Earlier this year I had the opportunity to interview three of the nation's top high tech real estate agents. One of the questions they were to answer was "What was your best hardware purchase this last year?" Among them, the answer was unanimous. Each mentioned with excitement this new fangled scanner. At first I just couldn't buy into it . . . the thought of stepping backwards to a dedicated scanner taking up valuable desktop space in my office . . . I am asking myself, what's wrong with your multifunction printer combo? By the time the third interview was over, I was convinced and I had one on the way.
The Fujitsu ScanSnap S1500 is about the size of a football when it's folded up. It takes up hardly any space. When you unfold the paper feed and catch trays, it turns the power on. It only has one button . . . to scan . . . you can't mess it up. Get this, when you scan a document, it automatically lands in your computers "My Documents" as a pdf file. No finessing, no fancy steps, just "Bam" it's a PDF file on your hard drive waiting for you to rename it and move it to its rightful place.
It scans 20 pages per minute, both sides, color! I put it up against my Multifunction Printer and the ScanSnap had 34 pages scanned and saved before the Multifunction Printer scanned the first page.
It does business cards right into Outlook. It scans the smallest of receipts and with a click, scans photos at your highest resolution.
And wait, there's more, they throw in a $350 Adobe Acrobat Standard software program. You can get the whole works for around $450. Check out CNet's http://www.Shopper.com for the latest reviews and pricing.
Man, when I got it, I scanned everything in house, including the microwave manual. I don't even keep paper folders for my transactions anymore. It's so fast and easy, now everything is paperless. After scanning, I turn the originals into the office and keep the pdf files organized in folders in my computer.
Here is a strategy for organizing your transactions on your computer. In your My Documents folder, create two new folders, one for Listings and one for Sales. In the Sales folders create sub folders for each buyer by last name. In the Listings folder, create folders for each listing by street name. Keep every file, document and photo in their respective folder.
I know what you're thinking . . . yes backing up the computer becomes paramount. Have I got a backup plan just for you . . . it's easy, fool proof and secure. But you're going to have to wait for the next blog entry or attend a training session with Mark Porter, check the schedule at www.MarkPorterSeminars.com or http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=46398258602
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