Real Estate Blog - Don't Be A Run Around Sue (or Sam)

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Don't Be A Run Around Sue (or Sam)

Sue Lady We all need to know that we

Don't Want To Be A Run Around Sue.

(or Sam)

No, I am not talking about women agents strolling out by the street corner supplementing their real estate income with the world's oldest profession. I am talking about Mapping.

Mapping you say? Planning our routes for showing homes to our buyers. Many zig zag all over the place without a forethought. So inefficient with time and the expense of gas. They need to have a radius of their market area and not exceed that if that is their business model. Use Google maps and print out efficient maps ahead of time and plan the routes. Some MLS systems have this built in. Or use a handheld or in vehicle GPS tool. A service you also can buy is Dashfly.

So don't be a Run Around Sue, or if you are don't be a Realtor. Realtors are in a different service oriented business.

Posted by Gary Woltal - Associate Broker REALTOR® Dallas Ft. Worth on 10/23/2009 07:53 AM

Comments (26)

GPS in the ActiveRain Channel

mapping route planning

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26 Comments on Don't Be A Run Around Sue (or Sam)

OCT

GPS - hmmm - thats hit or miss no? Mine is used when I am unfamiliar and lost - not often used for something I have time to map out.

Hi Gary,

There is a method to our madness! Buyers notice when you plan a route in showing property that has a rhyme and reason to it. I always show the big picture on the map so they can see why we looked in the order we went. It helps them get oriented also. Thanks ..I could not be a run around Sue!

Hi Gary thanks for the heads up on Dashfly I intend to check that out. Had mapquest map me directions to a very busy street in Pittsburg with no direction to turn left or right..needless to say I turned the opposite direction. I always map out the tours...that would be so frustrating for the buyers to drive around in circles getting to homes they are anxious to see.

Check the coordinates...north this....west that...however in all fairness Sam and Sue...Wisconsin knows 2 seasons...winter and construction...if you don't zig a little you may never find the house !

Cute caption, Gary! I'm fortunate to belong to an MLS sytem that has a mapping system. We can print a map with all the properties we're showing and directions from one to the next. I love it!

I love my Garmin. I can enter multiple homes and its gives me the shortest routes starting with the one I chose.

Had not heard of Dashfly, This will be very useful. Thanks for the info.

Kay

Gary, I have see people waste so much time running in circles looking at homes. This goes even for everyday errands. My wife is a good one for starting at one end of the town and crossing it 2 times before she gets everything done.

I try to plan my routes to maximize my time on site. I hate to rush a client because of my poor planning. Time is money.

Gary, Unfortunately, I am a runaround Sue (sometimes). I always map out my routes for showing homes, however, and give one to the buyer as well in case we get separated. Great advice!

Cute title! Along with GPS, I map out my listings on Google before I even make the appointments. It's the only way I could figure out to keep us from running all over incarnation (and living in the country, that could really eat up time and gas!).

Gary: This is great advice. Seems obvious, but until you've wasted your share of gas, it can be a lesson that is still out there. I use my MLS' map feature and then order my listings that way.

Gary, Great advice! I look at the MLS maps to show location of properties (sometimes they are more accurate than google maps) and I appreciate my Tom-Tom too!

Gary, I hadn't heard of Dashfly either and there are some days I want to go multiple places. You don't have to be in Real Estate to love this idea :)!

The last time I was out showing homes I had once glitch in my route which caused me to back track. I like a concise clean run when showing so thanks for the Dashfly note.

I love the mapping part! My parents owned a Greyhound station and I grew up mapping trips for travelers. It's hard to get me lost. Now I map the house tour before I leave my office and have each one numbered GPS does the rest. Ahhhh...life is Sweet!

Gary - I would have assumed that many agents do this already. Perhaps I'm wrong. Can't imagine how effective it is to drive around with addresses but no real plan. That would be frustrating as a home buyer.

OCT

Gary: One can easily drive hundreds of miles to show properties in my market area and it can make a for a long day for the buyer and the agent. Zig zagging certainly makes the trip less enjoyable so I always try to map out the showings and it they are just too far out, then I network with other agents to take over in specific areas. But recently, I had a buyer who said he was upset by that. I stuck to my plan, afterall I know how far and much I will drive before it becomes counter productive. I had everything pre-arranged for him including the agents he would meet, all he had to do was meet them at the designated time and place. I spent quite some time planning the logistics for him. But he was upset - go figure!

I am so happy with the mapping feature on our MLS. Map out the route and then put in in my GPS.

good stuff -

Gary

My GPS is a life savers, I don't know how I get around before.

Good luck and success.

Lou Ludwig

OCT

With my Maggie, life is awesome. I just hit the Optimize button. I cant go back to the Mapsco days, I really cant.

I'm catching up on all of your posts and thought I'd comment on this one since it's got my name on it. My least favorite of all the names people call me, but, the runaround part sounds fun. I always map out my route before I start making the appointments so that a start at point A and make a loop and end up back near the office. It usually works well.

Gary I hate wasting time more than anything. Great advise we should all adhere to.

Gary - The goal is to be time efficient. In the Hudson Valley things are so spread out that it is foolish to not plan geographically upon starting out day.

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