In New York City this January, the air will be cold, but the energy in the Marriot Marquis will be hot. That’s because a cohort of brands that will sponsor the event has a vision for 2020 that will help shape the business of agents and brokers and the industry as a whole.
The leaders of those companies took the time to share a glimpse of that vision with Inman.
Jon Krabbe, CFO of Agent Image
In our minds, 2020 is about how vendors will focus more closely on what’s best for the agent. Gone are the days where a vendor can be a jack of all trades and master of none. In the past, you had a lot of companies trying to build proprietary solutions, trying to be everything to every agent with IDX, website, branding, social media, and the rest all under one roof. That has shifted. Now is it’s really about a best in class model.
We want to be seen as a true resource to agents and brokers for that best in class model with product integration. We will stick to what we absolutely do the best, and look to other vendors and find the most effective ways to incorporate their products with ours.
We’re also excited to launch Agent Image X, which is a pre-curated designed platform where agents can receive high-end, brandable web site experience with a full feature set at a more affordable starting point. It’s another way we’re looking to create solutions that meet tomorrow’s agents where they are.
Josh Craig, VP of Sales and Business Development at Finance of America Commercial
We want to help real estate investors become more efficient and profitable in their quest of acquiring, flipping, and building residential real estate. The single-family rental space has blossomed in the past few years, and we’ve seen more and more investors looking to grow their portfolio to expand and diversify their assets.
In 2020 we will continue expanding our referral program, where we work closely with great Realtors and Property Managers across the country to grow their business, by giving their clients a reliable and affordable solution to investor financing. Whether the investor is looking to buy their first rental property in Georgia, or flip their 1,000th house in California, or build their next subdivision in Texas, we aim to have the right product at the right price to help them accomplish their goals, and 2020 will be a year we continue to expand on that mission in a big way.
Jonathan Kauffman, Strategy Director at Nest Realty
As we plan for 2020 and beyond, we definitely see the market continuing to shift and, very likely, slowing down a bit. But the market condition is out of our control. What we can control is the increasing expectations of today’s consumers across many channels—professionalism, technology, marketing, communication, market analysis, neighborhood knowledge…the list goes on.
At Nest, we’ve been working to stay ahead of this trend by focusing intently on enhancing our clients’ experiences. We launched a custom Nest technology platform that features a portal that allows the clients to view transaction information, such as participating vendors, documents, and important dates. They can also see a transaction tracker that gives them insight into what their agent is working on and what their responsibilities are as clients.
We are confident that these efforts will lead to increased client satisfaction with Nest Realty and our agents.
Tom Tersigni, CMO of Savvy
The leadership at Savvy has been watching the real estate market for many years, and we see an unprecedented divergence between the types of real estate professionals out there.
It used to be that all agents pretty much offered a relatively similar level of service to their buyers and seller, and were compensated in the same way. Today, however, we see this increasing gap. Some agents are reducing their commission and, as a result, lowering their level of service. The other side is significantly increasing its value proposition for the client.
That’s where we come into the picture. We are a resource or value add for the high-level agents that want to earn the commissions they demand by bringing the client more. With our platform, agents are reducing the cost of homeownership for all of their clients, helping the client save hundreds of dollars a month in their home insurance costs. This significantly and directly impacts homebuyers in a way that agents haven’t been able to do until now.
Helen Hudson, CEO and Founder of SafeShowings
Recent studies show that over a third of Realtors felt fear at some point in their professional experience. If you have seen recent headlines, you know that number is likely to increase. Our vision for 2020 is a safer, more informed, and more pro-active real estate professional that is empowered with technology.
Our future plans include additional industry partnerships and a driver’s license’s verification that includes alerts of publicly available criminal information — and so much more. The possibilities are endless, all to provide real estate professionals and listing clients the feeling of protection.
In addition to the petition we recently launched, we are taking our advocacy on the road by lobbying to public officials and showcasing SafeShowings at several real estate association conventions across the country.
Lane Hornung, CEO and Founder at zavvie
zavvie recognizes 2020 will mark an unprecedented time of accelerating change for the real estate industry. “Choice” will make consumers the biggest winners.
As iBuyers move into many more markets and expand their “buy box,” homeowners will have more choices to sell than ever. Consumers want to push the button and see what an iBuyer will offer. But they also desire professional advice. iBuyer research shows that 92% of consumers want to work with a Realtor, even when they are selling to an iBuyer.
That’s where zavvie comes in: connecting agents and their clients with iBuyers. zavvie can help brokerages make the most of the enormous opportunities that iBuyers offer to grow market share, all while giving the consumers exactly what they need and want — the help of a trusted agent.
