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Townify is a browser application for managing properties, lead pipelines and marketing efforts.
Platforms: Browser, mobile-optimized
Ideal for: Individual new or mid-level agents and smaller brokerages.
Top selling points:
- Easy integration of mortgage partners
- Agent Intelligence feature
- Open house marketing
- Practical UX, not “overdone”
- Connected home search app
Top concerns:
Mobile responsiveness may be an issue for some agents given the new state of remote work, where a full-fledged app would likely be preferred. Some of its marketing capabilities may feel rudimentary to agents expecting more sophisticated marketing automations, video email, etc.
What you should know
I like to see software tools like Townify. For starters, it’s not calling itself a CRM and packing a bunch of other stuff on top of that.
Townify assembles a simple set of features and wraps it up in a palatable user experience that won’t weigh itself down by trying be all things to all people. It won’t take months to learn either.
There are trade-offs. There’s no companion app for agents. It’s consumer search app, Townify Home, is going to require agents to outsell Zillow, Homesnap and others, for attention on the clients’ phone screens. Also, its pocket listing/off-market feature might not be particularly loved by an organization called the National Association of Realtors (NAR).
Of those concerns, I worry most about the consumer app, because the client’s activity while using it is linked to an activity tracker for the agent to help them monitor saved searches, property shares and other pertinent search data.
All that aside, Townify keeps listings, leads and ways to manage both front and center. Its look and feel is modern but utilitarian, sporting columned content windows for tasks, prospects, listings and loans. Reactive slide-out menus are used to smartly leverage screen space.
Names, numbers and last-contacted dates are prioritized under “Prospects,” while active listings are detailed by address and recent updates. It’s super clean and immediately actionable.
The loan column refers to current transactions. But, because Townify invites and closely links partner loan officers throughout the software, the term “loan” is used as a blanket description for active deals. I’m iffy on that.
Townify is entrenched with New American Lending, so expect the occasional pitch on the advantages of working with them, shared lead generation being one aspect of the relationship.
What I think agents will appreciate about Townify’s handling of deals is that it’s not offering a full-fledged transaction management workflow.
You get dates, documents and the ongoing communication tools about escrow. Because the loan officer is part of the solution, they can share directly in that effort, which in some ways eliminates the need for the agent to serve as the end-all, be-all for deal updates.
Listings in the system are limited to the user’s published MLS properties, not the entire brokerage’s.
Townify is more about day-to-day productivity with “now” projects. It’s not quite as sales-support or lead-gen focused. It doesn’t need to offer users in-office referral tools or “similar listing” recommendations.
Marketing capabilities in Townify include print and virtual (social media-inspired) flyer creation, as well as single property websites for those listings within the MLS. Custom input listings don’t get the webpage treatment.
Open houses can be scheduled and marketed, and Townify offers a comprehensive sign-in workflow that will save registrants as prospects. Those visiting the property, naturally, can be assigned to the user’s loan officer, should they be open to it.
The consumer search app, Townify Home, is private, meaning it won’t be found on any stores.
Agents send a code to customers for download, and they can then use the associated administrative backend to see saved searches, favorites and listings they’ve shared, and keep track of messaging.
The app’s search is MLS-wide but maintains the associated agent as the primary contact for every property.
Other interesting finds within Townify include text messaging templates, flyers for LinkedIn and Agent Intelligence, which is a neat way to track what your competition is doing based on MLS performance. Obviously, this is an ideal recruiting tool.
Again, this is a sleek but toned-down real estate operating system. It may not make the list for growing teams, but agents can move about it unencumbered by advanced features they may not need. The company is offering it for free until further notice. So there’s that, too.
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.
