Some brokerages are looking to go mobile with the technology they give their agents, helping them stay as productive as possible out of the office. 

While technology plays a key role in most industries, it’s especially essential in real estate. Notorious for being “connected” long before it was a buzzword, Realtors in the past were weighed down with cumbersome laptops and heavy reams of paperwork as cars served as temporary offices.  

Realtors still use their vehicles as “offices on the go,” but new tech tools and software keep them connected to clients and their office staff more easily than ever before as local brokerages turn their focus to deploying mobile-friendly software.  

“Agents should focus on selling. That’s what they do best,” said Dave Karoly, vice president of sales at Lamacchia Realty.  

Productivity Boost 

With headquarters in Waltham, Lamacchia has offices in four states and main offices in six locations throughout the state of Massachusetts. Known for its cutting–edge technology, the firm boasts new, powerful, customized customer relationship management software, called LamacchiaForce. This app, based on SalesForce, was customized by an in–house engineer at the realty firm and cost more than $1 million.  

“It walks agents through every step, from the initial lead to when to call, what to do to sign up a client, offering reminders to follow up, and more,” Karoly said.  

Conveniently, the app is compatible with mobile devices that agents already have with them, eliminating the need to carry around a computer.  

“It’s a people business. There is more information at everyone’s fingertips now, but it shouldn’t be a substitute for the expertise that a Realtor has.”
— Amy Mizner, senior vice president, Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty 

This allows connectivity with office staff, streamlines processes and leaves less room for error. A major function of the app, Karoly said, is that it helps Realtors to manage dozens of details throughout the buying and selling process.  

Another tool, LamacchiaLinks, is built into LamacchiaForce It has several functions but one of the most important is assisting agents in notifying other Realtors about homes that they are selling and the types of properties that their clients are looking for.  

Lamacchia Realty has seen the majority of its new agents’ average sales increase over 100 percent–since the first version of the app was unveiled three years ago. Additionally, the company has seen a 318 percent rate of growth among agents who came to Lammacchia from other agencies and have been with the firm at least a year.  

“We’re always innovating,” Karoly said.   

Customized Client Interactions 

Amy Mizner, senior vice president at Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty and a principal at Benoit Mizner Simon before its sale to GSIR, agreeed that tech tools help her and her agents be even more efficient. Still, she cautioned that technology will never replace that human connection nor the capability of a Realtor with years of experience.  

“It’s a people business. There is more information at everyone’s fingertips now, but it shouldn’t be a substitute for the expertise that a Realtor has,” Mizner said. “How do we use this technology to enhance the whole process and focus on the real needs of the buyer and seller?”  

Mizner and her team recently started using a stack of software called, Current which offers many benefits.  

RealScout helps Mizner’s buyers collaborate with her. For example, a client might be a cooking aficionado and has specific criteria around the kitchen in their new home. RealScout helps Mizner customize the data pulled from databases of listings so that it meets her client’s specific needs and requests.  

While Cloze focuses on sharing data, working almost like an administrative assistant, Mizner said, Levitate curates information about each client and keeps things organized. Curate was launched by Sotheby’s International Realty and provides agents with virtual staging capabilities through its app.  

As flashy as new software is, any technology is best when it help agents do their jobs better and more effectively, Mizner said.  

“What’s important about whatever tools you embrace is that they elevate the communication process between you and your clients,” she said. 

And if that happens, Mizner said, then technology helps businesses grow.