By Chad Meier, April 17, 2022
For obvious reasons, online home shopping is where it’s at these days! However, when it comes to companies like Zillow & REALTOR®DotCom, consumers often don’t take into consideration why these outfits spend the vast amounts of money required for them to develop and maintain the home search tools they offer on their websites & apps. After all, until recently neither of these household names seemed to have actual products they were trying to sell you. So, what could be their real goal?
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Well it just so happens that they are selling something. You’re just not their target customer. In point of fact, YOU are the product.
That’s because as data aggregators, Zillow & REALTOR®DotCom (and now Redfin to a lesser degree) absorb these costs knowing full well they can get a great return on their investment simply by monetizing your personal data. The game of “lead capture” is big business in the world of real estate, and whether you realize it or not, you’re playing it every time you log onto one of these huge corporation’s websites.
But there is another way to shop for home & I’d venture to say it’s a better way too. And that’s by reaching into your most trusted agent’s toolbox to borrow the professional grade tools we’ve already paid for to have at our disposal. After all, does anybody really want a phone call (or ten) from a stranger just minutes after clicking the “show me more details” tab on a website?
On that note, an application I provide for my clients recently received a major update and people seem to love it! So, I thought it might be fun to just make it available for everyone I know (to use free of charge or obligation). It’s called HomeSpotter, and in addition to all of the features you’d typically find on one of the “gotcha!” sites, here are a few of the nifty features available to you directly within my secure app…
- Virtual Walkthrough: In these uncertain times, the ability to securely “walk through” a property without the worry of sharing your airspace with unknown entities can provide peace of mind. As more and more agents are providing 3-D home tours these days, Homespotter is able to access the VR environment right thru the app. *Only applies to properties that have included this option within their listing.
- Augmented Reality: Click the “homescan” icon and point your phone in any direction to bring up the Augmented Reality feature. This action overlays active listing information with images seen through your device’s live camera feed, while giving you the details on any available property within a one-mile radius of where you stand.
- Drive Time: Find homes by commute time to any address, time of day, and type of transportation (bus, bike, car).
- Circle Draw: Simply use your finger to draw in a custom area you want to search for homes.
- Open Houses: A great way to search for open houses only!
- Street View: Most everybody knows that using Google Maps “Street View” is a great way to see what the neighborhood around a property looks like. Now access this same view without ever leaving the app.
- Save for Later: Personalize the app so your favorite listings can be saved, reviewed and shared with others at a later time.
- Mortgage Calculator: Estimate true mortgage payments (including price, down payment, interest rate, loan term, property taxes, insurance, HOA dues and more) right within an easy-to-use app widget!
- Live Messaging: See a listing that excites you? Go ahead and share the news with anyone you’d like, simply by clicking the messenger icon.
Are these features you might like? Well please feel free to give it a try at www.thebettersearch.com and let me know what you think. I hope you enjoy using it.
Push Button and SEARCH ON!
Chad Meier
Licensed Oregon Broker
Living Room Realty
Agency | Advocacy | Advantage
Chad Meier
Broker | OR
He/Him
Hello, I’m Chad: Licensed Real Estate Broker, native Oregonian, photography aficionado, lover of old houses, friend to all animals, and powered by analytical data...
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- dcmeier@gmail.com
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