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OH! The Places We Can Go!

The old adage, “The Only Consistent Thing Is Change” seems to be truer today than ever before. I have to be really honest. When I got into real estate some fifteen years ago I was much more advanced than technology. I envisioned having the tools we now take for granted everyday. I wanted a fax in my car. Now I have e-fax on my iPhone. I hated writing contracts by hand because my handwriting was merely scrawl. Now not only can I type in forms, with new voice recognition software I recently dictated my first contract and emailed it without ever picking up a pen or touching a keyboard. I will really know I have arrived when I’m able to dictate, email, and have the buyers and sellers sign electronically from the Bluetooth hook up on my iPhone. Can you imagine, meeting with a client at the property, them wanting to place and offer, you writing that through verbal dictation, emailing it to the seller and having them answer back in seconds. An entire transaction negotiated in minutes not days or hours!

I know there are folks out there that say it can’t be done, but they also said the same thing about airplanes, mp3 players, microwaves, and digital cameras just to mention a few. I love being a Realtor and just like most boys I love my toys.

Any body got any edgy ideas they want to share. Its okay to dream big and dream way out there! Here’s a sci-fi thought. Once they really invent the transporter, do you think we’ll be able to text, phone and use the net while we’re broken into billons of tiny particles? OMG! What if we loose bars? “Beam me up, Scotty!”

Posted by Jim Lee & Janet Holt Edmond Oklahoma Luxury Home Realtors on 01/29/2009 11:54 PM

Comments (6)

Technology and Tools in the Real Estate Market Channel

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6 Comments on OH! The Places We Can Go!

JAN

Jim and Janet: This is such a good blog! Please post it on the Optimist Board!

The DoDo Bird is for those "Dodo Bird" moments when you do silly things. Obviously, you are NO DoDo Bird! You are a tech savvy Agent, deserving of much praise for being forward thinking!

(Keep the Dodo Bird group entries for those less stellar performances; all smart people have their dumb moments... the dodo bird entries are for those stories...)

Janet,

Great post, you officially have my full attention right now!! Please share with me the name of the software/program that allows you to dictate your contracts and send them throgh email as well. I would love to know! I too, consider myself "tech savvy" and I enjoy being a Real Estate agent. I also, foresee the same advancement in our industry as do you. I purposely purchased a Tablet PC because I wanted to be prepared for the ability to draw up a contract, have my clients sign it on my computer and then send it off to the other side, all while being in the middle of nowhere (as long as you have a Cell signal, of course!!) Well, that time is here and I feel like I have not quite gotten myself caught up with the technology that is readily available! OH, please explain how your using E-Fax on your iPhone, I would like to know more about that!

You mentioned to to share Edgy ideas, well how about this; Similar to your idea of verbally dictating a contract and having it sent off instantly, How about the idea of us dealing with our Clients and the Selling side via Video conferencing. During the connection, we are able to establish digital documents (with Signatures) all while simply speaking and having a face-to-face conversation with all the Clients. It's doesn't matter if the Wife is in one part of the World and the husband in another, you have both onscreen, working the details and then submitting the offer instantly. On another Screen, you have the Listing Agent ( where he/she also has thier clients online via Video) and "Viola" ratified contract in Seconds!!

Take it to next level, all I stated above, only utilized throughout all of the property transactions: Property inspections and other mutual sided interactions. Then the big Wammy!! The actual closing!!! We have all dealt with "Long Distance" closings, how about a" Virtual closing"?!!! All parties present, no matter where their true location is and Bamm, all of this done in a matter of days, not weeks!! How's that for a BIG IDEA!!

Loved your Post!!

JAN

Thanks Mirela, I took your advice!!!!

Hi Thomas,

The software is call "Dragon Naturally Speaking" Professional version. A friends company has just installed because they have several handicapped workers. I was just playing with it but I really am considering the purchase. They have a home addition that is really pretty affordable about $149. Now you also need to know that our company redesigned our local board contracts so that they are not only typeable but where they are grouped together in a packet so that all we had to do is go to our intranet site and open our "Existing Home Packet". All the docs for that transaction are there. When we designed the packets we also designed a cover sheet. We call that cover sheet the "Sales Processing Sheet". When you fill out the Sales Processing sheet it auto-populates throughout all forty six pages. With that said I only had to navigate to the net, open our intranet, navigate to the packet and verbally fill out the cover sheet. Once all the forms were filled out I saved the document in a program called "Cute PDF". (again a very inexpensive program about $50) This saves the docs in a compact PDF format. (Compact PDF makes the packet a perfect size to email.) Then it was as simple as opening outlook and attaching it as an email. The entire process was done, however, without ever touching a keyboard. As for the e-fax, I can receive faxes on my iPhone using the net and email but I can't send, sorry if I mislead you. We have state legislation working right now that will allow us to use electronic signatures. I hope it passes. I wonder, if you added "Dragon Naturally Speaking" and "Cute PDF" to your Tablet PC and used a USB net access tool from your phone company if you couldn't already do what you were talking about. "Be out in the sticks and write and send your contract." Add a webcam and you could talk to the listing agent and or the seller if they too had a cam.

We recently had a client who was moving to Edmond Oklahoma from New Jersey. It was a corporate move. After their house hunting visit she had to go back to oversee the move and close on the sale of their property there. So when we had the inspections, we set up a webcam for her to talk with the inspector. She was in NJ and her husband, the inspector and Janet and I were in Oklahoma. Is she had a questioned area we just move to the area. It was a bit awkward but very doable. We thought that was pretty cool.

FEB

Thank you for posting it here! I will bring it to the Group's attention later on this week. Stay tuned!

FEB

Thanks! I'm looking forward to it!

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