Zillow… Redfin… These are the platforms where most buyers and sellers spend hours scrolling through endless listings, hoping to find their dream home. While these sites do a great job of displaying a wide range of properties, they’re also notorious for generating a lot of low-value searches—like casual browsing and doom scrolling—that don’t lead to actual transactions. 

This is where Deep Search comes in. Unlike traditional searches within mega platforms, Deep Search focuses on searches that are performed with the clear intent to transact. 

Keep reading to learn how being aware of Deep Search can help you be more targeted in your acquisition strategy, and to understand how you can own Deep Search to boost conversions, generate higher-quality leads, and truly own your market.

What is Deep Search?

Deep Search is a home search performed with clear intent to transact. What sets it apart is that it ends with the searcher taking meaningful action, like filling out an interest form (such as a pre-qualification or signing up to attend an open house) or reaching out to a loan officer or real estate agent directly.

For loan officers, this could happen when a buyer finds a property they love and needs help understanding their financing options or getting pre-approved. For real estate agents, a searcher might reach out when they’re ready to view a property or make an offer. In both cases, the searcher is moving beyond casual browsing and is ready to take the next step—making Deep Search the key behavior to focus on for meaningful engagement and conversion.

The Problems with Home Search Mega Platforms

Mega platforms like Zillow and Redfin excel because of their mass accessibility—anyone can visit their websites or download their apps and begin a home search at any time. However, this mass accessibility also opens the door for a large quantity of frivolous searches, which makes prospecting through them akin to searching for a needle in a haystack. 

1. Low-value searches

These platforms are notorious for producing two main types of unproductive searches:

• Frivolous searches: These happen when users browse listings without any serious intention of buying or selling. They might be dreaming about future possibilities or just casually exploring the market, but they’re not ready to act. While these searches create data, they rarely translate into meaningful engagement or transactions for real estate professionals.

• Doom scrolling: Users often find themselves endlessly scrolling through listings out of habit or curiosity, without any real intent to purchase. This behavior is common on large platforms, where the sheer volume of listings encourages mindless browsing rather than focused searching. As a result, this type of engagement is unlikely to result in a transaction, making it much less valuable for loan officers and agents.
  
  

2. Data that’s sold and shared

Another significant problem with these mega platforms is how they handle user data. When a user engages in these low-value searches, their data doesn’t remain exclusive to you. Instead, it’s often packaged and sold to numerous competitors, resulting in a flood of calls, emails, and outreach from various agents and loan officers. This not only overwhelms the potential buyer or seller but also dilutes the value of each lead, making it harder for you to stand out and effectively connect with serious prospects.

3. No exclusivity, no control 

The leads you receive from these platforms aren’t exclusive– they’re quite the opposite. By the time they reach you, they’ve likely been contacted by several other professionals, reducing the chances that they’ll engage with you meaningfully. This lack of exclusivity means that despite your best efforts, you’re competing with a crowd, and the data you’re using to guide your outreach is far from being solely yours.

4. Wasted data, wasted effort

In the end, the vast amounts of data generated by these platforms often goes to waste. Instead of leading to conversions, they result in a lot of effort spent on prospects who aren’t ready to transact, or who have already been claimed by other agents or loan officers. This inefficiency can be frustrating and costly, both in terms of your time and resources.

How Loan Officers and Real Estate Agents Can think of Deep Search to grow their business

Loan officers and real estate agents can significantly enhance their business by leveraging the concept of Deep Search, which focuses on quality rather than quantity in search interactions. When compared to frivolous online home searches, Deep Searches stand out as moments of genuine intent, offering professionals a unique opportunity to connect with ready-to-act clients. Here’s how focusing on Deep Search can transform your approach:

1. High-intent engagement

In the vast sea of online searches, many users engage in casual browsing that yields little actionable insight. A deep search, however, signals a user’s intent to take meaningful steps toward a transaction, such as purchasing a home. By identifying and targeting these high-intent moments, professionals can more effectively allocate resources and engage potential clients with timely and relevant information, ultimately leading to more closed deals.

2. Challenges of mega platforms

Focusing on deep search through mega platforms like Zillow and Redfin is challenging due to the overwhelming volume of casual or exploratory searches. These platforms bury valuable, high-intent searches under a mountain of low-value inquiries, making it difficult for professionals to identify and engage with the right prospects. Additionally, leads generated from these platforms are often sold to multiple agents and loan officers, reducing the likelihood of any single professional capturing the client’s business.

3. Eliminating noise and competition

Platforms designed with deep search in mind, such as Homebot’s HomeSearch, offer a more targeted approach. These tools allow professionals to filter through the noise of low-value searches and focus on the high-intent leads that matter most. By eliminating the intense competition and distractions inherent in mega platforms, Homebot enables professionals to build meaningful, lasting relationships with clients and turn potential leads into real opportunities for business growth.

How Homebot’s Home Search Empowers Loan Officers and Real Estate Agents to own Deep Search

Homebot’s Home Search tool is a powerful solution for loan officers and real estate agents looking to truly own Deep Search. By providing exclusive access to client search behaviors and a private, secure platform, Homebot empowers you to engage more effectively and build stronger relationships. Here’s how Homebot can transform your approach:

1. Exclusive access to insights

Homebot’s Home Search tool gives you exclusive access to the insights generated by your database’s search behaviors. Unlike mega platforms where search data is sold to multiple competitors, every search conducted by your clients through Homebot is yours alone to act upon, free from the competition and noise inherent in broader platforms.

2. Private, secure platform

Homebot offers a private and secure environment where your clients can explore their home-buying options without worrying about their data being shared. This not only enhances the customer experience by protecting their privacy but also reduces unnecessary distractions, allowing them to focus on what matters most.

3. Strategic engagement

With Homebot, you can strategically engage with clients at the moments when they are most likely to convert. The tool provides real-time insights into your clients’ search activities, enabling you to time your outreach perfectly. This timely engagement leads to higher conversion rates and more successful transactions.

4. Stronger relationships

By gaining exclusive insights and direct access to your clients’ search behaviors, Homebot helps you build stronger, more meaningful relationships. This strategic approach positions you as a trusted advisor, allowing for more personalized and effective follow-up that ultimately strengthens client loyalty.

5. Eliminate competition

Leveraging Homebot’s Home Search tool means you can eliminate the competition and fully capitalize on every deep search opportunity within your client base. With exclusive data at your fingertips, you can drive better outcomes for your business by focusing on clients who are ready to take the next step.

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Conclusion: Homebot Empowers You to Own Deep Search

The concept of deep search represents a game-changing approach for loan officers and real estate agents, offering a clear advantage over the inefficiencies of mega search platforms like Zillow and Redfin. Instead of wading through a sea of low-value leads shared with countless competitors, deep search allows you to focus on high-quality prospects who are genuinely ready to transact. By leveraging tools like Homebot’s Home Search, you gain exclusive insights into your clients’ search behaviors, enabling you to engage them at the right moments with relevant, personalized guidance.

Owning deep search with Homebot means offering your clients a private, secure search experience that not only enhances their journey but also positions you as their trusted advisor. This strategic advantage not only increases your chances of closing deals but also fosters stronger client loyalty, setting you apart in a crowded market. Embrace the power of deep search with Homebot to boost your conversions and truly own your market. Get started by signing up for a demo here.

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