I was at Inman Connect last week and one of the most talked about presentations was the FourSquare presentation. In case you haven’t stumbled upon FourSquare here is how they define themselves
“foursquare is a cross between a friend-finder, a social city-guide and a game
that rewards you for doing interesting things. We aim to build things to not only help you keep up with the places your friends go, but that encourage you to discover new places and challenge you to explore your neighborhood in new ways.”
I have noticed more and more foursquare activity on my facebook feed, and there has certainly been quite a bit of controversy. Janie Coffee wrote a great post that inspired quite a bit of commentary.
It is clear that foursquare can provide some relevant feedback if you are a location owner and want to follow who is or has been checking in and who is frequently your organization. Mashable.com contributed a compelling post about why foursquare is more than just the lastest fad.
But what about real estate? Here are just a few thoughts on some uses for foursquare.
- Listing agents can add their listings to foursquare as a tracking and feedback mechanism. Imagine that every showing was accompanied by the showing agent “checking in” and using the tip as feedback. Listing agents and homeowners alike can check and see who is showing the property and how often they are coming back.
- Take that same thought and imagine the prospecting tool you have if you are interested in pursuing expired listings.
- Use foursquare to track attendance at office tours, caravans or meetings.
- A fun contest idea to get a specialty tour of featured homes.
- Build neighborhood or condo check in and compete for “mayorship”. I can see where being Mayor of a particular neighborhood could be of real value on a listing presentation.
I am sure there are many more ways that foursquare can work for real estate. There is a developer API out there and that section alone can open up all kinds of real estate uses.
There are iPhone and BlackBerry applications ready for you to download. Go ahead and sign up, enter your listings, put it in your comments. Let’s see what happens. Looks like foursquare might just be another social media application that has found a home in real estate.
Hi Beth,
Thanks for the kind words. I definitely think that creative Realtors can find ways to incorporate Foursquare into their business plan that is fun, engaging and professional. I am really looking forward to the coming months as its usage expands. Here in Miami, it’s quite rapid! More interesting stuff to come for sure!
I think Foursquare is an interesting game that could become very intersting to watch when it plays out.
Do I see a real estate benefit? Not really. Are you an area expert? There are a lot of ways to show that. If I told 95% of my listing appointment that I was mayor of Foursquare they’d grab a map and try to find it. I think it is GREAT that agents are working to be known in a community and seen as area experts.
I just think there are a lot more productive ways to show it than a “check-in.”
I also challenge the value to a local business. The majority of check-ins I find are merely that check-ins. No comment. “I’m at Beehive Books 25 N. Sandusky St.” How does that help the business owner? IF you leave feedback and tips then it does provide value. But if I only get it from 5 out of 100, that’s not really a great response.
Hey Toby – I certainly see what you are saying. However, if you can make giving showing feedback fun, it is truly worthwhile information for a seller. Broker’s Open and Caravans are useful, but the forum is a bit stale – use foursquare add a little sizzle. Good agents will always find good ways of distinguishing themselves. I see Foursquare as a way to make some of the perfunctory steps of the real estate agent’s job just a little more fun.
It seems like none of you are REALLY using foursquare a lot. Mapping is going to blow up and real estate can ABSOLUTELY benefit.
Two ways I see right off are that if I am checking in to my local Publix, your house for sale a block away will also pop up and I could tell my Aunt Bobo who’s looking for something in that neighborhood. EVERYONE who checks in somewhere sees not just the place they’re checking into but other places nearby. Plus, they don’t have to send a text message in front of your listing to get the info if they are searching on foursquare. They could just be in a neighborhood they like and wonder what’s for sale right around here by being on “Places”. Beyond the game element and being the Mayor (most businesses haven’t caught on to doing something for the Mayor yet anyway) foursquare also uses tips and friends. Carlos Olivares has used foursquare tips to give himself all kinds of exposure at various places http://foursquare.com/downtowncarlos So when you’re checking in anywhere near Dadeland, chances are you will see a Tip from Carlos when you switches from “Places” to “Tips”. Think of the volume! I am eating at Chili’s and wonder what people are recommending so I browse tips and @Toscano comes up . . . So smart of him to advertise condos under that twitter name, which brings me to another use with twitter.
The other use I see besides exposure, is to having a twitter name for neighborhood @Toscano @Morningside @YourCondoName and then tweet your listings so your followers get free 140-character ads from you a few times a day (which are easy for them to forward) PLUS put it on foursquare so everywhere in the neighborhood on foursquare sees it.
It’s not until you start using it heavily and you realize the full benefits and greater potential. For example, I have only an Exxon gas card but I don’t know where the nearest Exxon is. I can find it with foursquare. By showing me the distance away in meters.
It includes GPS (just by tapping the screen on an iphone) it will show you where you are in relation to the Place you’re headed. Put in a “To-Do List” item and send it to your “Friends”. With Friends, you also have national and international exposure. I have been using it almost a year and I feel I have just began to see the potential.
foursquare works best in cities but another use: replace The History Channel with your Brokerage Name and start adding Friends!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxQkgp6YlHw
Helen!!!!! So nice to hear from you. You make some awesome suggestions for foursquare users. Thanks for continuing the discussion. I think foursquare has a ton of potential but will take some time before there is widespread adoption in real estate, especially in Miami. Those, like Carlos, who adopt early will reap the rewards.
The thing that scares me about foursquare is the checking in part. I mean doesn’t that tell someone that you are not home, go rob my house?
Corey
I wonder how long until Google buys FourSquare?
Depends on the real estate market. Urban areas with more folks so different than rural ones for application with real estate.