A well-maintained real estate database of your buyers’ needs within Rex is an extremely valuable asset for both listings and selling properties. That’s why we have ‘Buyer Match Profiles’ to make the whole process as simple as possible – (plus, they allow for a little bit of automation magic). If you’re not making the most out of them, start today.
Buyer match profiles
The first thing you should habitually do for every buyer is create a new contact record and match profile. Creating a match profile takes as long as it takes your buyer to tell you what they’re looking for - all you need to do is fill in the provided fields with their preferences. These are things like:
- Property type
- Price range
- Bedrooms
- Bathrooms
- Garages
- Suburb
And then, if necessary, more advanced minutiae like:
- Do they need a deck?
- How many toilets?
- Air conditioning?
- Alarm system?
The list goes on. Once you’ve recorded these details – you’re finished. The match profile is complete. It really is that simple. Now the cool stuff can begin...
Matching listings
Rex filters through your current listings to find any that fit the bill. You can show them off to your prospective buyer with a click of the ‘Match’ button. ‘Match’ opens up an overlay we’ve designed precisely for this scenario. This screen doesn’t show any confidential pricing details or correspondence with the vendor – making it a far better alternative to your listings pages in Rex. It’s just photos and descriptions, framed in beautiful card-view – perfect for displaying on an iPad, computer or even a TV if you want that added ‘oomph’. ( You also have the option to change the card-view to ‘map-view’ to show your listings based on locations instead).
Any properties that the buyer shows interest in can be ‘flagged’. Rex can generate a tailored HTML email brochure of all the flagged properties to send (or you can print out a stock list for your buyer to take home with them) at the click of a button. But if none of your current listings tickle their fancy they might want to wait and see what else comes to market down the track. With ‘match campaigns’ you can keep them informed of any new matching properties you list in future with no effort on your part.
Campaigns
A match campaign allows Rex to notify the buyer whenever you add a listing that matches their requirements – completely automating the process.
You can choose to start an email or SMS campaign, and decide how often and when they’ll receive notifications. Hot buyers would probably prefer an immediate text notification, where as a passive buyer might only want a monthly email digest. You choose the type, frequency and set some time limits (so as not to disturb anyone in the middle of the night) and hey presto – your potential buyer has a tailored service keeping them up to date with listings they’d like.
Multiple profiles
Because a highly specific match profile might produce only a small number of matching listings, it might be wise to also set up a secondary profile with broader preferences – especially for hot buyers. While the first, narrow profile’s campaign is immediately notifying them of any perfect fits, they could also be receiving slightly-less perfect matches in a weekly or monthly email digest.
A buyer looking for multiple properties will also require multiple profiles. A business owner whose company is taking off might be after both a new house and a new commercial lease, for example.Whatever the case may be – multiple properties, multiple campaigns, whatever - having a second, third or fourth match profile in the same contact record is just as easy to set up as the first.
Reverse buyer match
Your database of match profiles isn’t just useful for finding houses for buyers, though. It’s also incredibly useful for finding buyers for houses – ergo, showing off your connections and letting vendors know you’re the only agent for them.The ‘Reverse buyer match’ is a fantastic stepping-stone to cross the usually uncertain river between appraising and securing a new listing. After entering all the details into a new property record in Rex, running a reverse buyer match will bring up a list of buyers you know are looking for something just like it.
This is, obviously, an incredibly useful tool to have when convincing a vendor to list with you. Imagine whipping out the ol’ iPad right there at the appraisal and showing them a list of potential buyers already interested in buying a house just like theirs, before their property has gone on the market?
The reverse buyer match puts you a head and shoulders above your competition.
For the time you invest in filling out a match profile (read: none at all) the benefits are enormous. Fill one out for every new buyer you meet – it’s definitely worth it.
