Top Free Tools Created By Real Estate Companies

Gone are the days of traditional marketing. No matter what industry you are in, digital is going to be the new normal. Needless to say, the shift to digital seems more promising after the COVID-19 outbreak. Even historically offline sectors like real estate are exploring new ways to market their brands digitally. So, in this article, we have listed the top free tools created by real estate companies.

During our research, we found that real estate companies are using interactive quizzes and calculators in abundance. And why wouldn’t they? After all, 88% of marketers say that interactive content helps them stand out from the competition. Read on to know about the free tools created by real estate companies that are used to generate traffic, leads, and engagement.

1. Outgrow – Cost of building a home

Here’s a beautiful interactive widget by Outgrow that calculates the cost of building your dream house. The calculator attracts the attention of the users with its flawless modern designs. And also keeps the user engaged throughout.

But, the big question is ‘Who gains what’?

How Does It Help The Customer?

Anyone who is looking to build a home would want to get an estimate of the expenses. And this calculator is the perfect solution to the problem. With an estimate in hand, the user will obviously be in a better position to arrange the finances.

How Does It Help The Real Estate Company?

Real estate companies can use the Outgrow experience to attract users to their site. Furthermore, the calculator adds value to the customer by solving a problem. Hence it is effective for increasing brand awareness. Additionally, it gets qualified leads as well as other valuable information about the customer. The real estate companies can leverage this for personalized retargeting in the future.

Note: If you are looking to finance your real estate, you can check about it here

2. Houzz – The Basement Quiz

Houzz is an online hub where you can shop for furniture and connect with any real estate professionals.

They designed this basement quiz that takes user input and gives basement remodeling ideas. Did you know that interactive quizzes have a staggering 90% completion rate? Well, Houzz definitely did because they created this amazing interactive quiz!

Basements are often dark and gloomy. And this quiz entices people to transform their basements into something unique. The quiz delivers ideas to transform the basements based on the user’s taste. Now, who would not want to check out how their basement can be upgraded!

For Houzz, the quiz attracts users and increases user engagement. And due to the increase in traffic and engagement in their blogs, they can rank higher in SERP (better SEO in simple terms).

3. Vanderbilt – Early Payoff Calculator

Vanderbilt Mortgage & Finance Inc. deals with home loan-related products.

Who doesn’t want to pay off their mortgages as early as possible? And exactly for this reason, Vanderbilt has built this free tool for its users. Considering the balance amount, interest rates, and more, the calculator estimates the savings and fund requirement on early repayment. Hence, the calculator helps the user eliminate the guesswork and make an informed decision on early payoffs.

We have already seen how this tool adds value to its user. On top of that, Vanderbilt offers this tool for free. As a result, they attract a lot of viewers who are probably considering an early loan payoff. This not only builds traffic but also brings potential customers who might be interested in Vanderbilt’s services.

4. Cornerstone – Where the heck should you live?

Cornerstone deals with mortgages and other real estate financial products.

Based on the user’s choice of answers, this free tool maps out their taste of living. Finally, it shows the house that fits best with the user’s taste. This way, a user who is planning to buy a home can find out which type of house he should look for. It eliminates the problem of choice and lets the customer focus on a single house type.

The quiz certainly increases quality traffic (people who are considering buying a home) and user engagement for Cornerstone’s blog. Also, they can use retargeting methods to advertise their home loan products to these potential customers.

5. Zillow – Affordability Calculator

Zillow is an online portal for real estate sell, purchase, and rental properties.

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of buying a home? Let us guess – ‘How much can I afford?’. Well, you are not alone. This keyword has a search volume of 201,000 just in the US!

So, to answer this pressing question, Zillow has built this affordability calculator. Based on income and other parameters, the calculator can tell how much the user can spend on buying a house.

Affordability calculators can jell up with almost every business in the real estate sector. In this case, Zillow increases its user engagement and traffic. It helps the user (probably in the initial stage of the buyer’s journey) solve a problem. Further, with retargeting, Zillow can nurture these traffic to push them down the sales funnel.

6. HSH – Mortgage Quiz

HSH is a real estate financing knowledge portal.

Among all the financial instruments governing the real estate industry, mortgages are probably the most complex. Having said that, portals like HSH, constantly try and help you understand mortgages in the simplest way possible. For example, HSH built this Mortgage Quiz that can help users gauge their knowledge about mortgages.

If you look at the quiz you will see that each answer comes with a detailed explanation. Therefore, you can use this knowledge testing quizzes to educate customers (specifically, customers in the initial buying cycle). For this particular quiz, in addition to traffic and engagement, HSH has used it to gain traction on other quizzes as well.

Related read: Realtor Marketing Ideas

7. Improvenet – Concrete Calculator

Improvenet is a real estate contractor search portal.

This free calculator, helps the user calculate concrete requirements for any real estate project. And guess what? Prospects love it!
The reason is quite simple, it’s always nice to get an estimate before going to the hardware store.

And this is also why concrete calculators are widely offered as a free tool by real estate companies. Here, if you check out the calculator page, you will notice that Improvenet has added a pop-up and a CTA ‘get free masonry quote’. Now this will give them leads and other user information as well. Additionally, they can use cookies for personalized retargeting ads for further nurturing.

8. Relator.Com – Refinance Calculator

Relator.com is a leading real estate search platform.

This calculator by Realtor.com can be used to determine if refinancing is the best option for the user. The calculator compares existing home loan rates with new rates and other factors to calculate the user’s savings upon refinancing.

Refinance calculators or any other financial calculators for the real estate business can drive some serious conversions. 51% of marketers say that online calculators are most effective in the “Consideration Stage” of a buyer’s journey. And for Relator.com the calculator generates traffic and engagement. They have leveraged the traffic not only to gain potential customers but also to generate revenue through Adsense.

Related read: Interactive Content Ideas For Each Stage Of The Buyer’s Journey

9. SparkRental – Rental Property ROI Calculator

SparkRental deals with everything related to rental properties.

This free tool by SparkRental calculates the ROI on rental property. It helps the users to make an informed decision on their investment.

Real estate is a very competitive market. So, how can a real estate company stand out? Well, it needs to offer something of value to their customers! And this is exactly what Spark Rental intends to do with this calculator. Along with quality traffic, this free ROI calculator is also helping the company improve its brand awareness.

Related read: Interactive Marketing Ideas for the Real Estate

Conclusion

Interactive quizzes and calculators are a powerhouse of lead generation and customer engagement. If you use it properly, you will get results for sure. And if you are wondering ‘how do I build these tools?’. Well, as we keep saying, there isn’t an alternative to Outgrow!

Go ahead and check out the amazing platform where you can build calculators, quizzes, e-commerce recommendations, chatbots, and more. You can also try it out for free!