Finding your perfect home isn’t an easy task. It usually takes countless hours of research, time viewing homes, looking up listing agents, etc. Homesnap is an app that simplifies the process by providing accurate, real-time data on over 90 million homes in over 100 markets, representing about 750,000 agents nationwide.
“We’re getting close to a national footprint at this point and provide all kinds of timesavers for both consumers and agents,” stated Gayle Weiswasser, vice president of marketing and communications for Homesnap.
It All Started with a Snap
When asked about the history of Homesnap, Weiswasser said that it was all about the name. “The initial attention getting feature was snapping a home, and that taking a photo is a snap.” It’s said that a picture is worth a thousand words, and when it comes to buying and selling houses, it’s all about that first photo.
“Homesnap was created and launched in 2010 as a consumer app, and the hallmark is that you can go to any home in the US and snap a photo of it and get the information about the house. It was conceived as a mobile app for people who are curious and very interested in finding a new home, and it was immediately available across the country because we used GPS data and linked it up with public records data so we could provide information on every home in the US,” stated Weiswasser.
Helpful for Agents with New Waze Ads Offering
After the launch, the company found that it was also a useful tool for real estate agents, so in 2014, they launched a pro version called Homesnap Pro. While the app is free for both consumers and agents to use, there are certain fields that don’t appear to the consumer that the agent sees.
“One of the things we offer to agents is a suite of marketing services,” explained Weiswasser. “These are not free, but they offer agents the opportunity to post marketing ads on social media platforms.”
A new service that the company is proud of are their geo-targeted ads through their new partnership with Waze. These ads serve as new marketing tools to reach homebuyers through location-based advertising.
“The agent can run ads within Waze for their listings so when drivers are approaching their listing while they’re using Waze, their listing will pop up in the app and they’ll see a photo of the home, and then if the driver wants to learn more about it, they can click through and get connected to the listing agent,” described Weiswasser.
Waze Ads by Homesnap essentially bring the home listing to life and become a digital For Sale sign. “We are the first real estate platform to use Waze for that purpose,” said Weiswasser.
Why Homesnap?
Home buying (and selling) can be very time consuming, but Homesnap helps lessen the trials by offering a variety of options and timesavers. Weiswasser explained that with the Homesnap app:
- All communications are in one place
- You have access to better data versus searching for homes on other sites
- There is a built in messaging feature where you can share information with family, friends, etc.
- It always shows the listing agent who knows the most about the house
- You can take the platform wherever you go and it will always be updated on any device you’re using
Homesnap also gives you more choices as to whether you want to enlist the help of a realtor. You can save money on commission if you choose to buy or sell your home yourself. “We don’t believe that Homesnap or any app can ever really replace the experience and perspective that an agent brings to the transaction, but we are just here to make that relationship more seamless and more efficient,” Weiswasser said.
In conclusion, Weiswasser said the app is something worth checking out for anyone looking to buy or sell their home. “The app is free, and you get a wealth of information at your fingertips. And with the access you get to data and the ability to communicate with an agent I think it can save a ton of time and money,” noted Weiswasser.