When it comes to technology, in life as well as in our real estate business, there are some distinct categories that the majority of us fit into: Some of us loathe technology and the changes it forces upon us; Some of us realize that change is the only permanent thing in the foreseeable future, and we tolerate it; Some of us accept the changes as being necessary to keep pace with our clientele; And, some of us embrace the change, getting an addict'fix of the latest & greatest (and not-so-great) things to come along.

I fall deeply into this last group - technology is my friend, and I spend exhorbitant (according to my girlfriend) amounts of time trying the different products that become available on a regular basis. In the 15 years that I've been using computers, I've never stopped being simultaneously amazed by what they can do, and annoyed by their limitations. I remember when I got my first 386-25e notebook, I was amazed by how fast it was, even though it took at least 20 seconds to start Word. Now, my new PII-266 notebook frustrates me as it takes 5 seconds to open Word.

Prior to entering real estate in 1993, I was a project manager for a commercial construction company. We did executive offices for the major banks, breweries, advertising companies, etc., and my job was to bring the project in under budget, and at a profit. I remember my excitement when Windows appeared on the scene - I was between projects, and had the luxury of spending 10 weeks exploring the new project-tracking program that we got with our new PC's. It was heaven!

Now, I'm a full-time REALTOR® looking for the next great application to move me closer towards my goal of a virtual transaction center which automatically handles the process from the initial web site visit right through to the collection of my commission cheque after closing.

To move toward this end, I first need to take a step back to where I am now. Now I can put things into perspective of what you as a Realtor can offer to the consumer; and likewise, to give the consumer an idea of the things that can be done relatively easily for them by a Realtor.

The processes I will outline don't require that you know how to write (or even understand) html, nor do they require huge investments of time or money. What they do require is a willingness to step out of the box - to expand your comfort zone, and to make a true commitment to using the available technology as a productivity-enhancing tool.

The scenario: You have a listing on one of the internet real estate web sites, and a consumer clicks on the link to contact you, asking for further information on the property. What can you do to turn that inquiry into $$?

When I receive this type of inquiry, I immediately send all the information I have on the property. In the same email, I point them to the information request and mortgage pre-approval forms on my web site. I explain that I will send them new listings the same day they hit the MLS. I do this by posting them on a private web page on my domain (sample at http://new-all.com/th ), on which I put listings and general information. I also tell them that I will be having my mortgage broker contact them.

At the same time I point them to my site, I also send an email to my mortgage broker, telling him that they have contacted me, and asking him to contact them by email, to introduce himself as part of my team, and to offer his services.

Sounds simple, right? Well, it is, and yet so few Realtors offer this level of service. If you have the ability to create a letter in Word / WordPerfect, and to download a listing from your MLS, then you have the technical skills necessary to provide this service.

My pages are created in FrontPage '98, although I have also seen the same thing done with pages created using Adobe to create .pdf files. The listing information is either exported as text & jpeg from my MLS software, or is imported off the 'net into an html template that is created in FrontPage '98. If you can use Word or WordPerfect, you can use these very user-friendly html compilers to offer this level of service to your clientele. If your MLS software doesn't give you the ability to export the listings in the necessary way, then I suggest you start a serious campaign to force the provider to join the 90's.

Of course, just when I've got things working smoothly, along comes the next great thing. I'm switching this process over to a program called SOAR MLS, which will allow me to enter the client's information once, and then tell the software how often I want a search performed for them, and how I want the information delivered - by email, fax, or sent to the printer for snail-mail. The search can be scheduled to take place at 2a.m., and I'll awake to find a log of the search results on my PC. Is this for everyone? Not necessarily - some of us believe we just have to keep our hands in everything, and won't leave mundane tasks such as this up to a machine. Me, I believe that this will be such a huge productivity enhancement that I am joining a new real estate board at a cost of $70 per month, plus paying $100(Cdn.) a month plus paying long distance charges to connect to this board. I'm notoriously cheap, so for me to commit to this sort of outlay, I must see the Second Coming in this product.

Going back to the scenario - are you going to be a take-charge Realtor who offers service such as described above, or are you going to be one of those who check their email once or twice a week? As a consumer, wouldn't you expect this level of service?

As a Realtor heading into the new millennium, can you afford not to embrace such simple technology enhancements as this? If you don't want to do this yourself, then hire someone to do it for you. Instead of gambling $300 on tapes from the latest & "greatest" speaker on the seminar circuit, why not invest it in a program such as SOARMLS? Which do you think will lead to a gain in productivity & profit?

Agent News Technology Advice

Published: March 26, 1999

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Editor's Note: This article reflects the opinions of Chris Newell only and not necessarily the views of this or any other publication, organization or Website owner.