The DocuSign contest called Eliminating Inefficiencies In Real Estate - A Contest got me thinking about how I have dealt with some inefficiencies. I’ve never heard of DocuSign but it does seem like a useful service.
How I have cut out some inefficiencies out of my business As a Home Inspector and Energy Auditor I prefer to have contracts signed before the inspection. Printing them out and bringing them with me proved to be a bad idea. Often buyers are late or don’t show. You then have to spend time tracking them down and holding the report till it’s signed. With the age of the internet I primarily e-mail the PDF and have contract in hand prior to the inspection.
When I’m booked I do a little research on the house. I look at the Assessor’s page, the listing, and some other sites to see if there are any red flags. If the listing states there is more square footage than the assessors it could be an unpermitted addition. I can also see if it states there is a well, septic or oil. Sometimes these can still be on a property that was hooked up to city utilities. Having a little more info before I show up can help me speed up my job and make sure the information about the inspection is correct before I arrive.
Another issue is payment. Most people are willing to write a check but there are times where the buyer is out of town or the person forgets the checkbook because they are like me an never write checks. Then the paying out of escrow starts being discusses or the agent agrees the write the check. While we all stand around and discuss it I could have been working. So now I offer online payment and on site credit card payment. It takes less time and puts the money in the bank faster.
One other thing I do is usually on sellers inspections people are going to want to see the report. A printed copy on site is a good idea but maybe the people want to see it prior to ever going to view the property. I started offering to upload the inspection report using an online service that allows the listing agent to send people to a website and download the report. They don’t have to go back to their computer to mail it out.
These few things not only allow me to cut inefficiencies it allows me to provide a better service to the agents and customers.
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