Key takeaways
- Real estate automation uses technology to streamline and optimize real estate processes.
- The best real estate automation tools are property management software, CRM platforms, mobile access control, front desk software, and more.
In the fast-paced world of real estate, automation tools have become indispensable for streamlining processes, enhancing efficiency, and saving you time and money. From building automation to AI-driven solutions, these tools drive business growth and help you stay ahead of the curve.
Join us as we explore 11 of the best real estate automation tools that you should consider integrating into your business today.
In this guide, we cover:
What is real estate automation?
Real estate automation uses technology and software solutions to streamline and optimize various processes within the real estate industry.
These automation tools handle repetitive tasks, enhance efficiency, and improve accuracy. So, you can focus on more strategic and customer-centric activities.
Why is real estate automation important?
Real estate automation is important because it offers a range of benefits that can significantly enhance the efficiency, accuracy, and overall performance of your business.
Here are some key reasons why commercial real estate automation is essential:
- Save time. Automation reduces the time spent on repetitive and manual tasks, like data entry, processing documents, and communication follow-ups. This allows you to focus on more strategic activities that require your expertise and personal touch.
- Increase efficiency. Automated systems streamline various processes, from generating leads to managing transactions. This ensures that your tasks are completed faster and more efficiently.
- Enhance accuracy. Human error is inevitable in manual processes. So, automation minimizes these errors by ensuring consistency in data entry, document management, and other routine activities.
- Improve your customer experience. Automation tools can provide timely and personalized responses to client inquiries, schedule appointments, and send automated follow-ups. As a result, leads have better client interactions, higher satisfaction rates, and improved relationships.
11 best real estate automation tools
The best real estate automation tools seamlessly integrate various aspects of property management, marketing, and client interactions.
Here’s our round-up of the best real estate automation tools today:
- Opportunity tracking with CRM software
- Property management software
- Lead generation software
- Mobile access control
- Document and account management
- Front desk software
- Real estate marketing automation
- AI and data analytics
- Activity-based workflows
- Email marketing automation
- Paperless transactions
1. Opportunity tracking with CRM software
CRM software is a must-have for any business looking to improve their real estate workflows.
For example, Follow Up Boss is a leading CRM software designed specifically for real estate professionals. It helps manage leads, automate follow-ups, and simplifies communication, ensuring that no lead falls through the cracks.
What’s more, CRM software offers opportunity tracking, lead management, and marketing tools, making it a comprehensive solution for real estate business automation.
2. Property management software (PMS)
Property management software is perfect for property managers who want to optimize their real estate business processes and improve efficiency.
Here’s how property management software can modernize your leasing process:
- Save money. By reducing the need for manual labor and minimizing errors, automation helps cut operational costs significantly. This saves you time doing administrative tasks, processing documents, and managing transactions.
- Manage your leads better. PMS platforms help you manage and nurture leads more effectively. This ensures that no lead is overlooked and that follow-up actions are taken immediately.
- Enhance your marketing efforts. Real estate marketing automation tools can manage email campaigns, social media posts, and online advertisements. In turn, these tools ensure consistent and effective marketing efforts.
- Make data-driven decisions. Automation tools often come with analytics and reporting features that provide insights into various aspects of your business. This data can be used to make informed decisions, optimize strategies, and identify areas for improvement.
- Streamline property management. Property management software automates tasks like rent collection, maintenance scheduling, and tenant communications. As a result, reducing your workload and ensuring that all aspects of property management are handled efficiently.
Moreover, ButterflyMX integrates with the best PMS software — making property-wide access simple while automating various property management tasks.
3. Lead generation software
Lead generation software helps real estate professionals nurture and convert leads. What’s more, this software offers advanced marketing automation for real estate agents in order to help you stay ahead in the competitive market.
By automating the process of capturing, tracking, and nurturing leads, lead generation software ensures that no opportunity is missed. It offers valuable insights into lead behavior and preferences — making your communication strategies more personalized and targeted. This not only enhances the experience for your prospects but also increases the likelihood of converting leads into clients.
Pro tip: Integrate your lead generation software with CRM systems to ensure a smooth transition from contacting prospects to converting them into leads.
4. Mobile access control
Mobile access control systems are a valuable, smart technology that simplifies access for tenants, visitors, delivery personnel, and service providers. As a result, they’re a valuable addition to any real estate workflow automation system.
Here are some benefits of mobile access control:
- Boost security. Mobile access control systems provide heightened security by using encrypted access credentials that are harder to duplicate or steal — unlike physical keys.
- Offer enhanced convenience. Residents, visitors, and staff can use their smartphones to access your building. Thus, elevating the overall experience at your property.
- Manage access to your property remotely. Control access permissions remotely and grant or revoke access instantly from anywhere in the world.
- Share Visitor Passes. Share one-time Visitor Passes with guests so they can access your property without you even needing to be onsite. What’s more, with ButterflyMX, you can send recurring Visitor Passes during specific time periods for service providers like cleaners and dog walkers so they can access your property securely.
- Monitor your property in real time. Mobile access control systems offer access logs and monitoring. Moreover, ButterflyMX stores time- and date-stamped photos of all entry activity at your property for up to a year. As a result, you can track who’s entering and exiting your property at any given time.
- Integrates with other systems. Provide a comprehensive security solution by integrating your mobile access control system with other property management systems, like security cameras, smart locks, and other building automation systems.
Watch how ButterflyMX works:
5. Document and account management
Contract management tools offer robust document automation for real estate transactions. As a result, they empower you to send, sign, and manage contracts online. What’s more, they reduce paperwork, speed up transactions, and ensure compliance, making it a cornerstone of real estate automation systems.
Moreover, account management tools automate financial tasks like invoicing, payroll, and expense tracking. So, they’re perfect for keeping your finances in check without the hassle.
6. Front desk software
Front desk software streamlines and improves overall security and visitor management at your building, making it ideal for busy properties.
Here are some key benefits of front desk station software:
- Streamline your check-in process. Automate your check-in process for visitors, service providers, and residents by offering them secure access automatically.
- Improve visitor management. Always stay in the know of who’s accessing your property and when. What’s more, when you choose a front desk software like ButterflyMX’s, you can open any door, gate, or entry point remotely for visitors.
- Enhance communications at your property. Facilitate easy communication between your front desk staff, visitors, delivery personnel, service providers, and more.
- Send real-time notifications. Receive and send instant notifications when visitors arrive at your property for heightened security and visibility.
- Reduce your staff’s workload. Create a smart workplace by automating routine tasks like appointment scheduling and logging visitors — freeing up your staff to focus on more critical tasks.
- Integrate your software with other automation systems. Seamlessly integrate your front desk software with access control, CRM, and other property management systems — creating a unified and efficient ecosystem at your property.
7. Real estate marketing automation
Real estate marketing automation tools and platforms automate repetitive tasks like email campaigns, social media postings, and lead nurturing. So you can free up your valuable time and focus on planning and interacting with your clients.
What’s more, these platforms provide deep insights into customer behaviors and preferences — leading to higher engagement rates and improved conversion rates. Furthermore, marketing automation ensures consistent communication and brand messaging across all channels, fostering stronger relationships with your prospects.
Real estate marketing automation solutions typically include:
- Website management
- Lead capture tools
- CRM integrations
Overall, real estate marketing automation tools boost your online presence, simplify your marketing processes, enhance customer experiences, and provide a competitive edge in the market.
8. AI and data analytics
Using AI automation for real estate can offer deep insights and analytics on your commercial properties.
Furthermore, AI can automate and streamline processes like:
- Post online apartment listings and drive property searches
- Answer customer inquiries automatically
- Manage your transactions
- Track property trends and forecast property values
- Identify investment opportunities
- Optimize pricing strategies
In short, these tools help you make data-driven decisions and enhance your automated real estate investing strategies.
9. Activity-based workflows
Using robust tools to manage your real estate workflows helps your team organize tasks, set deadlines, and collaborate efficiently. By providing clear visibility into the status of your ongoing tasks and projects, these tools help prevent bottlenecks and enhance productivity.
Therefore, you can automate and assign routine tasks and workflows, coordinate follow-ups, and approve documents quickly and easily. Moreover, they improve collaboration among your team members by centralizing information and communication all in one platform.
10. Email marketing automation
By automating repetitive tasks like sending welcome emails, follow-ups, and personalized property recommendations, email marketing automation for realtors helps you nurture leads and maintain relationships with your clients.
With sophisticated segmentation and targeting capabilities, email marketing automation can also deliver highly personalized content based on user behavior and preferences. As a result, you convert and close more deals.
Additionally, email marketing offers insights into campaign performance and user interactions so you can optimize future campaigns. Overall, email marketing automation enhances your customer experience, boosts marketing efficiency, and drives business growth by maintaining constant, personalized, and effective communication with your tenants.
11. Paperless transactions
Offering paperless transactions helps your accounting process run smoother by enhancing financial efficiency and accuracy.
Here are some key benefits of paperless transactions:
- Increase efficiency. Quicken your transaction process by eliminating the need for physical documents.
- Protect your documents. Digital documents can be encrypted and securely stored, reducing the risk of losing documents or unauthorized access to sensitive information.
- Save money. Reduce expenses like printing, mailing, and storing physical documents.
- Convenient. Allows for easy access, sharing, and signing of documents from anywhere, at any time.
- Reduce your carbon footprint. Contribute to sustainability efforts by minimizing the use of paper.
Real estate automation FAQs
Here are some commonly asked questions about real estate automation:
- What is RPA in real estate?
- What is automation in real estate?
- Can real estate agents be automated?
- How can AI be used for real estate?
What is RPA in real estate?
Robotic Process Automation (RPA) in real estate refers to the use of software robots to automate repetitive and time-consuming tasks like data entry, document processing, and transaction management.
As a result, RPA helps improve efficiency, reduces errors, and frees up human resources for more strategic activities.
What is automation in real estate?
Automation in real estate uses technology to optimize various processes, from lead generation and marketing to property management and financial reporting. This can include CRM software, AI tools, document automation, and more.
Can real estate agents be automated?
While many tasks performed by real estate agents can be automated, such as lead follow-up, marketing, and document management, the human element remains crucial. For instance, agents provide personalized service, market insights, and negotiation skills that technology cannot fully replicate.
How can AI be used for real estate?
AI can be used in real estate to analyze market trends, predict property values, enhance lead generation, and automate customer interactions. AI also powers chatbots, virtual tours, and personalized marketing campaigns.
