Startup to launch in 2012
Seattle startup, uOpen is currently a landing page with some breadcrumb hints about what the technology company does, simply saying “an amazing new mobile application developed to make open houses and showings more productive for real estate sales and leasing agents.” In their first media interview, Richard Braun, uOpen founder and CEO told AGBeat that the app is set to launch in March of 2012.
uOpen is packed with features, some of which Braun was unable to talk about (yet). The app is compatible with Android and Apple devices and while the goal is to make real estate open houses more productive, it appears to do so much more – it takes pictures, creates an open house that can be sent to the MLS, captures open house attendee information and even has a customer relationship management (CRM) component which streamlines the followup and notification process for real estate professionals.
One innovative feature the company shared with us is the social component wherein a real estate agent can submit their showing as a status update across their social networks, helping to raise their visibility, add credibility to their social stream, and give agents more to talk about online than lunch or traffic.
Braun hinted that the app will help improve “how agents work together” which he could not expand upon, but we suspect could mean a lead exchange or a social network for real estate professionals.
How uOpen came to be
After more than ten years in the online marketing and lead generation field, Braun and his team were inspired to fill in the existing holes in the relationship between consumers and agents, looking to “make that a more productive marriage.” Coming from a real estate family, Braun saw his father, a Midwest real estate developer, in need of better “in-person lead generation,” which led to the development of uOpen.
The team believes in the product so strongly they have self-seeded development and are seeking funding which, given their offering, should not be too difficult. The product is currently designed for real estate but could easily be adopted in the multi-family industry, auto sales, high end retail, and conventions. As uOpen gets closer to their launch, we will bring you more information, but with the few details they are willing to share with you, the app could make a serious impact in the real estate technology world.
The app will soon be in beta and if you would like to be first on the private beta list, email support@uopen.com with your contact information.
