Should you wait to buy a digital camera? After all, features are changing rapidly and what you purchase today may soon be outdated. Why the hurry?

Just as some REALTORS^® outdistanced their competitors by jumping into PC's, you can get the upper hand by adding a digital camera to your technology bag of tricks. Not only can you instantly download your pictures, you can instantly send them around the world, and with today's cameras, you still have print-quality pictures for flyers, postcards and feature sheets.

It has been proven in at least two formal surveys recently that Realtors who embrace technology make more money than those who don't. With the onslaught of services and searches available on the Internet, it is a must that agents add digital cameras to their arsenal. Successful agents who employ high technology out-earn their low technology counterparts by 71 percent, according to a National Association of REALTORS® and Real Trends survey. Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, Inc. learned in its survey of 2,5000 leading female brokers that 68 percent felt technology was integral to their success. Fifty percent employed standard technology tools - cellular phone, fax, e-mail, Internet service, computer, and caller ID. Digital cameras - a tool that has only recently dropped enough in price and simplified in technology to appeal to the Realtor, and are certain to be added to next year's surveys.

"Don't wait to buy a digital camera, start making money now," advises Allen F. Hainge, technology and real estate trainer. "Today's cameras give you wonderful photos, suitable either for emailing or printing in flyers, on postcards, etc..even for your most prestigious clients and customers..as long as they have a high enough resolution."

Hainge recommends a minimum resolution of 640 by 480 pixels, the resolution of the Sony Mavica FD7. The advantage to the Mavica is that the photos are immediately put on a floppy disk which can be downloaded to your hard drive in seconds. There are also three resolution settings so that you can get better clarity for certain photos.

He also recommends the Kodak DC210 or Kodak DC220. "Either one is fantastic," says Hainge who steers his classes to www.kodak.com to check out the features. The DC210 has dropped in price due to the introduction of the DC220 and the DC260 (overkill for real estate purposes, he says.) Hainge also directs people to http://www.pricewatch.com and http://www.necx.com for the best prices.

If you have any doubts about moving forward with a decision, here is some encouragement from one of Hainge's Cyberstars, Greg Gorman, CRS of Downing-Frye Realty in Naples, Florida.

"Ever get a call from a perspective buyer who wants photos of a home or property and lives in another city? Instead of calling the listing agent for one of their flyers (the "all about me" brochure with a property photo attached) why not take your digital camera to the property, download the photos into your computer, create a multimedia presentation using PhotoShare (the best thing for real estate since the MLS!) and send a presentation with your voice narration, color and motion via a floppy disk or through the Internet? If that buyer calls other agents (Shhh- they will call other agents,) who is going to stand out? You, of course! Give the consumer a reason to choose you as their professional, not just because you have been a multi-zillion dollar producer for the past 103 years! We are visual people, so give us something to see other than your production."

"Sounds complicated, yet it's really quite simple with the right equipment. Unless you like taking pictures the old-fashioned way, waiting the next day for the photo store to process them ( I know none of you wait to process your roll of film until the whole roll is finished.) and sending them pasted up on copy paper or sending them away to another store to be digitized; then sending them out snail mail, otherwise known as the exclusive (and expensive) postal service --why would anyone not want to save time and money using today's tech tools? Yes, Virginia, we have com a long way since the automatic typewriter and touch-tone phone."

"Now sit down because I must tell you that computer programs, digital cameras and internet service, etc...are not free! But compared to the time spend with outdated equipment and services, it is a bargain! Can you imagine having to wash your clothes down at the river using a washboard and lye soap? Washing machines aren't cheap either, but thank God we have 'em!" sermonizes Gorman.

The market may seem confusing, but there is plenty of reason to go ahead and make a choice - namely digital is where the homebuyer is.

Published: September 25, 1998

Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.