Things we Have Lost to the Internet

1. FLOOR TIME.  Back when I started in Real Estate we had what was called floor time in the office.  There was always someone on floor time ready to take the calls that came into the office about our listings.  Most agents back then weren't attached to cell phones 24/7 so the phone number on the yard signs was usually the office number.  If you were the floor agent you answered questions about listings. This was a good way to connect with buyers.  Now every yard sign has the agents cell phone number and rarely does a call come into the office phone for information on a listing.
   
   
2. MAP BOOKS. Back before everyone had GPS in their cars or on their cell phones we had Map Books.  These were a spiral bound book of maps that covered Stanislaus, Merced and San Joaquin counties (for us).  Every listing in the MLS had the Map book page and coordinates listed.  (They don't any more) Then along came GPS units like Garmin and Magellan and other companies.  These worked well but you needed to update them occasionally and that cost extra. Then along came the cell phone GPS apps. And now my car has Apple Carplay and I can just tell it where I want to go.  My old GPS unit has been sitting in a drawer for years.
   
   
3. LOCKBOX KEY.   With the advent of the electronic lockbox everyone needed a lockbox key.  This looked like and was about the size of a pager (remember those?)  This first lockboxes I dealt with you had to put in your PIN code and then actually attach the key to the lockbox in order for it to work.   The key had to be attached to the charger/cradle every night to be updated and charged.  If you forgot to do this you could not access the lock boxes.  There were more than a few times I had to make a quick run back to the office and do a quick update because I had forgotten to do it the night before.  You could also call a phone number for an emergency update code but only once before you had to put in on the charger for updating.  So don't forget two days in a row or you were out of luck.  Now I just use an APP on my phone to open lock boxes. One less thing I have to carry around and remember to charge.   So much easier.
   
   
4. HAND WRITTEN PAPER CONTRACTS.  Back in the Real Estate stone age we actually wrote our contracts out with a pen, in triplicate.  My first office we had three giant file cabinets filled with blank contracts.  There were the purchase contracts, addenda, disclosures, counter offers and on and on.  Every one on paper!  Now contracts are done electronically with zip forms and e-signed.  No more legibility issues, no more horrible scanned and faxed copies. I haven't seen a hand written and signed contract in a long time.
   
   
5. FAX MACHINES.  I know fax machines are not totally gone but they are (hopefully) on their last legs.  Nothing was worse than getting a hand written offer that was faxed to buyer number one for signatures, then faxed to buyer number two for signatures then faxed to me.  Often times by then the contract was almost impossible to read.  Now with zip forms and e-signatures fax machines are no longer needed. 
   

This are just a few of the things that we have lost because of the internet.  I actually think it's a good thing.  This has made it faster and easier not only for me but for my Central Valley real estate clients too! I don't know what the next few years will bring, but I'll be here to embrace it and move forward!