Propertybase is a sophisticated system, offering marketing, customer relationship management, back-office ops (not accounting), websites, lead gen and a host of third-party integrations. The system recently updated some of its functionality, and in doing so, it added “Go” to its name to communicate mobility and action.
Its website services are one standout among the Go-inspired changes.
The company can build down-and-dirty templated stuff, but also something as elegant and engaging as Red Oak Realty’s site.
While brokerages have to drive the intent of their website, it still requires a savvy design team to translate needs and wants into a tangible product and to manage the expectations of their clients.
On the back-end, site copy and content can be intricately managed, as can individual agent websites. And it’s the activity on these websites that determine Propertybase’s lead scoring system, which smartly differentiates between users who merely look at listings and those who save them.
The software also puts a four-week limit on leads’ interaction with the site. If they haven’t been around in a month, they lose points. Thus, only recently active leads surface into the CRM, and the “Contact” module defaults its view to highest lead score.
“Market Insights” are worthwhile, too. This feature translates an MLS’s bland, clinical market reports into something actually readable and actionable. And with it being proactively ever-present within the system, it can do a better job of helping agents stay on top of the business’s ups and downs.
Listing agents prepping for a presentation can reverse-prospect their databases, or the entire office’s contact list, for potential buyers who at any point had a saved search similar to the subject property. It’s always useful to go into a listing presentation with proof that people will be interested in their property.
Propertybase can also produce a “Seller Report” for existing listings that breaks down every instance of online interest, including what came from portals and third-party sites. The seller can be subscribed to regularly receive the report, too.
Another item that stood out among recent updates was the ability to override the MLS copy on listings being pulled into a website. Agents can do the same with pictures, too. In other words, your association has word counts and restrictions, your website doesn’t.
Enterprise-type solutions such as this are by their nature accessed en mass every day. So why not help customers use that to their advantage? Propertybase does this by including an internal content and news feed above the fold on its dashboard. It’s a simple but smart feature; it creates a sense of inclusion and promotes engagement with the software.
And, as more agents end up working in remote settings, keeping the office connected is crucial.
The “Quick Actions” slide-out menu is a nice bit of user experience design — among other nips and tucks to the user experience — to help users navigate the myriad tools available to them, such as team or individual listings, integrations or transactions.
Listings can be searched for, shared and even financially “boosted” from within Propertybase, which also presents to users much like a consumer app would, with large, scrollable “brochure-like” pages. Typically, a listing management user interface would favor a spreadsheet look and feel. In this way, the agents become the consumers, more engaged in what they’re seeing and interacting with.
More upgrades are in the pipeline, especially for the currently dated “Transaction Management” component.
Propertybase is working on a two-way consumer interface that will give clients a look into deal status, as well as a much-needed user experience overhaul.
Again, this is a heavy everyday real estate operating system. There’s a lot to know and plenty to learn, which is true of all solutions at this level.
I can’t help but feel Boston Logic is still looking for a couple of corner pieces to the bigger puzzle it started to assemble in 2018.
If you’re a not already a Propertybase user, are these touch-ups enough to get you to switch?
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Have a technology product you would like to discuss? Email Craig Rowe
Craig C. Rowe started in commercial real estate at the dawn of the dot-com boom, helping an array of commercial real estate companies fortify their online presence and analyze internal software decisions. He now helps agents with technology decisions and marketing through reviewing software and tech for Inman.
