This blog post relates to Rockend, one of our previous brands. For more information please read the press release.

While it can’t magically give you more time, the right technology can help you do more and provide your customers with a valuable and personalised experience. This is true for any industry, but more so to service-oriented industries like real estate.

With the rise of Property Technology or Proptech, the real estate industry is rife with innovations and tools that promises the moon and stars to many businesses, but there’s no point in simply using technology for technology’s sake. The value of implementing the right technology lies in its ability to save everyone time, over and over again. And by saving time, you can confidently give your customers outstanding services – earning your business stripes that grows your business.

Here are three ways the right real estate tools can help you get more out of each day and earn kudos from your customers.

Continue reading “3 ways technology helps agents create great customer experiences” →

This blog post relates to Rockend, one of our previous brands. For more information please read the press release.

It’s human nature for us to look ahead at the start of the New Year. But as you plan your business journey for 2020, don’t forget to look back and learn from the past. Here are some simple steps you can take to map out your success for the coming year.

Continue reading “5 Steps to drive your business forward in 2020” →

This blog post relates to Rockend, one of our previous brands. For more information please read the press release.

Do you remember 2018? It feels like a long time ago – at least for us. And a lot has happened since then! Property prices have surged. The Gold Coast held the commonwealth games (remember that?). And our supermarkets removed plastics bags, put them back… and then removed them again. But most importantly, it’s been a big couple of years here at Rockend with over 35(!) new Strata Master features released.  

Continue reading “35 new Strata Master features you should be using” →

This blog post relates to Rockend, one of our previous brands. For more information please read the press release.

For years, marketing in real estate mostly involved self-promotion, boasting past performance and negotiating skills. But all that’s changing in today’s hyper-connected world. With the vast amount of information available online, people have become more discerning when it comes to choosing the products and services they use and the brand they associate themselves with. In a research from Salesforce and Publicis.Sapient, it was discovered that about 87% of buying decisions begin with searches in digital channels.

In a click of the search button, they can find all they need to know about your business – and about your competitors as well. More than appearing in the search results page, the important question you should be asking is: are you offering them enough value to choose your agency over others?

Continue reading “Benefits of content marketing for real estate agencies” →

This blog post relates to Rockend, one of our previous brands. For more information please read the press release.

What does it mean to be a leader in the real estate industry? Does it mean that you are the smartest person in the room?  The one among the team with the most grey hairs? While those two could be true, being a successful leader in the 21^st century no longer just apply among those who should know it all nor to those who are perpetually stressed or have been in the industry longer than anyone else.

Things have certainly changed, and today’s digital revolution calls for a new breed of leaders. Indeed, a strong leadership can be the difference between a thriving and successful real estate business, and one that suffers under the pressures of disruptive change.

Continue reading “8 characteristics of today’s real estate leaders” →

Real estate technology in 2020 will present an opportunity for both residential and commercial firms to differentiate themselves through relationships. In the coming year, we predict that technology will be a catalyst that enables firms to drive tenant satisfaction, keep occupancy rates high, and build stronger relationships with everyone from residents to investors. We’ll see continued technology adoption in the industry as more firms gain real value from their software.

1. The most anticipated downturn still won’t happen… or will it?

Spoiler alert – no one has a crystal ball that will predict when “the most anticipated downturn in history” will happen. The only thing we’re certain about is that speculation will continue regarding the timing of the downturn. But, based on a very unscientific survey that we conducted at the MRI Ascend Users Conference in Anaheim, a room full of industry leaders thinks that the downturn will take place in the second half of 2020 or early 2021.

Pro tip: Regardless of when the real estate cycle ends, firms that leverage technology to mitigate risk and drive efficiency will be better positioned to weather the storm.

2. AI gets (more) real

Building on the momentum of prior years, 2020 will bring more pragmatic applications of artificial intelligence (AI) to the real estate industry. All new technology goes through an initial hype cycle, and AI is no longer a shiny new object but has moved closer to actual implementation. As tech adoption gains strength, and more firms embrace the use of data and analytics, AI can optimize traditionally manual processes such as lease abstraction and also impact the business in more strategic ways – enabling faster decision making, increased visibility and transparency, and improved tenant satisfaction across the portfolio.

Pro tip: Exploring the use of AI to automate manual processes, make data more easily accessible, and empower your staff will help firms evaluate opportunities more quickly and grow the value of the portfolio faster. There will also be AI opportunities in customer-facing arenas where natural language processing is become more of the norm.

3. Big data becomes smart data

Deloitte’s 2020 Commercial Real Estate Outlook says “real estate is no longer about ‘location, location, location;’ it has evolved into a new mantra: ‘location, experience, analytics’.” Real estate firms have long been enamored with the idea of gaining insights from data, but the groundwork required to actually achieve ROI from it has historically been difficult to put in place. In the coming year, the real estate industry will be better equipped to leverage data with the help of proptech solutions that enable integration and standardization. In the past, firms have looked to data for short-term insights, but over the coming year, technology will provide ways for firms to analyze data as part of a longer-term strategy.

Pro tip: Data science and analytics will be a prominent feature in the future of the industry, and real estate professionals should educate themselves on basic data science as it will become an integral part of daily jobs at all levels in the organization.

4. New consumer privacy regulations will surprise many

Real estate firms, particularly multifamily owners and operators, will need to put processes in place to comply with new consumer privacy regulations. The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) goes into effect in 2020, and it will have an impact far beyond just California. The recent General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) enacted in Europe has had a global impact. Other than NMHC, there are few industry voices talking about GDPR or CCPA yet. The requirements of these new regulations and the fines for non-compliance will catch many off guard.

Pro tip: Multifamily owners and operators need to have a detailed understanding of how their organization manages data, so they will be better prepared to comply with potential changes to consumer privacy practices.

5. Proptech is more than a buzzword

The term “Proptech” is no longer just a hashtag – it’s an industry, and it refers to more than just the tech startups that are disrupting real estate. As we predicted last year, VCs are no longer throwing money at ideas — the companies that provide real value to clients have emerged as successful. But with a broader array of technology tools to choose from, real estate owner/operators will be challenged to sift through the noise and effectively evaluate the available options.

Pro tip: Real estate firms with tech-savvy leaders who can distinguish between disruption and innovation will be better equipped to evaluate the technology providers vying for their business.

6. Digital amenities for renters are table stakes

Multifamily property managers know that today’s renters expect digital services and amenities, from the time they start searching for a new apartment, to signing the lease, and moving out. Most renters are Millennials and Generation Z, and virtual tours, electronic lease signing, online rent payments and package management are table stakes now.

Pro tip: Multifamily properties that embrace the shift to a more resident-centric approach will be able to attract and retain residents more efficiently by providing digital services.

7. Increased focus on the customer experience

Most multifamily operators have already shifted from a lease-centric approach to a more wholistic resident-centric mindset to increase occupancy and resident satisfaction in their community. But commercial firms will soon experience a similar trend. The landlord/tenant relationship will become a vendor/customer relationship, making metrics around tenant satisfaction, appreciation, and turnover more important than ever, especially as commercial leasing continues to become more fluid.

Pro tip: At the property level, landlords will need to proactively invest in their properties and monitor them more closely to keep tenants happy.

8. Affordable Housing will still be a conundrum

As interest rates continue to go down, money will be cheap. This allows developers to get financing more easily, but they will likely continue to focus on high-dollar development opportunities instead of low income and affordable housing. For affordable property managers, efficiency and automation will be key to achieving results with limited resources.

Pro tip: Purpose-built software can help affordable property managers automate compliance, manage multiple funding types, and streamline operations so they can better serve the community.

We may not have a crystal ball, but as a pioneer of the real estate software industry with nearly 50 years of experience, we’ve seen many changes over the decades. 2020 will certainly bring some challenges and opportunities, but real estate firms that leverage technology to manage their relationships and their assets will come out ahead.

This blog post relates to Rockend, one of our previous brands. For more information please read the press release.

More and more businesses are moving towards a paperless workplace nowadays. Aside from minimising expenses, going paperless saves time, improves efficiency, is good for the environment and helps your business deliver great customer service.

But for real estate offices that rely heavily on documentation in their everyday operations, cutting out paper can be quite challenging. If you work in a real estate agency and are currently buried in mountains of paper, don’t lose hope. By taking advantage of available online tools and software, a paperless office is possible!

Here is our advice for agents, property managers and other real estate professionals who want to eliminate paper in the office.

Continue reading “Tips to creating a paperless property management office” →

This blog post relates to Rockend, one of our previous brands. For more information please read the press release.

With 40 years of experience under its belt, there’s no doubt that Rockend is one of Australia’s most trusted real estate software provider. But getting to where it is now was not without challenges, as what founder Tony and son Alister Maple-Brown have experienced.

As we celebrate Rockend’s Ruby anniversary, we take a look on the years of innovation as told by the father and son duo, sharing their Rockend journey and talking about spotting a niche that transformed the real estate industry.

Continue reading “40 years of real estate software innovation with Rockend” →