Propertyfiles is a game-changer for buyers and real estate agents

There is now a real estate file delivery system available that every single real estate salesperson should be using to allow prospective buyers access to reports and other related info. This system is called propertyfiles and from our experience, it’s a game-changer.

I’ve worked in real estate sales since 2007. Since the day I started, one of the most time-consuming tasks has been getting property info out to potential buyers, including:

• Builders reports
• LIM reports / Council files
• Recent sales nearby
• Titles
• Sale & Purchase agreements
• REA booklets
• Floor plans
• Disclosure statements
• Rental appraisals
• School zoning info
• Test results (Asbestos, methamphetamine etc)
• Spec sheets (for high-end homes or new builds)

Note: The info listed above is what you should expect the real estate salesperson to make available. If all they send you is an offer document, then email them back telling them to raise their game and send back the list above. 

There is a heck of a lot of info there, usually taking up around 8 – 20mb of space. Which might not sound like a lot but it’s too much to email, which presents an issue… How do you effectively get this info to potential purchasers?

Way back when…

In the early years, we attempted to email these documents to every buyer but it became messy. Government department servers often rejected attachments, or the email would end up in a junk folder. It was hard to confirm whether buyers had received all the info they needed.

Later,  I battled with dropbox and onedrive links, but these had their own limitations. If you changed the name of the folder, or moved it for any reason, every link stopped working. Also – many government apartments didn’t allow dropbox links to be opened.

There had to be a better way!

I first heard of propertyfiles a few years back, but was nervous about signing up to a service which I wasn’t familiar with and didn’t want to complicate the issue with more websites for clients to visit. Boy, how wrong was I. This service is an absolute game-changer for buyers and real estate agents.

Using propertyfiles:

• Buyers can download information for any property, at any time of the day or night, without speaking to an agent first. All you need to do is register your name, email (and sometimes a phone number).
• You don’t have to sit there waiting for an agent to email you back with more info, which many of you know can sometimes take a long time!
• Buyers get notified when a new file becomes available. Let’s say an asbestos test result comes out halfway through the process, Propertyfiles automatically emails it out instantly to every buyer who has previously registered with that property.
• Disclosures can be added and emailed instantly. This helps avoid situations where you find out disclosures at the very last minute, eg. When you are sitting down with the agent to make your offer.
• Real estate agents can see who has downloaded the info for each property, when they have downloaded it and which files they accessed. Note: This might sound scary to a buyer but it shouldn’t. As agents, it is important that we ensure you have all the info you need before you make an offer (especially builders reports, disclosures etc). It also avoids un-necessary follow up calls to buyers who aren’t interested.
• Real estate agents receive an email each time a client registers with the system. This is really important for gauging interest from buyers and for providing effective feedback to your owner.

Buyers love to be in charge of their transaction and I’ve never had anyone who is considering buying a home complain about receiving ‘too much information’. As an industry, it’s time we made it easy for buyers to get the info they need.

In mid-2018, we launched an independent real estate agency in Wellington, called relatable. We made the decision to use propertyfiles right from the start. My friend Chauncey Flay, the owner and creator was extremely supportive and helped us get started. We thoroughly recommend their service and believe this should be a minimum standard for the industry moving forward.

As you can see by looking at these numbers, it’s definitely working for us:

That’s 222 buyers who have already been able to access massive amounts of info, instantly, without having to engage in a back-and-forth email chain with their real estate agent.

Ready to get started?

Agents: Get in touch with Propertyfiles to get started (click here or call 0800 300 311)

Buyers: Next time you send an email to an agent asking ‘do you have a builder’s report?’, add the words ‘do you use propertyfiles?’.

PS. This post might sound a bit like an infomercial but I assure you it’s not. We just really like this system. It’s saving us time and providing a more efficient service to our clients. A total win-win.