This blog post was written by Homesnap MLS Account Manager Jordan Weiers, who traveled to Wyoming for in-person agent training workshops in February 2019.
Last February, I visited the city of Cheyenne in the great state of Wyoming to train agents at the Cheyenne Board of REALTORS how to use Homesnap Pro.
In the audience was Pat Rudd, a new agent transitioning into the world of real estate from a career at the Wyoming Department of Transportation. After the training ended, he stayed and chatted about the changing technological landscape in the real estate industry and how Homesnap Pro fits into the picture. As we headed out, we promised to stay in touch.
Pat’s tech-savviness was clear, and I was excited to see how he took our training and ran with it.
Six months down the line, I checked in with him and sure enough, Homesnap Pro had become an integral part of Pat’s day-to-day workflow.
His Homesnap Pro learning path is a model for other agents who want to significantly grow their business — so I interviewed him on how he’s found such success with our platform.
Homesnap Is Perfect for Clients
Our conversation centered around the ways Pat uses Homesnap with his clients. The feature he uses most often is finding property information on the go. When he’s driving around, he can tap the compass icon and immediately find nearby homes and pull up all the MLS data on them.
Since Homesnap is partnered directly with (and powered by data from) the Cheyenne Board of REALTORS, he knows the information is real-time and accurate — not outdated. And his clients get to access that same MLS data, too.
I could spend all my time scouring the MLS myself. But Homesnap allows [clients] to look directly in the MLS themselves. It gives the client the ability to take over that search.
The real estate agent’s expertise has changed historically. We’re not just searchers anymore. Now, all the information is online, and we can spend time adding value in other ways.”
Pat Rudd, Homesnap Pro Agent
Homesnap Saves Him Time
Pat is always assessing how he can prioritize his days so he is focusing on the activities that directly provide the most value to his clients. Showing homes, writing offers, learning about the client’s needs — those are all things that add incredible value, in Pat’s eyes. Additionally, Homesnap helps him connect his clients to MLS data so they can do their own searching. That allows him to focus his energies on other aspects of the real estate transaction process.
Something Pat is happy to leave up to Homesnap? Maintaining his Google business profile. He upgraded to Homesnap Pro+ to get his Google business profile verified and managed, so he can grow into the Google expert in his area without having to worry about updating his profile.
The way he sees it, coming up with ideas to post on his Google business page, keeping the profile active with new posts when he gets new listings — that’s all important, but it’s not directly focused on the core of his business: his clients. He can automate digital marketing — he can’t automate or replace his client relationships.
Instead of taking time to come up with creative content for social media, Pat can focus on thinking about the risks and liabilities involved in buying a certain property, helping clients project rental income they could make from a property, or who the best contractor for a renovation job would be.
While it’s important to have an active and professional digital presence for new clients or referrals, it takes a lot of time and effort to have an optimized, curated online marketing strategy. Homesnap Pro+ gives him a good blend of control over the content while also being seamlessly automated.
Pro+ lets me control which photos are posted to my Google business profile. It boosts the views of the profile. It uploads blog posts and tips automatically. Ultimately, it increases my online presence without forcing me to spend all my time on Google.”
Pat Rudd
Additionally, he also likes that Homesnap Pro+ tracks the number of views his profile gets and Google searches he appears in. “It’s good to keep track of that,” Pat said. Especially when Homesnap Pro+ handles the performance metrics, it’s one less thing pulling focus away from clients.
The Homesnap App Has Amazing Features
Homesnap Pro is also chock full of industry-leading features that help Pat give his clients access to the best information available.
With my clients, I exclusively use the Homesnap app to message them and answer questions.
Pat Rudd
My clients will ask me, ‘Has anything comparable sold within the last 90 days nearby?’ Homesnap gives me an easy way to answer that.”
In Wyoming — a state heavy in rural properties with large lot sizes — the “walk the property lines” feature is big with clients. “People can walk the property lines easily with Homesnap and see how close they would be to their new neighbors,” Pat said.
Having the Cheyenne school districts right in the Homesnap app is another one of those “cherry on top” features. “Being able to see the attendance zone for Cheyenne Central High School is just one of those simple and easy, yet powerful things about Homesnap,” Pat said.
Growing With Homesnap Pro Agents Like Pat
“Homesnap is the only app I need that helps me with everything.”
Pat Rudd
It’s exciting to watch Pat’s real estate business grow and get a closer look at how Homesnap Pro has helped him along his path. And just as Pat keeps finding exciting new ways to incorporate Homesnap Pro into his business, we’re continuing to add new features that are just what agents like him are looking for.
Homesnap has a friend in Pat in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Pat has a friend in Homesnap in Bethesda, Maryland. Thanks, Pat!