Bells and Whistles

The airwaves of the internet have graced us with yet another inspiring concept that has compelled us to write this little piece for you.It seems as though the theme for any/every real estate-centric blog, newsfeed, twitter account, and beyond, are hell-bent on pushing apps on agents as though they're the next 'make or break' factor in their business platform. This raises not one, but two very concerning points.First up to bat is the urgency these 'news sources' are placing on being ahead of the curve and on-top-of-it with any ridiculous tech idea/innovation that graces the likes of the internet. *News Flash* You're going to be just fine if you keep the essentials close, and ward off the rest. Technology is such a volatile and fluctuating field that by the time you decide to download the half-dozen latest and greatest real estate helping apps, there's going to be new ones to replace them, while the ones you just downloaded have already become obsolete. Not to mention the fact that most of you clientele won't give a damn how fancy and flared your smartphone capabilities are. Stop listening to the 'experts' and start listening to your clients. Because (surprise, surprise) they've got way better of a clue as to what you can do to improve your business functions that some Joe Schmo on a tech blog nobody's read or heard of. Try using some honest client feedback as the fuel to your fire instead of becoming a nagging tech-obsessed attempt of a professional...it won't get you anywhere, and that's a guarantee.Which brings us to our second point: all you need is good branding, a functioning website, and a classy smile ;). Again, take what the 'experts' are saying is going to be super-duper revolutionary with a huge grain of salt (see the theme here) because chances are they're pumping the tires of an app for some goodies in return, or are simply blowing smoke to get another article published. It's funny how, through the plethora of real estate 'advice' out there, very few focus on honing in on your current practices and mastering them, rather than encouraging you to take the App store down with military-like precision. Here's a concept: find out what works and keep it that way. If some techypants writer things his way of attaching a link to an image or whatever it may be is the next breakthrough for real estate...chances are it isn't. Why? Because there hasn't been one since listings-integrated websites!Back to our second point, (sorry for the tangent) when it comes to taking the real estate world by storm, you really don't need much. Be polite and respectful to your clients and peers, get some clean timeless branding (please, no tacky colours or any other insane ideas you may have...leave the branding to the experts. It's what they've done their whole lives, and it's what you pay them to do) and make sure you have a nicely-ranked website with your listings integrated. That's it! You're on your way! No bells and whistles, no apps to confuse you; let's just keep this nice and simple.Now that we've (hopefully) saved you from the disparity that is 'real estate apps', it's time to get in gear and focus on the very few things that count. Do them well, and you'd be surprised at how much more successful you'll be than the guy fumbling with his cute new iPhone trying to out-do you with his superior technology...