Immobilier

Real Estate: agencies in the digital age

Not only is there more competition, but also more speed and transparency for the client. Côte d'Azur agencies have been undergoing a technological revolution for the past 20 years that the health crisis has accelerated.

Few real estate services escape PropTech, the technology reinventing the profession, from marketing to transactions to connected objects. "Service, support and securing the client's journey through their rental, purchase or investment experience remain the cornerstones of our business. But nowadays the means are different, the digital revolution has changed the game," asserts Denise Alata, who founded Orpi Helios Immobilier more than 30 years ago in Nice. For the past 10 years or so, professionals have been opting for dynamic interactive displays, with animated property ads that you can access on your mobile phone with a QR code. Yes, the physical shop window has to compete with tough online competition. "Rather than going to several agencies in the first instance, the majority of future buyers and tenants now start their search on the web," explains Karine Izoard, a digital marketing specialist in real estate.

Mark an online presence beyond the portals

Thanks to data available free of charge, clients are kept abreast of the market in real-time. "They contact the agency to refine their project," continues Denise Alata. “Only a real estate agent’s knowledge provides them with an accurate assessment because a property value varies not only according to location but also decor, fittings and works required, not to mention current supply and demand". Whereas in the past agency websites boiled down to a simple presentation, the budget dedicated to online visibility has exploded: "We continue to be present on property portals such as SeLoger, but we rely on agency sites’natural referencing," adds Karine Izoard. In addition to these pages, property communication and dissemination goes through the press and social networks.

Data processing and 360-degree virtual reality

Virtual visits as part of the service allow for better needs assessment, even if this is generally only preliminary. "The digitised customer journey, whether by automatic document verification or sales agreements signed electronically, was already in place in some agencies before COVID-19, but the crisis has upped the pace," Karine Izoard continues.
The profession has also been marked by greater collaboration between agencies since the ‘00s, following the American trend. Thanks to the likes of MLS files that gather all the exclusive mandate data from 530 member agencies. "This makes the entire offer more visible and the choice more complete. It's quicker and allows more deals to be done," says Denise Alata with delight. And in the global PropTech movement, a new generation of 100 % digital agencies is being created alongside.

Par Eve Chatelet