Technology and the realtor
By Warren McNeil
Technology, is an amazing thing. Having a background in computers, I rely heavily on computerized systems and technology to help me to do my job. I am a gadget guy so if it is powered by a lithium battery, then I want one. People might not realize this but being internet connected is necessary for todays realtors. Gone are the days of the big "real estate book o listings". In today's day and age, things move in such a fast pace that we don't even have time to read. We abbreviate everything when we send text messages, we email instead of calling or visiting people and we search our board system via computer to get quick results for available houses for sale. Being able to search the MLS for listings is 1000 times faster then rifling through a book.
Here is a shortlist of some of the techology I use to do my job:
Blackberry
The Blackberry is where I receive all my emails, text messages, pages, phone messages. It even allows me to seach the MLS system. The features of this device are absolutely critical to any realtor. Without this device I would be lost. We even send text messages to our clients because they told us they prefer this method over other communication methods. The PDA was one of the greatest inventions ever.
Computers
Another device we couldn't live without in this information age is the computer. The computer is used for everything. Internet, marketing, communication, research, advertising, training, time management. This list could go on and on. Heck, home inspectors even print off their reports from computers. In the next five to ten years, I can see all real estate based contracts being electronic. This would definitely save trees. I think the best thing to ever happen to trees is the computer because it "cuts down" (no pun intended) on paper. All we got to do now is figure out how to handle the high gas prices! How about solar powered robots that can transform into cars. More then meets the eye indeed! 
Digital Cameras
The digital camera is required in order to take pictures of your home. It sure beats Polaroid. Scanning images would be a real pain in the butt, Pulling out the little SD card and sticking it into the little SD slot on my laptop sure beats scanning them in. Some of the digital cameras that you can buy now even have builtin tools to improve the picture quality. Now with harddrive based movie camcorders dropping in price, video is slowly starting to show up.
GPS
This device is a godsend. I can't believe I lived the first part of my life without one. As a realtor, this device will pay for itself a million times. Especially if you are like me and you get lost pulling out of your driveway. 
In summary, whether it is receiving a text message on your Blackberry, uploading new photos to a listing on a website or finding a house in the middle of nowhere, technology enables us to be more efficient at our jobs. If you like to keep track of all you appointments in a paper daytimer thats great. I prefer to keep appointments in a system that I can access on my Blackberry as well as a paper daytimer. The downside to technology is that it can be distracting. We have become slaves to the devices that we use everyday. I never answer my phone when I am at appointments because I feel it distracts me and changes my train of thought. I also want to show the people that they have my undivided attention. Some people can't resist the temptation to read an email or answer the phone during a meeting. How many times have we been at a seminar when the phone rings 100 times. Or what about at a movie theatre. I have heard people answer the phone and talk in a movie theatre. The people in the audience told the person to "be quiet". It was actually quite funny.
That's enough of my spiel on technology.
Thanks for reading!