Buyers Receive Most Current Real Estate Information Via Text Messages

By Erika Schnitzer, Associate EditorNew York–Home Quest, a New York-based brokerage boutique, has created a new technology that allows home buyers to receive the latest real estate market information through text messages sent directly to their cell phones.”Most of our customers are very busy and sometimes it is unrealistic to expect a customer to commit to a certain time and place when they can sit down at their computers, open attachments and compare properties,” Max Ribitzky, Home Quest managing director and vice president of marketing, tells MHN. “The best properties on the market move very quickly and it becomes imperative to get the information to the customer in the most time-efficient manner.”The service, which was released in late March and is free of charge to Home Quest customers, allows buyers to view real estate listings in real time as they come onto the market. Once a buyer has contacted a broker with his search parameters, the agent inputs the information into the system, immediately allowing buyers to receive up-to-the-minute listings–usually two a day.The service is fully customizable and individualized. “If someone wants to receive a picture, then the system will generate images and send that. Some customers just want location, price and square footage,” explains Ribitzky. Additionally, the customer can reply to the message directly and request more in-depth information.The system is currently available only to buyers, but Home Quest expects to begin using it for leasing luxury properties later in the year, Ribitzky says.