The Best Apps for Realtors and Why Realtors are Using Smartphones

According to a March article of this year from the National Association of Realtors, “56% of realtors used a smartphone daily or almost daily in 2010. . .”  That was up slightly from the previous year from 42%.  According to that same article 71% of realtors used a cellphone daily or almost daily in 2010.  That number dipped slightly.  Obviously because those cell phone users have converted over to smartphones.  Number one smartphone used by realtors?  Blackberry still holds that title with 38.2% and iPhone close behind with 26.2%.  

 

*Here’s what realtors are using their smartphones for the most:

 

Access to MLS:  57.3%

Social Media:  54.5%

Weather:  41.8%

 

What is everyone else doing with their smartphones?  According to a New York Times article in September 2010, game playing was number one, weather checking came in at two, followed by maps/navigation, social networking, music and news, respectively.  

 

Here’s a few I and my agents have tried and are looking into:

 

Trulia and Zillow.  Great to use -- all the bells and whistles!  

 

Loopnet.  A nice app for realtors.

 

Realtor.com.  This one’s been around for a bit and we think it’s a good one.

 

One to watch for and recently released:  CoStar, an app for realtors. NYC is the third city to have this one.  It’s available in Atlanta and Dallas.  Read about it here.  

 

Streeteasy.  

Search for real estate listings.  For New York and New Jersey-based agents. 

 

I did some digging around on the internet to find out what other apps realtors are exploring.  Below are a few I found.

 

Glimpse. 

Share your location with anyone (clients, colleages, friends) for a specified period of time.  Simple to use: “Easier and faster than a phone call or text message, simply select a contact, set a duration, and hit send.”  Has anyone tried this one?

 

Real Estate Calculator. Blackberry app for realtors ($2.99) 

 

Smarter Agent. Read that this was a nice app; reviews seem to be mainly positive.

 

My New Place. 

 

Dictionary of Real Estate Terms. $2.99

 

Some interesting facts found:

• In March 2010, Nielsen Wire reported males use smartphone slightly more than females (53% versus 47%)
• In July 2011, Mobility Feeds reported a study conducted by the Women at NBCUniversal Entertainment & Digital Networks and Integrated Media (NBCU) that showed the reverse to be true this year with women owning 54% and men, 46%.  
• As of April 2011, the Apple iPhone reigns supreme, overall, over other smartphones with consumers who plan to purchase (33%), second Android at 26% and Blackberry coming in at 13% according to Nielsen Wire. 
• Popular free app for smartphones:  Google+.  Get it here for your smartphone and Opera Mini. 

 

*Source:  Smartphone Survey Report, NAR. 

 

Have you used any of the above apps?  How have they worked for you?  Do you have other favorite apps?  Leave a comment and let me know your favorites.

Graph showing global smartphone market share for Q4 2010. Data sourced from Canalys.com.  

 

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