Like a specific area and thinking about buying a home there? Real estate franchisor HomeSmart has launched a home search tool that allows consumers to find listings close to them, even on the go.
HomeNearMe.com is a desktop and mobile site developed in-house that serves up multiple listing service (MLS) listings from 96 markets nationwide. Users see listings based on proximity, so they can see the properties closest to them without having to search or know addresses. Refreshing the browser repopulates the results with the nearest listings.
“The geotagging adds convenience to the consumer who can just open the app or site and the closest home will automatically appear. No searching necessary,” HomeSmart COO Wendy Forsythe told Inman via email.
Screen shot of HomeSmart’s HomeNearMe.com tool
When users are interested in a listing, they can follow a link to see home details, more photos and real estate agent contact information. They can also choose to have that link texted to them for later, the company said.
Scottsdale, Arizona-based HomeSmart has 168 offices in 28 states and more than 16,000 agents under its brand. When a HomeSmart agent is the listing agent for a property users are interested in, those users will be given the listing agent’s contact information.
When the listing agent is not a HomeSmart agent, users receive the property info they requested as well as contact information for the HomeSmart office closest to the listing. The office manager then distributes to lead according to internal business rules that vary from franchise to franchise, Forsythe told Inman.
HomeNearMe.com integrates with RealSmartAgent, HomeSmart’s business marketing, management and transaction management platform for its agents. When a lead comes in from HomeNearMe.com, agents are notified through RealSmartAgent.
HomeNearMe.com, which officially launched out of beta on Tuesday, is the first of many tech products the company expects to launch this year, according to its CEO Matt Widdows. HomeSmart’s next big launch will be a RealSmartAgent mobile app, though the company declined to share any details about the launch.
HomeNearMe.com cannot be downloaded as an app, but can be made into a “web app,” which means users can make an icon for the site accessible from their smartphone home screen.
Screen shot of HomeSmart’s HomeNearMe.com tool as a web app
HomeSmart’s tool is different from HomesNearMe.com, which takes users to a web page for Realty One Group’s mobile app. Asked why it chose a URL so similar to that of a competitor, a HomeSmart spokesperson said via email, “We chose the name because if you put yourself in the place of the consumer on the street looking for the home nearest them, they would simply type ‘homenearme.com.'”
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with a comment from HomeSmart about why it chose the HomeNearMe.com URL.
