Wireless Technologies Will Transform The Practice Of Real Estate

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://realtytimes.com/rtapages/20040116_wireless.htm' target='_blank'>http://realtytimes.com/rtapages/200...16_wireless.htm</a><br /><br /></div>"For the past decade, the advances in technology that have transformed the way Realtors do business may have served as a warm-up act to what's just around the corner: a wireless technology revolution that may change the real estate industry like nothing before it. You couldn't avoid the topic at the recent National Association of Realtors conference in November, 2003. Everywhere you turned, attendees were discussing which wireless device to buy and how it can immediately help their business. <br /><br />Nor do you have to look far in the industry to see its fast-growing impact. Around the nation, Realtors motivated both by a desire to provide better customer service and reap the financial rewards that follow, are tapping into wireless technology. Armed with handheld, unobtrusive, carry-anywhere Blackberry devices and Pocket PC's, they're using sophisticated new software that enables them to instantly call up home listing and other crucial data for their customers. Anywhere. Anytime. Far from the confines of their office or home computer."<br /><br />Mobility is a cornerstone of being an effective Realtor, so if any industry is poised to take full advantage of what wireless data has to offer, it's this one. I know there are Realtors reading this site - how does your Pocket PC help you to do your job better?

[eustts]

My wife and I are currently looking for a house. The agent was amazed that I could wirelessly use mapquest and look up listings on the agents web site to review the properties...

[acronym]

yet they'll still get $20000 for walking you through someone elses house.

[gorkon280]

In some houses, they could install web cams and show the house that way with out even leaving their office. Obviously you could not do this with an occupied house, but they could do it with either model homes or unoccupied houses. For building homes, each homeowner could have a special web page where they can look at the progress of their house as it's being built. For security,. they can mount it on a steel pole cemented in the ground or something (houses being built have things stolen all of the time).

[csterns]

"Yet they get $20,000 for walking you through someone's house!" How ignorant you are to what a Realtor does. When you use the word Realtor do not confuse it with Real Estate Agent. There's a difference.

Acronym - you should spend a day in my life as a Realtor before popping off that kind of comment. With that kind of comment you haven't a clue what a true professional Relator does. Try 80 plus hours a week. Try NO LIFE. Try NO WEEKENDS. Try CANCELLING family plans becuase a client you are this close to closing wants you to take him out to look at property.

Yup. Just walking through house. It's so simple yet the fallout rate is 85% annually. If you think it is that simple come on in the water is fine.

One last thing, a good Realtor will save their clients $20,000 or more. It's not all about the commission.

[csterns]

Ok. Here's my response to this topic.

I have had a Pocket PC device since 1997 and a computer since 1984. The technology is just now starting to become a reality but it is still a long way off. When you can access the INTERNET wirelessly at faster speeds then it can become more common place.

I just converged my HP2215 and cell phone to a MDA II. I have a HP TC1100 Tablet PC and a Sierra 750 AirCard. My Tablet has WIFI and BT. I also have software that allows me to download listings but in my market an hour old is too late. Homes here are selling within hours of coming on the market.

AT& T is just kicking off their "Edge" access with speed faster than dial up but slower than cable. The solution is most likely Starbucks and tapping into their WIFI program.

Bottom line is I use a little bit of all of it and I'm ready when it gets more functional. Not long ago I sat with a client in my car while I accessed the INTERNET to check other listings and it was slow. The next time that comes up I'll just go to Starbucks.

Then you run into; you don't need it as often as you think you do. It's just the one time when you don't you kick yourself for not having it with you. It's like should I have a BT enabled printer? No. I can think of one time in five years where I needed it. Ok, two but then on that occasion I did have a portable printer. Other than that you don't need it as much as you think you do.

The majority of times you already know which properties you are going to show because it is all done with advance appointments. Again, on a very rare occasion you will have the exception of needing information on a home that may just have come on the market. You can work around that by either calling off the sign or just knocking on the door.

In 4 years I have sold over $40,000,000 million dollars of real estate in two different states - Georgia and California. I show (walk through for some people) 1,000 to 2,000 homes a year and write about 40 plus contracts a year so I think I have a little knowledge on this subject. I'm also probably one of the most technical savvy and computer literate Realtor's out there.

So the bottom line is this; I'm waiting for the technology to catch up to the equipment. It's close but not quite there. Maybe when the whole city has WIFI will we be there. Meantime you work around it if you feel challenged enough but then how much and how often do really need it? Not as much as you think.

Oh! My Pocket PC saved my butt though. I relocated from Georgia to California and used Mapopolis for door to door driving directions. Here in California we use a very thick mapbook called the Thomas Guide. The practice had been to make enlarged copies of the map pages and use those to navigate around. Not me. Good old Mapopolis came to the resuce. I drove like a native and no one knew I didn't know my way around. It served me well. In fact, I kept my Compaq 3650 loaded with Mapopolis as a spare in the car just in case. I don't leave home without it. Heck I even went into another part of the state and showed property. Again, drove like I grew up there. Thank you, thank you Mapopolis and Pocket PC.

[Dar]

As a Realtor I too have combined wireless technology into my business. I have an Ipaq 5400, Sony Ericsson T610 and software to access MLS. I use a Bluetooth connection between the pocket PC and the T610 while on the road for internet access, otherwise I go to a local WIFI (Free access) when I can. Once while on the road I got an e-mail informing of a new listing just on the market. Because of that E-mail I have a client that got the home they wanted 8). That was a value add to my business. As far as the MLS, Like csterns explained internet access is not fast enough while a client is waiting. But I do use it with clients when we see homes that are on the market but not on the agenda for us to see. Using the access to the MLS I can look the property up and show the client that the property is not one they are interested in.

Oh buy the way, I use Mapopolis even in the ares's I know. I somtimes forget to make that left turn :oops: where i'm spoosed to.

[bdegroodt]

yet they'll still get $20000 for walking you through someone elses house.

Uhhh...Not sure how many homes you have bought or sold, but that's like saying a headhunter gets paid to send over resumes to a client. It's far from true. In fact, Realtors, headhunters and may other "middlemen" that may appear to have an "easy job" are responsible for saving buyer and seller from each other. It's not about a walk through and faxing contracts. It's about bringing together 2 parties and marshalling them through an incredibly complex (emotional, legal, etc) and bringing the entire transaction to a mutually beneficial conclusion.

Perfect example, you tell me what you think your house is worth (no data to support it, just your gut) and let me bring a buyer to you and ask him/her what he/she is willing to pay for it. I bet in 9 times out of 10 you 2 would be rolling around on the ground fighting over the perceived insult.

[csterns]

Well AT&T is now officially rolling out "Edge" with fast connection speeds. Kbps up to 200 but averaging 130-140. I just purchased it today and added to my arsenal which consist of: MDA II Pocket PC Phone, HP TC1100 Tablet PC with WIFI/BT and now Sony Ericsson Edge PC Modem Card.

I tried going to our MLS on the web on my Pocket PC but the screen is too small plus there are drop down screen when you cursor over the tabs that don't work with the PPC. But I what I do now is copy the the listings that come up from a search the client and I have agreed to view, copy/print them over to Journal (instead of of printing) and Adobe PDF. From the Journal program I view them as paper and write notes on them and use the Tablet PC instead of paper. One step better (in addition) is I copy those MLS sheets from Journal into PDF and with Repligo have them on my MDA II Pocket PC Phone and use it to show property. All this without printing a single piece of paper. I (only one person) go through about a ream of paper a week and a lot of it is just printing out MLS sheets only to toss them out.

It's unbelievable how much paper we can generate. Just presenting an offer is now up to 24 sheets!