Integrated with its scheduling platform and currently available to 32,000+ agents in select MLSs with nationwide availability in June, ShowingTime LIVE Video equips agents and their clients to take part in live video showings without needing to download additional apps, providing an authentic showing experience.
“Having the tools to set up and host video showings from one common platform makes sense,” said Triad MLS Chief Executive Officer Richard Renton. “Our members already use ShowingTime to schedule appointments, so it’s another step forward to equip them with this option. We anticipate they’ll want to take advantage of ShowingTime LIVE Video.”
Following the introduction of a “virtual showing” option within its showing management products in early April, ShowingTime has seen tens of thousands of showings conducted virtually. The company anticipates that those numbers will increase dramatically with ShowingTime LIVE Video.
“Since it first became clear that COVID-19 would have an impact on real estate, we’ve been dedicating as many resources as possible to help agents operate effectively,” said ShowingTime President Michael Lane. “Stay-at-home orders are forcing agents to seek out creative ways to show homes to buyers. We developed ShowingTime LIVE Video to make their jobs easier.”
Unlike photos or 3D tours, live video showings enable two-way communication so serious buyers can ask questions and see the parts of the home they’re most interested in. Once a video showing appointment is confirmed, the agent visits the listing at the scheduled time and conducts the tour while their client participates from home.
“From the same familiar system agents use to schedule showings, they simply tap the ‘Join LIVE Video Showing’ button in the ShowingTime mobile app to start the appointment for their clients. A live, one-on-one showing experience is as close to an in-person showing as they can get,” Lane said. Video showings conducted using ShowingTime LIVE Video offer the same opportunities for engagement on the part of prospective buyers that they’d have with in-person showings, he added.
“We’re excited about ShowingTime LIVE Video,” said Global MLS Chief Executive Officer Laura Burns. “Making this new tool available to our members will help them continue serving clients as New York State works through the phases of operating and social distancing requirements for real estate services.”
ShowingTime has rapidly rolled out several product enhancements in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent shelter-in-place restrictions enacted throughout the U.S. and Canada. Along with the introduction of ShowingTime LIVE Video, the company has been providing daily updates on the impact of COVID-19 on showings – nationwide and in most states/provinces – which can be accessed at www.showingtime.com/impact-of-coronavirus/.
Since late April, showing activity has continued an impressive turnaround after an historic spring collapse, led in part by loosening restrictions and an increasing rate of adoption of technology, with more and more agents conducting showings virtually. Twenty-nine of the 44 states and provinces tracked by ShowingTime’s COVID-19 tracker have exceeded their showing traffic numbers from pre-pandemic peaks in March.
