Will Google Wallet or Apple Passbook be Used in Real Estate?

With the advent and publicity of such technology as Google Wallet and Apple Passbook we at RDM have been pondering potential uses for these applications in the real estate industry. Google Wallet offers the capability to make your phone your wallet by storing all your debit and credit cards while Apple Passbook gives you the ability to store such items as concert tickets, boarding passes, gift cards, etc. Although both these applications haven’t exactly caught on even in the general public, these are some of the ideas we’ve come up with:

- Gain access to a building/space by storing your credentials in barcode format in Apple Passbook

- Pay your rent via Google Wallet at the local real estate office

- If you’re a landlord you can have brokers register at a space they’re previewing via Apple Passbook to track foot traffic

These ideas are certainly not disruptive. This is not to say though that a disruptive use may not be discovered. It may also occur that these specific technologies don’t find a home in real estate. With this said the use of technology in real estate is becoming more evident even though the industry is often criticized for being behind the curve.