Portions of this article republished from Inman with permission from its author Patrick Kearns (Follow Inman and Patrick on Twitter).
The future is now: A real estate company is getting smart – and leveraging smartphone technology to disrupt the housing market.
As Inman first reported, Compass has unveiled a revolutionarily new – and customizable – real estate sign that agents can control from their smartphone.
And according to Compass’ chief creative officer, since signs are really one of the core elements of an agent brand, [the sign] helps elevate agents’ brand at an individual level.
Because let’s face it: Real estate yard signs have enjoyed little innovation over the years. Sure, printing has improved, the pictures are a higher resolution, and the typeface looks cleaner. But for the most part, the tried-and-true format remains: a rectangle and a stake in the ground.
This important icon of the industry has remained mostly static.
But Compass’ chief operating officer explained that the company’s new sign is an important part of Compass’ full technological ecosystem.
“When we start thinking about the sign we start thinking about how our business is anchored in both the digital world because of the technology we’re building and in the physical world because our agents are in the physical world,” Gavet said. “We started thinking about how to link the two and the sign became a pretty obvious place to continue that discussion.”
How It Works
At first glance, Compass’ new sign looks demonstrably different, which is a statement in itself. It’s a powder-coated metal circle with a customizable inner light-tube encasing an informational board with the listing agent’s name, phone number, email address and title.
But its capability goes far beyond the advertising basics.
When prospective buyers or interested parties with the Compass app draw within 20 feet of the sign, they will receive a notification on their smartphone thanks to beacon technology. From there, the potential client will be taken to the listing page in the Compass app.
For those without the app, they’ll be able to walk up and scan the QR code which will prompt them to the app page and the listing.
When users swipe right and open their camera, they can just put it up to the sign and view that QR code then you’ll get taken directly to that listing through the app.
Agents can sync their phone to the sign through their agent app to customize the aesthetic, from the light tube’s animation – differing lengths, how many times the light goes around and when it triggers, etc. And over time, agents will be able to start tracking all of the interactions it generates.
The signs come with a rechargeable battery which should last approximately 25 days at 200 animations per day.
When The Signs Will Be Available
While the first 500 signs will be available for presale this month and start shipping this fall, agents will have to purchase the signs through Compass. The cost for the sign and an advertising campaign through a partnership with mobile navigation app Waze will be under $1,000.
The partnership through Waze will allow the signs to appear as pinpoints on the map, so a car passenger that’s navigating could click on the pinpoints to see the listings.
As of now, the visual will be limited in some cities due to light pollution restrictions. Further, Compass will also be offering support and insurance to help real estate professional protect the investment if vandals, thieves or an enterprising scrapper gets their hands on the sign.
Now, we’re not suggesting that we’ll jump on this bandwagon of the digital future just yet, but you never know. We’re always looking for ways to stay ahead of the competition to make your homebuying or selling experience second-to-none.
Because at DeLeon Sheffield Company, ‘We’re More Than Realty; We’re Family.’
IMAGE: https://webassets.inman.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Compass_sign2_inman.jpg
IMAGE: https://webassets.inman.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Compass_sign_yard_promo-1984×880.jpg
