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Hundreds of WA real estate professionals have joined the industry’s first dedicated social media platform since its Australian launch in March.
Agents from Caporn Young, Realmark, Abel McGrath, LJ Hooker, ACTON, Professionals, Century 21, RE/MAX, Harcourts, Peard, Raine & Horne and many more are using followit, which delivers live curated property information via a friendly, ‘instagram-like’ feed to any smart phone, device or laptop.
The group believes the fast uptake by WA agents can be attributed to followit being an industry-led portal. The platform has the backing of the majority of major real estate franchises and independent real estate agencies across Australia.
Followit is often compared to social media channels like Instagram and Facebook. However, rather than following friends or celebrities, users follow houses, streets or suburbs where they want to live. Upon any price update, new listing, live auction update or the issuing of a contract, this information is pushed out instantly to everyone who is following that criteria.
Realmark managing director John Percudani, one of Western Australia’s most influential real estate agents, said followit is an important step forward for the real estate industry as it is designed from the customer’s perspective.
“Real estate agents need to advance the way we communicate, otherwise we will become redundant,” he said.
“Much in the same way Apple is successful because it is intuitive of human behaviour, I believe followit will be successful as it provides a way for the consumer to interact in a manner that best suits them.
“It doesn’t force the agent’s relationship on to the buyer – with followit, that relationship starts organically because the client reaches out to the agent when they are ready and the information is customised to their needs. And with that, trust is built naturally.”
Mr Percudani believes the current advertising portals don’t operate that way.
“Those models operate on a traditional ‘push’-led functionality,” he said. “Followit, through its ‘follow’ application, allows consumers to passively discover opportunities or market insights that are curated to their requirements – it’s an attraction, or ‘pull’, functionality. And that’s a great thing for both the industry and the consumer and sets up a contemporary business relationship.”
Last month the company appointed Olivia Tague as its Sydney sales director, following the appointment in March of former LJ Hooker employee Lisa Hutchinson as industry head of sales and brand.
[Related: New 'game-changing' real estate portal to go national]
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