Zillow

From seamlessly integrated apps, to better hardware, to integration with other devices, advances in mobile technologies have dramatically shifted consumer expectations over the last decade. People expect to push a button and make magic happen, whether it’s requesting a ride home, ordering dinner, or finding someone to walk their dog.

For businesses to succeed and grow in this environment, it’s a given that they must leverage technology to exceed consumer expectations and provide them with services they not only need but love and find delightful. When it comes to mobile applications, it means taking advantage of new hardware, software, and device integrations to create an experience that isn’t simply a search or single-function app. Companies must create a deeply-integrated tool that provides everything a consumer needs to complete their task.

This trend has taken strong hold across sectors and industries. For example, in the connected home industry, there are countless products that enable people to manage their home’s climate, lighting, security features, and entertainment systems, all from their phone. Soon all your appliances will be connected.

In residential real estate, there are huge opportunities to deploy mobile technologies to continue improving the experience of buying and selling a home – a life milestone that’s been largely untouched by the explosion of connected, intelligent devices and services that come at the push of a button.

Today, we’re just beginning to see some of these possibilities come to life. Using only a standard smartphone, we can capture detailed, 360-degreeimagery of a home that we seamlessly stitch together to create a 3D home tour. As phone cameras and lenses improve over the next several years, we’ll be able to enhance this rich media experience even further by adding measurements and depth to the tour. The benefit for consumers? Anyone who is short on time or house hunting remotely can turn their mobile device into a virtual portal to their next potential home, empowering them with a better understanding of the home without spending the time, energy, and resources to visit it.

 ​People can now complete applications, obtain credit checks, submit rental requests and pay rent, all through a single app. 

Mobile apps have also made unassisted home showings possible. Often described as an “on-demand” open house, these tours allow buyers to explore a property on their own schedule, with their phone serving as both key and audio guide.

Rental processes have been transformed as well. People can now complete applications, obtain credit checks, submit rental requests and pay rent, all through a single app. Looking ahead, we envision a future where buying and selling a home, including the complex, time-intensive mortgage process, is as streamlined as ordering takeout or booking a ride.

Creating a seamless, delightful and easy-to-use experience, from a consumer’s first home listing to signing the final paperwork, is our north star. That future is nearer than many imagine and as in most modern businesses, deeply integrated mobile applications are central to making it a reality.