New Fangled Fruit......or.....Tools of the Real Estate Trade

New tools of the trade.....

Well I finally made the move to a smart phone. I had been lugging around a MotoRazor, a Palm T-5 and gasp....a pager. I'd been putting it off as communications is not as intense for me as a broker as it might be for an active real estate agent. What pushed me to the next level is remembering basic leadership......lead by example. If I think consistent communication is important for my agents with their clients....if I feel technology is a tool to help buyers and seller feel more involved in the transaction and if I want my agents to use more of the tools that are available to them......you've got it...I better use it as well.

Two weeks ago I picked up my BlackBerry 8703e. So far so good!! I like it a lot better than my Palm and I'm finding I can respond to e-mail questions from my agents a lot quicker.

I added a couple of software items that have made it even better:

Google Maps

Google Search

Google News

Web Messanger (allows for Instant Messaging)

One of the reasons I chose BlackBerry is because e-mail arrives so quickly. It is based on push technology instead of having a device like a Treo which has to go out on a scheduled time and pull the information.

Some drawbacks:

This device does not have a camera or an SD slot which an active agent may find helpful.

A caution:

Spending time with your family does not mean sitting at the same table or in the same room while you cruise your smart phone. It is very tempting to pull it out and respond to messages but resist the temptation. When you are at your kids next ball game, take a look around. Many of the parents that are there have their noses buried in their laptop or smart phone......are they really there??? What experiences are they missing and what messages are they sending in the most wireless of ways to their kids who are looking up to them for encouragement and support.

A new mantra...."It is just a tool.....It is just a tool"

3 comments:

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Anonymous said...

Hey Frank,

I just moved to a smart phone, too. I went with the Treo 755p with the Palm OS. I was using a Zire 72 as well as a cell phone. I love the Palm and I'm so used to the way it works that I wanted to stay with it. It's great, but now I wouldn't want live without it.

I like your focus on balance. It's too easy to get caught up with "business" and sometimes with the fun of "tools" that we forget what's really important--the people we love. When that happens we need something to get our vision corrected. It sounds like your agents have someone there to help them with that.

jcoggi said...

I work for Prudential Georgia real estate firm and I can't stress enough the importance of communication. The buyer wants to feel involved in the transaction and have the capability to contact you anytime they feel necessary and mobile communication is the way to achieve this.

http://www.prudentialgeorgia.com/