Blackberry

The California Association of REALTORS reported in their survey that 31% of their members said a Blackberry or Treo was their most important technology upgrade in 2005

What exactly is a Blackberry? It is similar in size to a personal digital assistance (PDA) but it is more. It is an all in one easy-to-use wireless device. With a Blackberry, here are some possible uses posted on their company website (www.blackberry.com).

• Send and receive messages while waiting to board your plane
• Place a phone call while reading your email messages in a hotel lobby
• Co-ordinate a meeting from the middle of a tradeshow
• View information from a corporate database in the back seat of a taxi

The Treo is a similar product sold by Palm (http://web.palm.com/).

CAR 2005 Use of Technology Survey

The California Association of REALTORS released their 2005 "Use of Technology Survey" during their annual tradeshow. The survey reports on current trends in technology used by REALTORS and its implementatation within their real estate business.

Among the survey's findings:

- 90 percent of REALTORS have high-speed Internet connection at home (up from 82 percent a year ago and 71 percent in 2003)

- 46 percent of REALTORS use e-mail as their primary form of communication with clients

- 31 percent said a Blackberry or Treo was their most important technology upgrade in 2005

- 61 percent post listings to their own website

- 33 percent of REALTORS' business comes from the Internet

- 67 percent said that the Internet is extremely or very important in the marketing and promotion of their business

For more information visit the CAR's website at www.car.org

Safety at open houses

The Real Estate Safety Counsel has recommended several safety precautions when showing an open house.

• know the escape routes - determine several if possible
• make sure deadbolt locks are unlocked
• walk behind the prospect when showing the house
• check-in with your office hourly
• have a prearranged emergency code word
• write down, if you can, the license numbers of all arriving prospects
• have someone stay with you

You can read additional safety tips from the Real Estate Safety Counsel by visiting http://www.warealtor.com/Safety/Safety%20tips/tips.htm

National Realtor Safety Week

This week is National Realtor Safety Week. In many cities, real estate brokers and local police departments are working together to teach Realtors how to stay safe on the job.

With personal safety in mind, check out http://www.golookinside.com/. They employ professional videographers and writers to produce custom streaming videos for $199. The fee includes sending a professional videographer to client locations to tape the client on-camera. The video is edited, music and titles are added, and the video is streamed on the Internet for up to a year. The client receives a hotlink to attach to their WebCubic website (www.webcubic.com).

Streaming video makes marketing sense. Realtors can show listings to online buyers and market themselves at the same time.

Another company, Imprev (http://www.imprev.net/), provides quality multimedia and print designs for real estate sales agents. REALTORS' sales and marketing tools, including multimedia, can be linked to your web site.

With applications like these, sellers benefit by reducing theft and unnecessary foot traffic through their homes. Buyers benefit by qualifying properties from the their home or office. REALTORS benefit by working more safely and having Internet visitors remain on their websites for longer periods.

drip ... drip ... drip

Many REALTORS® look at drip e-mail campaigns as the solution for creating new leads. That should not be the case. Experts offer these suggestions:

Drip e-mail should never be used to generate new leads. It should be used only with leads who have granted permission to e-mail them.

Federal commercial e-mail rules require that you include a return e-mail and postal address on all e-mail, a functioning opt-out mechanism, and a clear notice if the e-mail message includes an advertisement or business solicitation.

Each drip e-mail note sent must be viewed as highly valuable or they will quickly become annoyed.

On a positive note, drip campaigns, such as regular e-mail newsletters and market updates, can establish rapport and trust with prospects after you’ve made an initial contact to the time they are ready to buy or sell.