Every year I look for one or two things to add to my arsenal of tools and I also look to get rid of the most under used or under performing ones.  I figure this will help my real estate  business stay fresh and continually improving.

Cloud CMA is by far my favorite new toy I have come across, not just this year, but in the last several.

Why?  Because it gives me two things I desperately want.  Efficiency (time) and professionalism.  In an industry that sometimes stinks of cheese, Cloud CMA reports look great, professional, and best of all, they take only minutes more than printing out a sad little basic CMA from your MLS.  The extra minutes look like hours to your clients, making you look like a superstar.

So what is Cloud CMA? In simple terms, it allows you to generate a great looking branded report for home sellers with all of the relevant comparable property data simply by inputting the MLS numbers you want to include in the analysis.

However, it is so  much more than that.  You can add custom pages to your reports, the system will automatically map out where each home is located, you can include showing and open house tips, your resume, marketing plan, and virtually anything else you can think of.  It essentially allows you to create a personalized marketing presentation for home sellers.  Makes them feel nice and fuzzy, and that’s good for you!

By the way, it also works great for buyer tours.  Just input the MLS numbers you plan to show the buyer and out pops out a great looking report and map for your tour with all the property data you could want.

So here is the short story behind the home that it helped me win the opportunity to market (list, though I try and say that word as little as possible).  I was called to interview with a home seller that was getting ready to put his Scripps Ranch home on the market.  The appointment was set for the following morning and I had a jam packed schedule ahead of me for the day showing property.  I was in a bit of a bind.

Suddenly, I remembered that I had just heard some people in my office talking about Cloud CMA and one of my buyer agents had recently used it with a client and received favorable feedback.  I decided to give it a whirl and hope for the best.  It seemed like the best possible presentation I could possibly put together under short notice.

The potential home seller’s reaction was exactly what my associate had described with his client.  The seller literally said, “You must have spent hours on this.”

We are now in escrow 🙂