This blog post was written by Homesnap MLS Account Manager Jordan Weiers, who attended the Homesnap training event in Indiana earlier this month.
It was so exciting to be part of our biggest in-person training event of the year, which happened last week in Merrillville, Indiana. Agents from the Greater Northwest Indiana Association of REALTORS® (GNIAR) came out in full force to learn more about Homesnap Pro during an in-person training at the Avalon Manor.
The event, which crushed registration expectations, drew palpable excitement from the region’s agents. They see the Homesnap Pro app as a “game-changer” for the way they work, as one GNIAR app store reviewer put it.
Here’s a recap of what we covered with the 300 agents in attendance:
1. Homesnap Pro supports agents in building, nurturing, and protecting their client relationships
No other real estate search portal focuses on protecting agents, their listings and their relationships like Homesnap Pro does. We shared tips and best practices on connecting and collaborating with clients in Homesnap Pro to provide the best service possible, including:
- Inviting clients to connect in Homesnap
- Messaging and sharing listings with clients within the app
- Viewing properties clients are most interested in, which allows agents to provide more personalized and relevant support
2. Agents, home buyers, and sellers are the first to know about new homes hitting the market when using Homesnap
Like in many markets, inventory is scarce in Merrillville, Indiana, and great homes go fast. If agents and home buyers both can see what’s happening in the market in real-time, they don’t risk missing out on that perfect home. In hot housing markets, staying ahead of the competition is crucial.
Similarly, sellers need to have a realistic understanding of what their home value is. GNIAR agents learned how to use Homesnap’s real-time capabilities, including the many ways to create customized searches.
These include “Search by Commute” to find homes close to work, daycare and more; “Draw Your Own Search” to literally draw your search area by hand; and scrolling the news feed and getting property alerts.
3. It’s critically important and valuable for agents to have a digital presence.
We also showed GNIAR agents Homesnap’s new premium feature – Homesnap Pro+ – and explained how it helps agents (new and seasoned) verify their Google business profile and boost their ranking on Google.
Most real estate searches start with a search engine. Even if you come referred, a new client will turn directly to Google to verify your legitimacy. Pro+ makes it a lot easier for agents to verify and consistently update their Google business profile, which is the key to showing up at the top of search results. You can click here to learn more about Homesnap Pro+.
Other core features of the app — like “snapping” a house to get all the property’s information with the click of a button, and the new augmented reality “Walk the Property Lines” feature — were both popular, too. I heard a collective “wow” from across the banquet hall when our Director of Agent Engagement, Nikki Gustafson, showed agents how to walk their clients along the edges of a property using just the Homesnap Pro app.
We also had an informative focus group luncheon at GNIAR’s headquarters with some of the most active users in their market. It was a treat to talk to local agents about how the Homesnap Pro app has helped them in their business. They said it’s changing the local industry for the better — in just the 2.5 months since we launched there!
The enthusiasm for new technology — especially technology that abides by fair display guidelines and that is built with agents in mind — was invigorating, and reminded me why I’m proud to work for Homesnap.
Meeting Heather, Saba, Megan and other folks who use our app multiple times every day was something I wish everyone behind the scenes at Homesnap could do.
What a fun and productive trip! I have a feeling this isn’t the last time Homesnap will be in Merrillville, IN.
Interested in hosting a training event in your market? Reach out to [email protected] for more information.