Top Tech Tools 2006 - March 2006

Our look at cell phones, digital cameras, navigational gear, and other high-tech essentials for the successful real estate professional.

Who needs an office when you have the right technology? According to the 2005 NAR Member Profile, 44% of REALTORS® communicate with their clients via email more than 50% of the time; 76% use MLS software on a daily basis; and 90% of REALTOR® firms have a website. To help with the often confusing range of available technology tools, this Web Wizard Report looks at some of the newest options on many of the technologies you may already be using -- ones that make your business life smoother, easier, more organized and efficient.

Cellular Phones

Over 800 million cell phones were sold in 2005. Clearly the most popular consumer technology, cell phones are a necessity to REALTORS® from both a business and a safety perspective. The ever-increasing options however, can make selecting the right phone daunting. Very good phones can be had for less than $200. Built-in cameras, keyboards, Internet access, PDA feautres, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, crisp screens, video capture, speakerphones and multimedia are among the many available options. Several phones, including the Motorola V180, Sony Ericsson P910a, Motorola Rokr E1 and Cingular’s LG F7200 provide 9 hours of talk time on a single charge. While all of these features are indeed tempting, need, cost and cell phone plans should be considered carefully.

Service Plans: Options include short-term, long-term, prepaid, pay-as-you-go and family plans. What to consider? Cost of course, but area of coverage and roaming charges are also important. A number of plans include free or inexpensive phones. If signing a contract, read carefully and ask about any additional charges to avoid surprises. Remember that you may keep the same cell phone number when switching providers -- an important concern for REALTORS®.

REALTOR® Benefits Partner:

Nextel Communications

Reviews, Comparisons & Useful Websites:

CNET.com - Top 10 Cell Phones (PCWorld.com)
Cell Phone & Wireless Service Plan Buying Guide (WirelessGuide.org)

PDAs & Handhelds

Early PDAs were little more than electronic organizers, but they have evolved into an extension of a desktop or laptop computer, with built-in cell phone, Internet/email capability, handwriting recognition, camera (though photo quality is generally sub-par), high-resolution screens and GPS. Of course, you can sync PDA data with your computer. Price range is $100-500.

Digital Cameras

Like all other technologies digital cameras have become better and cheaper. Two important factors to consider when purchasing a digital camera are megapixels and memory. If you are simply sending email photos the number of megapixels is not too important -- less than 3 megapixels will suffice. If you intend to print photos, consider a camera of 4 megapixels or higher. As for memory, most cameras come with a minimal amount built in, so it is advisable to purchase an additional memory card. Cameras range in price from less than $100 to over $1000. Memory cards start at about $25 to over $100, depending upon amount of memory.

REALTOR® Benefits Partner:

Dell Inc.
Hewlett-Packard

Reviews, Comparisons & Useful Websites:

Field Guide to Digital Cameras & Photography (NAR Virtual Library)
PC World's Info Center for Digital Cameras
Digital Cameras (CNET.com)

Laptops & Tablet PCs

Laptops: Fortunately for consumers, today's laptops are light, have long-lasting batteries and come with large hard drives and color screens. Most include built-in Wi-Fi for connecting to the Internet, MLS and email outside the office. Prices range from a low of $500 to over $3000, although the higher-end models have multi-media features that most REALTORS® may not require. Also worth consideration are Apple's Mac laptops, long loved by technophiles for their reliability, stability and above-average customer support. However, MLS software is not always compatible with Macs.

Tablets: While their popularity does not yet approach that of laptops, tablet PCs can be a good option for on-the-go REALTORS®. The appeal of a tablet PC is its touch screen and light weight (some less than 2½ pounds, but most are in the range of 3 to 6 pounds). Battery life is about 4 hours and cost is around $1500 to $2100.

REALTOR® Benefits Partners:

Dell Inc.
Hewlett-Packard
IBMHewlett-Packard

Reviews, Comparisons & Useful Websites:

Laptops (ZDNet.com)
PC World's Info Center for Laptops
Tablet PC Comparison Chart (TheTabletPC.net)
Tablet PC Demo (Microsoft)

Portable Printers

A handy option for REALTORS®' "car offices", portable printers can be used for presentations, comps, contracts, etc. The copies produced are quite good, although the printing itself is slow and the ink cartridges are somewhat pricey. Costs for the printers are $100 to $350.

REALTOR® Benefits Partners:

Dell Inc.
Hewlett-Packard

NAR Web Wizard Reports:

Portable Printers

E-Books

E-books are simply electronic versions of books which are viewable on your computer or PDA. NAR's Virtual Library offers a number of real estate books for free via its new e-books site (coming soon!). This is a great way to pack and read several volumes, from appraisal texts to the latest hot title on the housing bubble or a tech-related how-to guide, without taking up any space in your pockets.

Reviews, Comparisons & Useful Websites:

What Is an E-Book? (Wikipedia)

Software

There are countless software tools available to REALTORS® that can simplify and organize daily business activities. Contact management, presentation, CMA, website management, etc. -- these are just a sampling of the applications out there. For real estate professionals seeking software, Texas A&M University's Real Estate Center publishes an exhaustive list of practical applications that should be near the top of your bookmark list.

NAR Web Wizard Reports:

Do-It-Yourself Presentation Software

Reviews, Comparisons & Useful Websites:

Real Estate Software Directory (Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University)

Miscellaneous

Global Positioning Systems (GPS): Finding your way around is getting cheaper, smaller and more user-friendly. GPS is an excellent tool for getting directions and seeing the lay of the land from the convenience of your laptop, cell phone, or PDA.

RSS Feeds: Sort of an automated website subscription service. Simply set up a free account and subscribe to RSS feeds on any number of topics. If you check several websites regularly for new information, RSS feeds will make the process much more convenient, alerting you to changes on your favorite sites without having to visit them all separately.

Online Mapping Services: Good tools to share with your clients, allowing them to search communities for schools, transportation, hospitals, and other amenities (and disamenities) near the properties they are considering.

Podcasting: Essentially an audio file shared through online subscription options. Setting up a podcast is fairly straightforward: simply install the software (available free or up to $50) and a microphone and record away. Podcasts are an excellent way to listen to informative content from the Web or radio whenever you want, and are proving to be an effective new marketing medium as well.

NAR Web Wizard Reports:

RSS Feeds
Podcasting
Aerial Mapping Websites

Reviews, Comparisons & Useful Websites:

GPS Reviews & Ratings (Rated 4 Stars.com)
Podcasting 101 (imediaconnections)

- D. Foligno

NAR's Web Wizard Report - No. 78 (March 2006)

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Send an e-mail to NAR's Web Wizards.

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