Did you see NBCʻs Saturday Night Live parody (also circulating on Facebook) showing the “Amazon Echo Silver” for The Greatest Generation? Answers to any name even remotely similar to “Alexa”, repeats “uh-huh” endlessly in response to the endlessly repeated story? If you havenʻt seen it and have no idea what an Amazon Echo is, watch the video here:
That one was a joke, although apparently one of my over-70 friends asked his wife: “Is this supposed to be an ad for it?” But “Alexa, Find me a Hawaii Island Real Estate Agent” turns out to be no joke.
AGENT NEO: Amazon Echo App for Real Estate Agents Arrives
Honestly, I thought it was only a matter of time before Amazon would become a source of reviews for real estate agents, like they are for practically any product one might purchase. But thanks to the convenience of the home-based, voice-activated devices, Amazon took real estate agent matching one step further and debuted a new app for Echo that allows users to find a listing and book a showing. Alexa (the Echo Voice Service) connects the customer with an agent who has signed up for the app.
“Alexa, I need an agent who can drive me off-road to tour large parcels of vacant ag land in Hawaiʻi.”
There is more to come. Amazon has also partnered with Zillow to provide home valuations (since Alexa already knows where you live), and then suggests connecting with a local real estate agent for a more refined analysis.
I signed up with Agent Neo but so far all I have heard is silence. If you have an Echo device or get one for Christmas, try downloading the app so you can start using Alexa as your real estate concierge! You can download here.
Mele kalikimaka!
Beth Thoma Robinson R(B)
Direct: 808.443.4588
Email: beth@hawaiilife.com
Warren Aoki
January 1, 2018
Happy New Year Beth! Love the Amazon Silver skit…that should be a real product!
Beth Thoma Robinson, R(B)
January 2, 2018
> Hi Warren, glad you enjoyed the article! Hope you are well…call if you make it over for a visit.