Digital solutions have caused serious shifts in the way that the real estate industry operates in recent years, and with a number of platforms competing for the attention of prospective users, understanding the ins and outs of the major contenders is essential.

Paperless Pipeline is one such service; a software suite that sets out to streamline and simplify transaction management in a real estate context, making life easier for agents and their clients alike.

Here is a look at what it can do and why it is worth considering if you are in the market for a product that can catalyze the process of buying and selling property.

Target audience

Before delving into the ins and outs of Paperless Pipeline – real estate transaction management software, it is important to establish exactly who should invest in it.

First up are individual real estate brokers, since they will of course be at the heart of any transaction, whether they are acting for a buyer, a seller or both parties in some circumstances. Next are large real estate teams, perhaps operating for all-encompassing agencies where a whole host of projects need to be juggled at once. Finally there are transaction coordinators; the pros who are called upon to steward transactions on behalf of agents and brokers in the case that outsourcing this work makes sense.

Interface & features

Like all the best software platforms, Paperless Pipeline is accessible from within your web browser, which means there is no need to download and install any software to get started. This also means it can run on a wide variety of devices, ranging from desktop workstations and laptops to tablets and even smartphones, which is ideal for real estate professionals who are always on the move.

The dashboard is uncluttered and intuitive, giving you an instant overview of the number of open transactions that any one user has on their plate, as well as the number of tasks within these transactions that are still to be completed. Also displayed here are the number of documents which need to be assigned to clients and other parties involved in the transaction, as well as any documents that the user is responsible for reviewing.

This real-time insight into the current state of play helps users to prioritize their next steps and organize their time more effectively.

Pricing & plan options

One of the main reasons to recommend Paperless Pipeline is that it is priced very competitively and is offered with a free, no-strings-attached trial experience that can be taken for a test drive without needing to provide any financial details. This should reassure users that they can get to grips with it before they decide to commit.

Furthermore there is no annual contract to sign, or minimum requirement for spending or usage. Those who sign up can end their involvement with Paperless Pipeline whenever they like, without being burdened by the usual red tape and rigmarole that some other providers require.

Most significantly, there is an appealing degree of transparency with regards to how plans are priced and the terms to which users will need to adhere, with all of this information provided via the Paperless Pipeline website. This means you do not need to get dragged into a sales call to uncover all of the small print.

In terms of monthly costs, plans are charged according to the number of transactions that are handled. The entry level plan is priced at $75 monthly and covers up to 10 transactions, making ideal for individual agents and brokers. At the other end of the scale, if you are handling over 450 transactions a month, you will pay just $450 for the privilege.

Another point worth raising with regards to pricing is that there is no additional cost for adding extra users. You can have as many users as you wish within your chosen transaction band, and the lack of a limit here means that you  can easily expand your operations or encompass additional users on a short term basis without feeling the financial pinch.

Finally, because there are no fixed term contracts or lengthy commitments involved, you can also upgrade or downgrade between the monthly plans on the fly, which again helps real estate organizations adapt to the ebb and flow of demand over the course of a year.

Customization & automation

Paperless Pipeline aims to put users in control of the experience to a degree, while also enabling a whole host of automated abilities that remove the more tedious manual aspects from transaction management.

For example, you can create custom checklists to accompany transactions that are flexible according to the nature of the deal that is being managed. From here, critical due dates will automatically be set and singled out as time passes, ensuring that you never miss crucial milestones ever again. From the first posting of a listing to the completion of the transaction and the exchange, this software will be there to help out.

It can even handle file and document storage with excellent levels of security, while also allowing you to wrangle geographically dispersed teams with ease, even if they include lots of different users with different roles in each transaction to fulfill.

Finally, integration with hundreds of other apps, including Gmail, Google Drive and a plethora of CRMs, means that Paperless Pipeline can blend seamlessly in with your existing workflow.

Commission management add-on

The last perk of Paperless Pipeline worth covering is the Commission Module, an affordable add-on that aims to track how much commission is earned from real estate transactions and also make sure that this is paid in a timely fashion.

This is another eminently customizable process, as well as one which lets you see how individual agents are performing, and even gives you an overview of the trajectory of the entire organization on a monthly or yearly basis.

Wrapping up

As mentioned earlier, there are lots of software solutions for real estate transaction management, including the likes of Dotloop, Skyslope, BackAgent and more.

Paperless Pipeline is an excellent addition to this market, giving users a compelling alternative that is free to try out and offers excellent customization and expandability options. If this sounds interesting, there is no reason to delay giving it a go.