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Working Paperless

By
Real Estate Agent with Virtual Homes, Inc.

The old way:
You write up an offer for a customer, print, and then fax it to your client.
Your client prints, signs, and faxes the paperwork back to you.
You run home or to the office to get that fax and then fax it off to the co-broke.

You can minimize the use of paper and faxing by using a PDF writer and electronic fax account.

The new way:
You write an offer, PDF the document, and email it to your client.
Your client prints, signs, and faxes the paperwork back to you.
You receive the fax via email because you use an electronic fax service.
You forward that email to the co-broke and just saved yourself a bunch of paper and time!

PLUS,...no more receiving 40+ page faxes of condo docs that stop printing mid-way because your fax machine ran out of paper. You get it as an email and can easily forward to the buyer, attorney, or lender,...how great is that!

PDF DOCUMENTS
Creating a PDF file is as easy as printing, but without the paper! You simply go to print and select the PDF printer. It will ask you where you want to save the file and what you would like to name it. A free PDF writer is available at www.cutepdf.com.

ELECTRONIC FAX SERVICES
E-fax services allow you to receive and send faxes from your computer.
Receiving faxes: Faxes are automatically sent to your email as an attachment.
Sending faxes: Use your email or the electronic fax site to attach a document and fax.
Examples of service providers: www.myfax.com or www.efax.com 

FREE Fax Services
Most free services allow you to receive incoming faxes (certain number of pages per month) but not send. You may also receive a fax number with a long-distance area code.

PAID Fax Services
To obtain a local or toll-free area code, you normally pay between $6 and $15 per month. This also gives you the ability to send outgoing faxes electronically and gives you access to other enhanced features.

Not only will this process save paper and money, but it will also allow you to address important business even when you are away from the office.

Comments (5)
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Sandy Wagner
RE/MAX Professionals 253.225.8322 - Gig Harbor, WA
Short Sale Specialist Tacoma, WA, and Gig Harbor,

Great information. I do not fax unless I absolutely have to.

Dec 15, 2009 07:51 AM
Tony Mallozzi
Anthony Joseph Real Estate LLC - Westborough, MA

What about Zipforms?  Any other companies that people like for online offers???

 

 

Thanks,

Tony in Boston

Dec 22, 2009 04:08 PM
Lani Sanethong
Virtual Homes, Inc. - Wakefield, MA

Tony,

There are several options available: TrueForms, e-Forms, and ZipForms. I have used all 3 at one time or another. They all give you the option to access forms online, however, there is a plug-in that you must download. Of course, this creates a little challenge if you're using someone else's computer.

For all three, you can save documents organized by transaction. It's easy to edit, print, and email those documents in PDF form.

e-Forms has an additional advantage. You can actually email a link to particular documents and allow others to edit them right in your account. This is helpful with P&S agreements since multiple parties are making changes. Rather than hand-writing those changes and sending them back and forth, everyone can make changes in a central online location and see the changes that others have made. Once the changes are final, you can print or PDF a clean copy for signing.

If you're a member of the Greater Boston Real Estate Board, TrueForms is free. It doesn't have the fancy option that I described above, but it's quick and easy to use.

I hope this information helps!

 

Dec 23, 2009 01:34 AM
Tony Mallozzi
Anthony Joseph Real Estate LLC - Westborough, MA

Thank you Lani you were very helpful! :-)

Dec 28, 2009 04:30 PM
GoPaperless Solutions
GoPaperless Solutions - Escondido, CA

If you're serious about going paperless, you should check out www.gopaperless.com 

Their products RealEstate Dashboard and eSignOnline are made to eliminate the need for paper signatures and forms, thereby reducing paper waste. RealEstate Dashboard, since it is specifically designed for the on-the-go real estate agent, has all the templates real estate agents need so you do not have to create new documents every time you have a new listing. Also, all documents scanned are uploaded into their online "vault" so you do not have to worry about storing hundreds of documents on your hard drive. It also uses the eSignOnline technology to capture digital signature so you do not need to have the people physically sign a paper document, rather they just "click to sign" on their own computers. Or, if you have a Tablet PC, that makes it super simple to sign right there. It is a competitive option to DocuSign as far as the technology goes, but it is much more affordable, starting at only $19.95. It also has a great support system with online webinars and real-time support.


E-Sign Dashboard is software packed with features that allow you to conduct business on the go, without paper. Capture "wet" legal electronic signatures on contracts and documents, electronically manage documents, send and receive faxes, send documents via email, retrieve and access documents via the web, and a host of other features delivers a completely paperless mobile office solution. E-Sign Dashboard is built for use on tablet PCs, ultra-mobile laptops that have a pen-enabled screen. Mobile professionals using E-Sign Dashboard eliminate paper from their workday, spend more time selling and less time shuffling paper, and provide customers with superior service.

Check out all the products offered at www.gopaperless.com

 

Mar 01, 2010 04:54 AM
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