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ReplayListings is a web and mobile video listing portal for renters and buyers.
Platforms: Browser, iOS, Android
Ideal for: Buyers, sellers, and agents
Top selling points:
- Every listing has a video
- Fast, engaging companion app
- Agent analytics
- Sharp map search integration
- Listing activity, task feed
Top concerns:
Its ability to scale. Now NYC-based, its founders have plans for multiple big cities. Can its New York-based team maintain its level of quality and execution as it rolls out across the country?
What you should know
Replay Listings comes at a time when agents nationwide are seeking ways to expose listings to a market that is largely second guessing the value of in-person showings.
In New York City, one of our nation’s most pandemic-damaged cities, the reality of a socially distanced real estate economy has hit hard. And without a central multiple listing service to share availabilities, sellers already rely heavily on their agents’ ability to get the word out.
With a video-tour search portal such as Replay Listings, that’s become less of a challenge.
It works like this: The number of available listings in a district of the city are depicted in map points. Launching into the map search, buyers tap, scroll and slide filters to narrow down location, price and amenities.
The numbers increase and decrease as users pinch (zoom in) or expand over specific intersections or named neighborhoods. Only the 1,000 “freshest” listings are immediately visible.
(The app has more than 7,000 listings in total, as of the date of our demo.)
Tapping a numbered dot pulls up a bottom-mounted horizontal scroll of properties, and tapping one presents the full listing card and starts the video.
Know this: This app cranks.
I was told by its co-founder and CEO, Rodolfo Delgado, that search and performance speed is a constant priority against which they measure every feature consideration.
Why is this a good way to build an app? Because it drives developers to scrutinize their roadmaps and whiteboards, ensuring they include only the most pertinent updates. It forces them to minimize physical user action to achieve maximum results.
Yet, this is what concerns me: can the Replay team continue to adhere to its performance-first development model as they reach into other major markets, which will require more programming talent?
As of now, they deserve the benefit of the doubt. After all, New York City is a heck of a market to test a property search app.
Buyers can see both open and exclusive properties, and exact locations (addresses) can be hidden to prevent competing agents from unethically capitalizing on their colleagues’ exclusive until an in-person showing can be arranged. It prevents buyers from bypassing them, too.
Videos can be taken in the app or uploaded if previously recorded. Prior to the pandemic, videos were limited to 60 seconds. As part of a greater effort to assist the market, that time limit has been doubled.
The company is providing access to listing video analytics for free, as well.
The stats reveal total listings, meaningful video views, calls, likes, etc. You can also access “Leads,” a tab that lets you know who looked at what and when — a very light CRM.
Every listing that is entered into the portal is time-stamped and geo-tagged to be verified as legitimate, and videos default to “no audio” to aid in safety and professionalism of the walkthrough.
As an added measure, videos are accepted or rejected by the company staff to ensure authenticity and decency. It’s clear that occupant, agent and buyer safety matter.
As the app scales, an automated authenticity algorithm might be needed to avoid adding overhead merely to approve content.
Agents are asked for their license number and brokerage contact information to ensure working status, which also links to every video listing call to action. This how buyers will reach you.
An added security and convenience feature is the app’s use of face-ID login.
A real value here is the naturalism of the video, the simple “walk and record” approach. This is what far too many agents are afraid of when it comes to listing video, coming off as “un-polished.”
Let it go, people.
Curious as to why GoPro’s stock is in the toilet despite still having arguably the most advanced and well-regarded camera in the very market it created?
It boils down to the fact the company failed to make all that content easy to share. Replay Listings, whether it knows it or not, is taking the opposite approach.
The recently review app Yaza also encourages agents to just tap record and go.
If the listing agent can’t get to an occupied listing, it’s easy for the seller or renter to provide the content.
The app encourages agents to take only vertical (portrait) mode video and to start at listing’s most impressive feature, not necessarily as you walk through the door.
Property data is largely absorbed into the app by the building owner’s records. Agents can fill in the holes.
All of the amenities are presented as easily identifiable icons, agents can be contacted from within the app, listings can be shared via text or email and use a custom branded URL.
My above stated concerns about this app stem from the fact that I like it, and I think NYC agents should use it. I’d like to see it do well, or at least its concept get traction: fast, simple and searchable listing videos.
Delgado was an agent, and he clearly built his company with an agent-first mentality, wanting to help you help your clients.
Plans call for eventual growth into Chicago, Boston, Seattle and San Francisco. Los Angeles is currently being tested.
Have a technology product you would like to discuss? Email Craig Rowe
Craig C. Rowe started in commercial real estate at the dawn of the dot-com boom, helping an array of commercial real estate companies fortify their online presence and analyze internal software decisions. He now helps agents with technology decisions and marketing through reviewing software and tech for Inman.
