Real Estate CRM Software

What is Real Estate CRM Software?

The property-selling and -buying industry is made up of several complex business “relationships” between properties, projects, investors, realtors, owners, tenants and contractors. The complexity extends to property management as many companies manage multiple properties. These companies require a robust customer relationship management (CRM) system to manage these complexities, while maintaining the highest levels of customer service. Also, in addition to supporting their investments, companies need a system that can monitor investment performance in a highly competitive market.

Specific Functionality

RE professionals use CRM systems for many of the same uses as any other industry. But they do have other workflow differences that require a specific set of features not included in all systems. In addition to standard contact management tools, look for the following features in a CRM program designed for the industry:

Evaluating RE Industry Software Vendors

There are dozens—possibly hundreds—of CRM solutions for the RE professionals. Selecting the right one can be a daunting task, but as with any software, start by assessing your needs. An individual investor will want something different than a national brokerage. Commercial RE agents might have different needs than those who focus on residential properties.

So start by considering the main features you need/want, and look for programs that employ that functionality. Be sure to meet with team members first to assess what pain points could be adressed with a CRM system. This will also help with buy in down the line once the system is implemented. Remember, you might not need every functionality available. Smaller companies can usually use systems straight out of the box without any complex customizations. 

Specific questions to consider when you compare real estate CRM software:

• Are you an individual or a larger company? What are the specific needs you’re looking to fulfill from your CRM solution?
• Does the software easily integrate with existing legacy systems such as ERP, HR or accounting?
• Does your organization operate largely in the field, requiring capabilities for remote mobile access?
• Do you need to manage properties and/or tenants, or are you primarily looking for sales management.
• Do you have multiple operating systems? Cloud software can be accessed on both Mac and PC and might be worth looking into.
• Do you need mobile access? What devices would you like to use? What functionality do you need on the go?

Once you answer these questions, you should be able to easily narrow down your choice to a short list of providers. Remember that pricing varies according to the number of users and whether it's a web-based or on premise deployment.

Recent Events You Should Know About

For realtors, what they make depends entirely on how many accounts they can fit in their day. So it’s no wonder efficiency-focused real estate management software has become so popular. Initially, realtor software was designed primarily to manage contacts, prospects and leads. The real estate contact management software user could set workflow tasks, alerts and report on activities.

But times have changed and the systems now offer all kinds of new functionalities. As developers fleshed out the niche, new real estate agent software has gone mobile--or become highly functioning on smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices. These systems can also often send branded emails, text messages or letters for marketing campaigns. And real estate broker software users can link to social media channels to leverage campaigns across all of their contact channels. Below are recent updates from the top vendors in the realtor crm market.

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