The value proposition relies on owners posting their homes to the Lynn user community to get feedback on their potential value to the market, but an immature user experience and lack of incentives for participation erode the value prop.
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Lynn is an off market real estate sales solution.
platform：iOS, Android
very suitable: Consumers and agents
Hot selling points:
• Direct market feedback
• Interest list
• Consumer-focused
• In-app communication tools
Top concerns:
The app is passive in nature, a slow burn with good intentions. I like knowing what the market is saying about a home, but the app should do more to drive engagement. I hate the word “gamification,” but there’s something more needed here, and an emphasis on UI/UX, especially for consumer-facing work.
what you should know
Lynn is a primarily consumer-facing mobile app with some built-in agent benefits, centered around lead generation.
The value proposition relies on owners posting their homes to the Lynn user community to get feedback on their potential value to the market. They can ask the Lynn community for feedback on the home’s color, landscaping, kitchen layout or whether the deck needs to be replaced, all of which may be supported by the sale of it.
Once the app is installed, the process begins to claim your home, but I’m unclear on the current verification process. Currently, the program is being launched using license photo and GPS photo verification.
Buyers use Lynn to create listings that highlight homes they like in the area, and sellers can use the listings feature to track people who have expressed interest in the home.
Attom data integration helps determine estimated value, although sellers can only adjust it as they see fit, a “make me move” feature.
I really like that there is a direct line of communication between potential sellers and buyers. There is no reason why these parties cannot negotiate directly with each other even during the actual transaction. This is a potential problem with the current way of doing things.
Simply put, a listing agent may be reluctant to take on a client who has already provided moving data to the market in some way, especially “why.”
There’s a whole cottage industry in this area of seizing on life milestones, such as death and divorce, for better deals. Oh, and there’s also a degree, which means the child may leave home after graduating from high school or college or whatever. I’ve never been a fan of this lead generation tactic and find it pretty terrible. Lynn isn’t encouraging this – I’m just ranting.
Homeowners who use the “Announce Home” feature mean they are more likely than other owners to sell quickly and actively seek returns. A visual icon system on Lynn Map Search signals this intent and notifies viewers of new content about homes, the number of interested buyers, and other such app activity.
In its current state, the icon notification system is a bit clunky. Alerts are piled around homepage pins, making them visually cumbersome and requiring users to remember what the colors mean. A simple generic notification will suffice since users will act on it anyway. It will be cleaner and more modern.
At this point, the user interface does need improvement. However, I give leeway to new apps here because functionality and sales should trump front-end design first. Adjustments are needed, though, as the app feels too social media inspired. The outdated confetti explosions and somewhat bland experience didn’t keep me engaged during our demo. I would look to fintech apps for influence and work on a more unified content delivery.
Agents are brought into Lynn based on the number of contacts and the potential to reach more consumers. This is a scaling strategy, which I understand, but it means that when an app asks people who don’t manage CRM well for reps, they might get the advantage of referrals. Rest assured, database size does not equate to quality. Most agency databases may only have an update rate of 10%.
The Lynn team would be wise to contact Revaluate to resell database cleaning services before signing up.
Lynn does have a Nextdoor vibe, but at least this app invite The Karens comment on the appearance of the azaleas this season. It can benefit by giving homeowners access to relevant market data based on their location. A partnership with RealReports (which Lynn can upsell) is a great option for both sellers and buyers who want to know more about their home.
I don’t question Lynn’s intention at all to leave the pre-marketing stage of the sale to the seller, and if Percy.ai and DropOffer show what’s possible in this niche, then I think this app will go to that stage. Revive is also a strong competitor, but lacks the social promotion feature.
Do you have a tech product you’d like to discuss? Email Craig Rowe
Craig C. Rowe got involved in commercial real estate at the dawn of the dot-com bubble, helping a range of commercial real estate companies strengthen their online presence and analyze internal software decisions. He now helps agencies with technology decisions and marketing by reviewing Inman’s software and technology.
