Can the World Get a Good CRM for Real Estate... Please?

There are quite a few things that I find curious in Real Estate. Independent contractors, substandard training, and why buyers are liars and sellers are worse… just to name a few. One of the most curious and incomprehensible things to me is why there isn’t a super amazing CRM (that’s Customer Relationship Management) tool for real estate. So I ask you… collectively, “Can the World Get a Good CRM for Real Estate… Please?

We’re in the People Business for God’s Sake…

It seems everyone thinks that Realtors are in the home selling business. I think it’s rather obvious we’re in the people business. 99% of the time, you can’t sell a home without intimately dealing with people. So how do we keep track of them? Here’s a few typical Realtor responses:

I have an address book.
I keep everyone in Outlook.
I keep an Excel database.
I use Top Producer.
I use my MLS’s integrated tools.
Why would I keep up with them?

See what sorry shape we’re in? We can’t even keep up with the most valuable resource we possess… information. Now, after you’ve those responses above, how many people do you think do any of those things (save the last one)? The quick answer is not too many. I’ll tell you why:

Realtors are reactionary by nature… doing things that are important but not urgent (like keeping a database) get pushed down the list.
Realtors, as a group, are not tech savvy. I’ve met at least a dozen within my own MLS board that don’t even have an EMAIL ADDRESS! figuring out some fancy, feature rich, less-than-urgent database management software just ain’t happening. Yeah, I said ain’t. I have to remind you I’m from Arkansas occasionally.
The last one is a doosy. There isn’t a program out there that covers all the bases. Argue with me if you want. I know what I’m talking about. I’ve used A LOT of them. A truly comprehensive CRM does not exist for real estate.

Imagine with me…

Imagine, if you would, a web app so devilishly clever, so demonstrably useful, so diabolically mobile, Realtors signed up for the service in droves. This would have…

Smart capture technology fully integrated within your website and social media outlets whereby, if you get a lead from ANYWHERE, it automatically gets filed, categorized, and followed up with by the system.
Comprehensive usability on your desktop, laptop, and mobile phone… online or offline.
Reminders and task management send to agents through their preferred media. Want your CRM to text message you about your next appointment? Done. Want it to sync with Gmail or Outlook? Want an all-in-one system where you can go to one place and do all of your business, paperwork, prospecting, and marketing? Done.
Complete brokerage solutions by managing showings and feedback, accounting and payables, and keeping close tabs on your Realtors’ ability to convert leads into sales.
Cool tools. I want to be able to embed videos in my email marketing campaigns. I want my clients to be able to login to my system and see all of our upcoming appointments, favorite listings, and be able to use it, on their phone. I want a complete tracking system that tells me when my prospects read my email, what links they clicked on, and keep notes on when they responded. I want to know intimate details of my clients’ lives and be able to recall them with one touch on my phone.

In my humble opinion, this is what real estate needs. A Killer CRM for a relationship business. It would go a long way towards professionalizing our industry and kicking us up in the pecking order.

I know a lot of you are investors. Wouldn’t your Realtor be more valuable to you if they knew exactly what you needed all the time?

Realtors… how much more money could you make in how much less time with an application like this?

Photo: mandyxclear

Note By BiggerPockets: These are opinions written by the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions of BiggerPockets.