The Internet and technology have changed the game for the South African residential real estate industry, says Andrew Golding, chief executive of the Pam Golding property group.
According to Golding, more local consumers begin their real estate journey on the Web and also access home information on their smartphones and tablets.
Golding says in line with global trends for real estate agents in SA, technology and mobile apps are innovations that are becoming popular tools to increase efficiency, competitiveness and give an added value service to clients.
"For estate agents, the use of tablets for presentations to clients is now commonplace, giving real-time listing information and enabling quick and easy storage of notes, templates and presentation discussions. Some companies now have proprietary software that facilitates e-mail reports to sellers and follow-ups with buyers, regardless of the device they might be using," he explains.
While Google Glass has not taken off, Golding mentions a Glass app that was launched by real estate company Trulia in New York - it allows users to see alerts about nearby for-sale apartments while walking around a New York neighbourhood. Users can also browse photographs of homes, save a listing and contact an agent through the app, says Golding.
"Whether or not this particular innovation takes hold in SA remains to be seen, but what seems certain is that the pace of technological advances is set to accelerate exponentially in the coming years, and that residential real estate - being the multitrillion-dollar industry it is - is likely to benefit," he says.
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