The concept of on-demand service via mobile app was made most famous and well known by Uber, the car service company. I've always been in love with how Uber works because of how happy it makes both drivers and riders. But there's a new app on the streets called Curb Call, a peer to peer mobile app that connects nearby and available real estate agents with buyers who are on the curb of a listing, ready for a showing.

Though Curb Call connects agents and buyers like Uber connects passengers and drivers, there are some important differences between how it works compared to Uber.

Here's how Curb Call works:

For the Agent

Imagine you've just wrapped up some showings for a buyer client and you find yourself with some time this afternoon where you'll be checking emails at a coffee shop. With Curb Call, you can set yourself to "available for showings" just by starting the app and pressing the "Available" button. Now, nearby buyers will see your bio and can request a showing from you during the time that you keep your status set to "Available."

For the Buyer

Buyers tend to start searching online, narrowing their favorites down to a handful and then do "drive-bys" to see the listings in real life, get a feel for the neighborhood, see the other nearby houses, etc. When a listing looks as good in real life as it does online, buyers have historically only had the option to call the number on the sign for the showing. But the problem is, what are the chances of that listing agent being available right then? What are the chances that they can even answer their phone right then?