Moving toward mobile first

Mobile usage is growing, and agents need to have mobile-friendly solutions available. NAR found that the typical homebuyer in 2016 used a mobile device to search for properties online, with 58 percent of all buyers finding a home on a mobile device and 14 percent finding an agent on their phones.

JJ Imbeaux, national director of sales at Leadkit, says that one of the main trends he is seeing is the need to provide mobile-first solutions. Agents are constantly in the field and working from their cars, so they need to be using their phones in order to stay up to date on what is happening on the market and information they can get on the go.

“While real estate agents have always relied on market knowledge, speed is crucial,” Imbeaux says. “If you’re not utilizing the super computer in your pocket, you’re going to be losing on deals.”

Leadkit provides customer-facing websites for agents nationwide that allow them to manage leads and contacts and see what buyers and sellers are interested in based on their activity and searches within the agent’s website.

Reagan also highlights the growing importance of agents becoming comfortable with mobile-based technology. He says that more than 40 percent of RE/MAX’s customer touch comes through its mobile app, and an even larger percentage are engaging through individual agent websites.