It’s a day in the near future…
I’m sitting at my kitchen table with my tablet computer. My desktop PC is gathering dust in the bedroom corner. A relic of an earlier time, I haven’t used it in a couple of years. Who wants to stay tethered to a desk anymore?
I fire up the real estate search app on my tablet. The app greets me by name and “welcomes” me. With only the slightest move, I flick the app towards my TV and I’m now viewing it on the 65” razor-thin display that’s hanging on the wall.
The tablet is location-aware and so knows I’m at home. The property search algorithm understands that most people buy their next home within 12 miles of their current location, so default search results start to show up automatically according to those parameters. Since the app is also tied to the cloud, it has a limitless memory, and therefore starts to correlate and stack results according to my past behavior and preferences.
Also on the screen are a series of popular properties. I’ve already shared my social profile with the app, so it knows that I’m 38 years and married with kids. Behind the scenes, the app has compiled the data on all of its visitors and is now surfacing properties that other people my age have been looking at in the area.
I’ve found a property I like. Tapping on the property icon, it flips over to reveal the details of the home. Pinching and zooming on the high resolution image I can’t help but notice how “2007” it looks. I pass it over.
I tap another property. Looks nice. I hit the video button and instantly a high-definition video tour starts streaming of the home. I’m hooked.
Real-time market data is also streaming in alongside the listing details. I see mortgage rates and near-term property valuation trends for the home alongside all the details of my personal finances. I instantly see that it’s priced right and with an good offer I can get it.
My social graph has also surfaced about a half dozen contacts to the app that have lived near the neighborhood over the years. I see my co-worker Michelle lives there right now so I fire off a quick message to her and ask what it’s like to live there.
The app also shows me that Brett (my agent) is online right now. I see from his status he’s at Moxie catching up on email. The people indicator next to his avatar means he’s open to video chat. I speak more clearly this time. “Call Brett.” He picks up my call on his handheld and we see each other face to face on a video call.