turn to their parents, friends, or colleagues for a direct recommendation for an agent or brokerage. It has been paramount for real estate professionals to provide top-notch service in order to earn these coveted referrals – happy clients lead to future business, after all!
This client-focused approach hasn’t changed – but the way buyers and sellers connect with real estate agents certainly has. The emerging proptech industry has paved new ways for buyers and sellers to browse listings, and to source the information they need much earlier in their real estate journey – often long before they actually meet an agent.
Here’s a look at how these new technological innovations are changing the dynamics of the industry, and how a tech-based brokerage like Zoocasa fits into the grand proptech scheme.
First, What is Proptech, Anyway?
Proptech (short for “property technology”) is the umbrella term for technological trends in the real estate and property industry. Within the last two years, there has been a digital transformation both in the technology and mentality of the real estate process. From software, to hardware, to materials and manufacturing, more companies are offering innovative changes in the form of services and products. Proptech includes everything related to smart home technology, research and analytics, crowdfunding, shared spaces management and organizing documents. As a rising trend with untapped potential, more and more Canadians are looking into investing in proptech.
A New Type of Brokerage
Here at Zoocasa, we consider ourselves to be a “tech-first” brokerage. That is, we provide the same full service as a traditional brokerage, but have also built a model to enhance the client experience, in addition to our in-house team of high performing agents and client care professionals. We create advanced online search tools to empower our buyer and seller clients with the data and expertise needed to make successful real estate decisions while leveraging the brainpower and talent of a tech company via our in-house development and marketing teams.
“The line between real estate and technology is blurring,” says Lauren Haw, CEO & Broker of Record at Zoocasa. “A few years ago, home buyers primarily looked at listing sites for just that – listings. Since then, buyers’ and sellers’ expectations have grown and companies like Zoocasa are stepping up to create a streamlined experience from start to finish.”
Haw says that as a full-service brokerage, Zoocasa is well positioned in the proptech marketplace. On the one hand, Zoocasa’s tech provides buyers and sellers with so much more than just listings information, much earlier in their search, and all in one place. On the other, since every home sale creates unique negotiating conditions, Zoocasa agents can focus on doing what they do best – being trusted advisors to their clients.
As an industry leader in the proptech community, we’re constantly creating proprietary search and site tools such as our comprehensive Canada-wide listings search, the addition of past-sold data where available, the ability to search within a specific radius (school boundaries for example) and for homes that have investment value. Our buyers and sellers’ best interests are always at the forefront, whether they’re entering a competitive market, such as houses for sale in Toronto, looking for homes priced for first-time buyers, or investment opportunities.
Using Data to Educate Users
On the marketing side, we are always looking for new and creative ways to explain the housing market to better inform Canadians, as well as the media. We leverage the data that’s available to us as a brokerage and create eye-catching visuals and analysis. We strive to set the standard in providing real estate information and data that ties back to our mission as a company: empowering Canadians to make better real estate decisions.
About Zoocasa
Zoocasa is a full-service brokerage that makes buying and selling your home smarter and faster. Our in-house agents have been recruited for their professional experience and notable track records and will lead you through your purchase or sale, negotiate to get you the best value, and educate you on everything from the transaction process to selecting the right neighbourhood. Buyers and sellers can browse listings across Canada including townhomes, houses, and condos for sale in Toronto.