Listen to this articleInnovative startup itlbe provides consumers with the first of its kind natural, lifestyle search ability for the online real estate buyers, sellers and professionals. itlbe organizes and presents the data in a consumer friendly online platform that encourages social media interaction and delivers properties to the consumer based on emotional and lifestyle criteria. Below is our interview with Sammi Johnson from itlbe team:
Q: itlbe offers unique lifestyle search for real estate, can you tell us how the company started and where did the idea come from?
A: Founder, Laura O’Connor has spent the better part of the last fifteen years, managing, leading and doing business strictly in the real estate sector. So, she understands the intricate business-to-business relationships that exists between agents, brokerages and consumers AND has first-hand experience on what is missing with the online search for all parties. There isn’t a way to search for a home based on lifestyle requirements and desires, which is a HUGE factor when searching as a consumer. There also isn’t an efficient online system in place that is better business for the professionals (realtors and brokerages) and clear communication paths for consumers searching and wanting more information about homes they find online. itlbe is built to solve those inherent problems.
Q: itlbe recently introduced four new functions, could you tell us something more?
A: Yes, itlbe just launched its lifestyle functionality based on a natural search OR suggested searches based on how a home feels, features, the area is and is good for. The search functionality is easily adjusted and is visually stimulating. This functionality of lifestyle or emotional terms is a first of its kind and we hope the user finds it easy to use, engaging and entertaining.
Q: What is your B2B model for Real Estate professionals?
A: itlbe is designed to give consumers the right-away and seamless ability to contact the listing agent on the home they are interested in or want more information about. There isn’t a fee for listings to be associated to agents or to include their listings at all, whereas other top online search sites for real estate agents end up paying high fees to show up next to their own listings. We aren’t in the business of handling potential leads and want that business to stay in the hands of the professionals in agents and brokerages. itlbe is meant to help connect consumers to their dream home, engage with them, curate conversations and display homes in a visually appealing and stimulating way, but the business of real estate is left to the professionals. itlbe also collects user comments in the form of free-form comments and quiz data. That data is closed, so it protects the seller, but is available for purchase and can be used as a marketing tool for agents and brokerages to discuss what crowd-sourced information has to say about a listing, the price, the photos, the landscaping, you name it, I guarantee it, consumers will comment on it. That information is gold to agents, homeowners and brokerages.
Q: How would you convince the reader to start using it?
A: Consumers who are interested in using itlbe will start seeing its growth from social media platforms like Facebook. Since this is also a social media platform, we’ll talk to consumers there first. Making a profile is easy and the interaction is fun and validated. Feedback is quick, pictures are stimulating and the site is fun, easy to use and rewarding. User profiles are kept safe and interaction is non-invasive. Current users love the Pinterest feel and the variety of homes they discover that they may not have previously considered during their search.
Q: What’s next for Itlbe?
A: We are working to start attracting new users, adding engagement to get in front of the 80+ million people browsing the internet each month for real estate. And we’ll be adding more listings all the time as user engagement increases and we can show traction to brokerages and prove that their coveted listings need to be included with itlbe. itlbe be will be adding functionality that makes it easier for people to share listings and their favorite collections and a tool for agents or home seller to “claim” their listings and have tagging priority. Our 1,500 word database will continue to grow and evolve through crowd sourced collaboration.
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