12 tech predictions for 2010

NEW YORK – Dec. 18, 2009 – Joseph Ferrara of TheClozing.com, a real estate news aggregator site, predicts increased reliance on technology in the property industry in the coming year.

He expects more brokerages to go mobile or virtual to lower costs in a weak market; and he believes agents will take advantage of mobile video text-messaging to send virtual tours and slideshows to clients and Facebook’s “fan” feature to design pages for themselves, neighborhoods, and local events that target their fans in the hopes of generating new business.

Ferrara also believes a new cell phone from AT&T with an attachable projector will make it easy for agents to show slideshows, photos, and videos to clients in the field; and he expects a new iPhone or BlackBerry app for the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) Realtors Property Resource will give members a competitive advantage

Among other trends, Ferrara predicts video e-mail, Web sites that allow agents to bid on listings, and services that allow buyers to quickly obtain home details by pointing cell phone cameras at a bar code on the For Sale sign or magazine ad will gain popularity next year.

Source: Inman News