The real estate industry is responsible for around 20% of GDP in Switzerland. However, the level of digitalisation in the industry does not do justice to this enormous significance. As a ‘digital shaper’ for the Swiss real estate industry, SMG Real Estate is, therefore, launching an innovation offensive that will provide private individuals and professionals on ImmoScout24, Homegate and Flatfox with innovative and fully digital solutions. Thanks to these innovations, advertisements can be created more quickly, viewings can be coordinated more easily, and commitments made more effectively.
Who hasn’t experienced the stress of moving home, from the initial idea to the handover of the keys? The process not only costs time and stress but is also divided into numerous steps with multiple enquiry stages between parties. The search for a house or apartment has long since arrived in the digital age: Anyone who needs a new place to live can get a good overview using real estate platforms on the internet. Once those looking have found an appealing property, they usually express their interest, view it and, depending on the situation, apply – often via emails, emails and more emails! But this is now changing: ImmoScout24 and Homegate are introducing a completely digital rental process that easily bundles the exchange of information on different advertisements at the same time on a WhatsApp-like messenger. This is based on technology from Flatfox, whose messenger is already enjoying great popularity.
Cumbersome was yesterday – Messenger does it today: Fully digital communication solution
First launched on Flatfox, the messenger system is now also being gradually implemented for ImmoScout24 and Homegate. This means that from now on, those looking for properties and those advertising can use the innovative solution for communication, viewing planning, application management or acceptance/rejection notifications for a large number of advertised rental properties. For quick and reliable decision-making, the messenger also enables property managers to carry out a digital reference check, thanks to which important information can be requested directly from employers and previous landlords and then automatically integrated.
“With the Flatfox messenger, the rental process in Switzerland is experiencing a comprehensive digitalisation boost. Not only is the confusing flood of multiple emails eliminated, but viewing appointments and apartment applications can also be organised and carried out very easily in the future,” says an enthusiastic Dr Sandro Principe, responsible for business customers at SMG Real Estate. After acquiring the majority share in Flatfox, it is now possible for SMG Real Estate to make this comprehensive process model available to all of its professional real estate customers, explains Principe.
Significant cost and time savings thanks to AI-based advert creation
The latest innovations from SMG Real Estate do not end with the rental process. Automated ad creation saves real estate agents and property managers valuable time every day that can be better spent with their customers. The process is very simple: All you have to do is enter the address of the property. All data, such as size and amenities, are then added automatically, and thanks to AI support, the appropriate advert text is created straight away. “For each individual property, the innovative automation results in an average time saving of around 14 minutes. With the large number of listings that professional estate agents and property managers create on our platforms every day, this quickly adds up to several thousand Swiss francs and several working days per year in effective cost and time savings. The extra valuable time is available to our customers for their actual core business – namely contact with interested parties,” Principe continued. SMG Real Estate has set itself the goal of enabling the Swiss property industry to achieve the next level of efficiency through innovative solutions, thus making the industry fit for the challenges of the future – in an increasingly digital-savvy society.
Sebastian Sinemus
Senior Communications Manager Real Estate & Spokesperson
