Also in the real estate sector, Covid has produced a significant acceleration of the digital transformation. From a study conducted on 400 real estate agents, about half are convinced that without a digital approach 30% of agencies could close by 2022. Even if the Italian PropTech is still an immature market – with only 152 startups in the sector on 3800 present in Europe – is rapidly expanding.
It is an example of this RockAgent, a hybrid real estate agency that provides its agents with a platform based on VR, Big Data and algorithms to improve the matching between supply and demand. In this way, the average sales times are significantly reduced: 45 days compared to about 6 months for classic agencies. The turnover growth recorded in 2020 is 326%. Also, they are open 144 positions for agents and team leaders, while about twenty new territorial offices are being launched.
Hybrid agency
RockAgent is a hybrid agency, which mixes the human aspect with technological efficiency. Through a latest generation platform and a mobile application, it allows its agents to optimize their work and negotiation times. Most of the services related to the sale are transferred online, giving greater importance to the experience and added value of real estate agents in the area.
Thanks to virtual reality and big data, the time and costs of the sale are reduced. An example? Instead of the classic percentage provision (which is around 3% + VAT) you will only have to pay a fixed rate of less than one thousand euros. In addition, property owners have access to a personal platform to check in real time the progress of negotiations, the appointments set by the agent, the visibility obtained from online advertisements, statistics and many other information.