This St. Louis-Based Company Is Making A Pivot To Virtual Home Showings
During a time when social distancing is key and real estate is at a slowdown, Hometraq has made the transition to live video home showings. This St. Louis startup is helping people show homes in a simple and easy way online. Users have the option to enter the address of a home they would like to tour, and then be direct to a live video tour.
Hometraq’s design is similar to that of a ridesharing platform. Whenever a user is ready to show a house, they submit a request. Then, different network agents from local brokerages coordinate an appoint. A network agent then meets you at the property based on the user’s availability. This design allows the home buyer to remain in control.
Though live videos have always been a unique feature of Hometraq, when the Stay At Home order was enforced, Hometraq saw the value in turning focus to live video home showings. They immediately began to work developing the correct software and making sure their platform was ready for users. “We started aggressively working with ourselves internally and our development team on being able to create these video tours,” said co-founder Mark Gorman. The idea of using live home tours helps to give buyers some leverage as opposed to relying on a prerecorded and potentially edited video made by a professional photographer.
In the past, Hometraq has worked with ITEN. Last winter, they completed the Capital Innovators accelerator program. Hometraq has also been an Arch Grant recipient. Now, the startup is in the process of expanding to Kansas City.