Real estate agent: Digital Rebat Cards - Agency Journal

Une révolution en pleine expansion. This is the upheaval the property sector has experienced since the pandemic began. For a long time, the digitalization of this industry has been predicted. Yet, as the professionals acknowledge, they have experienced a crisis on the scale of COVID-19, whose multiple restrictions have allowed them to catch up with the United States. Because on the other side of the Atlantic, video conferencing, virtual travel or trading through social networks are common practices: Jimmy Moros, a real estate agent at NestennMiami, said: "I have been selling properties for the past 10 years, but I have never met customers." "The pandemic has accelerated this way of buying, with agents trading on Facebook or Instagram. It is vital for us to master these tools, especially if we want to reach the younger generation. When I post an item on one of my accounts, I know I have a one-in-eight chance of getting a concrete result, "he added.

Luxury goods, especially those of international networks, have been partially transformed into these practices. Barnes a vendu durant lapandémie en moyenne un bien en ligne par mois, sans que l’acquéreur ne le visite. Engel's& Volker, Digital Tools has boosted the company's sales in France by 34pc: "We have systematized the use of FaceTime or videoconferencing access, and we have to equip ourselves with stabilizers," said Engel CEO Alexis Carquette.& V ö lkers Paris. The same is true of Sotheby's, which is increasingly investing in social networking for sales.

Proptech is essential for professionals

For other agencies, this period is a huge opportunity to catch up successfully, thanks in large part to the wealth of Laproptech's division. According to a study conducted by Klein BluePartners in cooperation with Credit Agricole, there were 368 tech start-ups operating in the real estate sector in 2020. It's almost 536 today. The goal of these companies is to accelerate the development of the real estate industry by industrializing the most repetitive tasks. L’outil LabSense par exemple, automatise larédaction de contenus pour les agences grâce à une intelligence artificielle. "Our AI relies on property data provided by the agency, such as EPR, area or any other housing-related item. Guillaume Desombre, CEO of the company, explained: "Then, we use the location near the property to enrich the advertisement and provide information about the real estate price, which is published on social networks in the form of small articles."

Homiwoo went further. The real estate market evaluation and analysis platform uses its AI to provide agents with ultra-accurate data on prices, rents and financial indicators throughout France: "We add context information to the data. Thanks to the modelling done by our artificial intelligence, we can know that a property will be sold for 100000 euros within 80 days, and 120,000 euros if the transaction is completed after 100 days. "We compare hundreds of thousands of pieces of data to each other," said William Violette, co-founder of the startup.

Market information, contact with brokers, virtual home staging, referrals to notaries or interior designers. . . In the eyes of network operators, differentiated services were still secondary a few years ago, and now they have become inevitable.

Continuing training

Digitization and automation of the most time-consuming processes also enable professionals to spend more time building trust relationships with customers: "We had a home contact point at some point 20 years ago and it was over," said Christine Fumagalli, president of ORPI, a real estate agency network. "From now on, residential roads become more segmented. Customers keep their property for 5 or 7 years and may use us more often. Thanks to the time saved by digital technology, we keep this connection and we can track a person's life, "she added. This time saving is also an opportunity for professionals to receive training. For any estate agent who wants to stay ahead, this is now essential: The Orpi boss added: "Negotiators must be trained every two weeks to avoid being overtaken."

These networks provide various solutions for their partners. Chezera trains professionals to use new technologies, but also trains them to speak on social networks. At ORPI, the 360 Learning platform enables professionals to access video tutorials on the various technical tools offered by the Web. "Our investment in training is eight to 10 times what is required by law. "Employees are trained to manage COPRO Visio AG, understand how electronic registered mail works, and adapt to ecological issues," noted Fr é d é ric Chaminade, managing director of Citya.

Because between France's self-set carbon emission reduction targets and the Climate and Resilience Act, the energy consumption of buildings is part of the knowledge that professionals must master. "By digitizing as many tasks as possible, our team has more time to go to the building, find subsidies and set work schedules. We have training modules for condominium managers and accountants to ensure that they fully grasp these different points. At Arche, training is part of our DNA and it is vital that everyone is trained, "he said.

Taboos are about to be broken?

However, some taboos still exist. For example, predictive real estate and the possibility raised by some American companies to "predict" the evolution of prices within a region do not seem to be of interest to French stone industry professionals. The same is true of negotiators on social networks. If, as Jimmy Moros explains, real estate agents in America are "micro-businesses within businesses, and customers are personally loyal to us," Frances seems to be a far cry from this trend. Brand takes precedence over specialty. The same is true of 100% immaterial transactions. In France, there are few deals done in this way, but among young people across the Atlantic, the phenomenon is becoming more democratic. "There is a big cultural difference between our two countries, which explains the reluctance of the French at this point. For young Americans, real estate is more like a consumer product, and the French think they can stay in their own house for 20 years, "said Xavier Lalande, CEO of Optimhome Network.

But the situation may not be static. In real estate professional training schools, the role of digital technology is strengthening: "Digitizing the industry is not an industry upgrade," warned Diane Gillouin, director of external relations at the College of Real Estate. "That's why the specialist courses we offer allow start-ups selected by the FNAIM National Training Council Office to come to the scene and discuss with our students what they are doing. Our young people can also attend video lectures on this topic and take turns working in these companies. "

The status of "technology" is so high that certain occupations are now favored by young people: "Four or five years ago, most students wanted to make deals. With the development of digital tools, more and more people turn to the goods management industry; Forty percent of our young people are in rental or condominium management, "said Christophe Voiret, a lecturer at the School of Real Estate Services Management. He said: "These novelties complicate the real estate industry. In addition to the legal aspects, we must now master the commercial aspects, digital technology, marketing and environmental issues. " Enough to make this industry richer than before.