The use of "cloud computing" by real estate brokerages is on the rise. With brokers, agents and support staff using cloud services like Gmail and Google Docs, they're also looking to expand that use to consumer-facing applications.
Just when agents got used to the concept of storing digital documents on their brokerage's servers, cloud computing has come in to replace that, explained Erin Bryn, vice president of digital innovation at Baird & Warner Real Estate, speaking at a real estate conference in New York.
The next evolution is using mobile and cloud-based applications to help real estate agents be more productive and increase their marketing brand. Bryn believes the most successful apps that will come to market for brokers and agents are single-focus utilitarian apps that "hammer down the focus for the user."
He projected an app for agents that would allow them to market open house events by using the social media site Four Square, which lets users share their location and activities with groups of contacts. Coupled with a marketing campaign to get other Four Square users to attend the open house, agents have a way to connect with more potential buyers and sellers.
