It’s impossible to think that real estate agents can work independently of one another. That said; let’s establish first that a fundamental principal unique to organized real estate is that “if you help me sell my property, I’ll help you sell yours.” Fair enough. The method to cross-pollinate and share information occurs via a Multiple Listing Service (MLS).
Think about it: Without the collaboration of the existing MLS, brokers would have to create their own separate systems of cooperation, fragmenting rather than consolidating property information. Thus, an MLS is a private offer of cooperation and compensation by listing brokers to other real estate brokers. HipPocket is taking this basic concept and turning it upside down in a way to consolidate services and information in one easy-to-operate-app.
A brief MLS history
According to realtor.org, “in the late 1800s, real estate brokers regularly gathered at the offices of their local associations to share information about properties they were trying to sell.” Brokers agreed to compensate other brokers who helped sell those properties, and the first MLS was born.
Fast-forward to the here-and-now and there are more than 800 MLSs which allow brokers to share information on properties they have listed and invite other brokers to cooperate in their sale in exchange for compensation if they produce the buyer. That is not a bad thing but just think how much more efficient the MLS system could be if everybody played in the same sandbox.
Enter HipPocket
HipPocket describes itself as a Social (not Multi) Listings Service platform “that introduces a new social collaboration experience to the real estate community. HipPocket blends social networking features with a focused property listing network that enables communities of real estate agents to experience a level of connectedness that is not provided by their MLS.”
When HipPocket for Associations is delivered by a Realtor Association to its membership, HipPocket has the capability to allow members to interact in a social networking style with each other’s on-MLS and off-MLS listings. When a Realtor shares to HipPocket, they share their pre-MLS listings with the entire membership, thus meeting if not exceeding the fiduciary responsibility they have with their clients
Easy to operate
The HipPocket tutorial demonstrates how easy the app is to use. Sellers benefit by increased exposure to their property. Buyers benefit because they can obtain information about all MLS-listed properties while working with only one broker.
What’s really intriguing, points out HipPocket.com, is this is a FREE app that “allows a Realtor to post simple, yet professional listing pages into their favorite social networks, and send them by email and text to clients, prospects and other Realtors.” As an added bonus, any Realtor that posts to HipPocket exposes their pre-MLS listings to other Realtor members in their HipPocket community too.
Eventually as the number of members increases in their community, HipPocket becomes a powerful pre-MLS marketing tool, allowing Realtors to expose their listings to a larger number of Realtors.
Everybody benefits: From buyer to seller, at no cost and in a fraction of the time.
#HipPocket
