Using my cellphone to send a quick TXT to my family or my business partners has become a quite a common method of communication for me! I was doubtful at first, but now I regularly TXT!

The other method of using TXT that’s gaining ground in the US is to use SMS TXT Short Codes as a method for requesting information of a product of service. This idea has been around since the late 1990s in Europe and is seeing more adoption now in the US.

For example…

• Text a search query to google! (e.g. “denver resteraunts”) to 466453 (GOOGLE)
• Weather report! Text your zip code or city and 2 letter State abbreviation to 42278 (4CAST)

Real Estate is of course no exception, consumers want information on a property .. so let them TEXT a property ID to a short code and voila! The latest details sent back back as a TEXT massage. Pretty obvious really!

Of course, this is a service provided by SPS – the difference for agents is that its all for free.
Take a look – TEXT 1122MAINSTRET to 368266.

It works for any of our Agents site that has a domain name!

It certainly is a great method to deliver information – all the consumer needs is a simple cellphone which can display Text.

In Europe this is a widely adopted technology – and in the US marketing with short codes is catching on.

However, this technology really is just a little too late for real estate.

My reason for arguing this this is that web-enabled cellphones are now becoming ubiquitous. The cost of the phone and the cost of the web service that goes with it is dropping like a stone.

Who wouldn’t want the web in the palm of their hand?

It is for this reason that I think interest in SMS TXT marketing for real estate will probably peak this year – but after this year, my guess it will become a side-show and probably rapidly lose importance.

Of course SMS TXT services will still be around – its great for person-to-person, and also other products and services too. But as a mainstream method for providing real estate information to consumers, I think we’ll see more emphasis on MOBILE websites that display fast on any mobile browser.

Thank goodness SPS already automatically provides mobile sites to all our clients!

Let me know what YOU think!