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Scvngr Review – Could This Be the Foursquare of Real Estate?

by Chris on Sep 10th, 2010
in Tags: Facebook Places, foursquare, location based services, Real Estate, Realtors, Ryan Neu, Scvngr, Scvngr for real estate, Scvngr review
Posted in Interviews, Mobile Apps, Product Reviews, Social Media, Video, Video Favorites

Let’s face it with the market conditions we are facing most Realtors are not looking for games to play on their phone, they are looking for ROI.  I had the chance to talk with Ryan Neu from Scvngr which is a new location based service similar to Foursquare or Facebook Places.  Where my Scvngr review is different than previous write ups on Foursquare is that Scvngr has built out a very specific business use of their geo location app for real estate agents.

Scvngr, I am spelling it right by the way, takes location based check ins and adds an additional element of interaction.  It isn’t just about the check in it is also about the task that you complete after checking in.  For example if you owned an ice cream shop it is great for business that people check in and their Facebook friends see that but even better is that they check in and then snap a picture of the tub of rocky road!  Adding specific tasks, just like in a Scavenger Hunt, brings an additional level of engagement that is currently missing from the Foursquare and Facebook Places of the world.  In fact they were actually just featured in Mashable as adding 100,000 users in under 48 hours so the growth is there and for good reason.

So what can they do for you as a real estate agent or broker?  I will cover 2 specific examples:

First, they can create a tech savvy marketing campaign that brings prospective buyers to YOUR open houses only.  As an example they created a campaign called Race for the Home with Prudential Georgia Realty and by bringing in some strategic partnerships are able to offer $20,000 for the purchase of a home to a lucky winner who checks in and completes tasks at all locations, open houses in this instance.  With the average age of a first time buyer being 31, a location based mobile gaming element is something that they connect with, the cash doesn’t hurt either.

The other way that an agent or brokerage can use Scvngr is being showcased by the always innovative Krisstina Wise and The Good Life Team in Austin, TX. Scvngr can create a Trek for your city that would take someone not just to homes for sale or your office, but also to all of the points of interest around town that you deem worth checking out.  Which schools are the best?  Where can they grab the best cup of coffee?  Are there any must see landmarks?  It really becomes a new, tech savvy relocation packet for buyers who may not know the area well and it creates a bond with the agent or brokerage providing all of the great information.  I have provided some screenshots below to give you a better idea of how it all works and if you want to be the only agent in town offering this you will need to get in touch with Ryan quickly as they are only offering it to one agent per market!

All in all I love what I have seen from Scvngr and Ryan is an extremely sharp guy.  If you are looking to take location based gaming to a level where it actually generates ROI and new business then I would highly recommend that you check out Scvngr today.  If you have any questions for Ryan or the team at Scvngr feel free to leave those below.  Scvngr has recently received funding from Google Ventures and can now afford vowels