BUYER'S GUIDE: Web-based software

What Desktop?

BY MICHAEL ANTONIAK

All you need is an Internet connection. From there you can build tours, manage your listings and transactions, access your spreadsheets and word processing programs, and create listing presentations — all from your browser window. No pesky software installation CD’s required or local office network to maintain.

Top Producer 7i leapt to the Web in 2002, helping to hasten the use of online software for real estate transaction management. Since then, more companies have followed.

“The sales associate of the future, ‘Real Estate Agent 2.0,’ will be entirely Web-based,” predicts Steven Groves, director of marketing and business development with Realty Experts Inc. in Phoenix.

Are you ready? Testing the virtual waters, Joe Stradcutter, a sales associate with the Agent Referral Network in Savage, Minn., is trying out ZipForm Online to retrieve, complete, and distribute forms and contracts. Stradcutter is also backing up his files to the Web on an Xdrive, an online data storage account included with a subscription to America Online. “I can go to any computer and retrieve what I need,” he says. “Clients today expect answers immediately, and I can provide that.”

E.J. “Edge” Simonsen, a sales associate and partner in Home Solutions Counselors of Missouri City, Texas, is transitioning the company’s network, high-speed T-1 line, and phone system to the Web. Now, incoming calls are managed through OneBox.com, a virtual phone system. A 5GB data storage account with FilesAnywhere.com, at $25 per month, functions as a server and backup system.

“We saved $556 a month on the T-1 line and $800 a month on IT support,” Simonsen says.

He also uses ZipForm Online to access forms and contracts, as well as Top Producer 7i to manage contacts and correspondence and monitor company-wide activity online. “At home I can log on to check how sales associates are doing in following up with clients,” Simonsen says. Plus, “I don’t worry about anyone stealing my laptop with all my information anymore.”

Benefits aside, taking your office virtual isn’t as simple as logging onto a Web site.

“It’s never easy to adopt new technology,” says broker Dave Richards, CRB, owner of MKR Realty in Phoenix. Richards plans to steer his staff toward using The Settlement Room, a Web-based transaction management system. But how can he quickly get the paper documents, contracts, and faxes into electronic form to use with the Web-based software? He’s addressed that challenge with a scanner that converts paper documents into PDFs.

His next likely challenge: Having to overcome sales associates’ resistance to managing transactions entirely online. After all, if the old system isn’t broke, why change it?

Richards says that resistance will melt with time. “We’ll be the front-runners,” he says, “and that’s going to be a big attraction to associates who understand how technology is changing real estate.”

Pros and Cons of Web-based Solutions

Pros:

• Convenience. You’ll have 24/7-anywhere access to whatever tools or data you need, whether you’re using the Web on a desktop, notebook, tablet, or compatible smart phone.
  

• Protection. No need to worry about backing up files or losing critical data to hardware theft. - Up-to-date tools. You’re always using the latest version and entitled to tech support.

Cons:

• Cost over time. You’ll be able to trim your budget by no longer having to maintain a local office network, since you’ll be archiving data online. But, online services are typically sold on a monthly or yearly subscription basis. Over time that can easily surpass the price of software.
  
• Downtime. You’re a slave to the Internet. If you don’t have a connection, you can’t work. This is becoming less of a problem as wireless access grows. Some people back up their information on their hard drive or print copies, but those backups are static documents that won’t reflect updates that you make when you’re back online.
  
• Culture shock. Working entirely in a virtual environment—versus having software that’s a local resource installed on your computer—may take some getting used to.
  
  

Web-based Solutions Product Guide

FilesAnywhere.com Pricing starts at $3.95/month for 100MB storage www.filesanywhere.com, 866/805-1991. A Web-based server solution for file storage, backup, and sharing. Access or upload files with any browser. Automated file backup from computer to server. MediaLinks feature for publishing, hosting, and linking to media content. Set access permission for other users. Free trial version available. Upgraded versions offer higher storage capacity.

Google Apps Premiere Edition $50 per year Google, www.google.com/a. Web-based suite of services for communication and collaboration. Components include Google Docs and Spreadsheets for creating and working with documents; Gmail e-mail account; Google Calendar for scheduling; Google Talk instant messaging; and Start Page for creating a customized home page. Includes 10GB data storage.

GotVMail Pricing starts at $9.95/month GotVMail Communications, www.gotvmail.com/nar, 800/820-8210. A Web-based service to replace traditional phone systems. Customizable virtual phone system for call management and routing. Virtual toll-free or local phone number with multiple mailboxes. Supports unlimited incoming calls so callers never hear a busy signal. Assign forwarding numbers for each voicemail box for call routing. Automatic conversion of voicemail messages into MP3 files and incoming faxes into PDFs for forwarding to an e-mail box.

Hostway $21.95/month for salespeople, $99/month for brokers (15 percent discount for NAR members) Hostway Company, www.hostway.com/nar, 866/736-7654. Web hosting solution. Includes several options to add to your Web site, including Microsoft Exchange and DataProtect data storage. Other options include SiteBlog blogging tool, Watson By Intellext Web research assistant, and GoToMyPC remote PC access.

Office Live Essentials $19.95/month Microsoft Corp., www.officelive.com. Suite of tools and services for managing business and correspondence. Supports up to 10 users. Includes Office Live Business Contact Manager and Office Live Site Designer with domain name registration. Up to 50 e-mail accounts with 2GB of storage each, 500MB of Web site storage, and an additional 500MB storage for business applications. Free download of Office Accounting Express 2007. Basic trial version and Office Live Premium edition also available.

QuickBooks Online $19.95/month for up to three users Intuit Inc., www.qboe.com, 800/267-5519. Web-based version of popular desktop business accounting software. Access and update financial data through browser. Data automatically backed up daily and stored on secure servers. Customizable invoices, reports, and user permission levels so you can decide who can access certain financial records, such as payroll. Activity log tracks users and changes to data. Audit trail records new, changed, or deleted transactions.

RELAY Transaction Management 4.0 $149/year for NAR members RE FormsNet, www.rebt.com, 866/736-7328. Online solution for managing transactions through custom Web site. Allows users, clients, and affiliates to continuously track documents, activities, communications, and contact information as transaction progresses toward closing. Supports cross-brokerage access to allow both sides of a sale to collaborate on the same transaction file. One-click integration with ZipForm Online and WINforms Online electronic forms software, which syncs data on forms with the Web site.

Agent ValuePak Pricing starts at $24.95/month with $50 setup fee Realtysoft.com, www.realtysoft.com, 866/857-1657. Suite of Web-based real estate productivity tools. MyWebsite solution for creating a site with five e-mail accounts and a domain name registration. Also includes modules for online management of listings, calendar and schedule, and contacts records. MyDocuments provides library of forms and documents. Also available: a broker version and optional modules for online advertising, document preparation, and IDX searches.

Top Producer 7i $34.95/month for basic package Top Producer Systems, www.topproducer.com, 800/821-3657. Integrated suite of real estate productivity, contact management, and marketing solutions. Capture contact data from Web forms or e-mail, then schedule ongoing correspondence and a marketing campaign. Includes community and school reports, customizable letters, and marketing material for communicating by e-mail or in print. Online calendar and scheduling.

TourFactory Unlimited $49.95/month for unlimited number of tours Home Debut Inc., www.tourfactory.com, 888/458-3943. Virtual tour creation, hosting, and distribution solution. Online tools for uploading images, listing information into customizable virtual tour templates linked to a subscriber’s Web site. Tours can include still, panoramic, and 360-degree images, maps, and a mortgage calculator. Options include IDX-compliant tours, professional voice narration, and Realtor.com distribution.

ZipForm Online $59.95/year upgrade from desktop product RE FormsNet, www.zipform.com, 866/693-6767. Online version of popular electronics forms and contracts. Forms updated so they’re always current. Template creation tools for grouping forms commonly associated with a transaction. Distribute documents to clients via e-mail. The program can be integrated with DocuSign electronic signature solution for electronic signing of documents in states where it’s been approved.

Prices are the vendors’ suggested retail prices and are subject to change. This list isn’t comprehensive; NAR doesn’t evaluate or endorse these products and isn’t responsible for changes in company info.

REALTOR Benefits®)SM partners offer special pricing or services to NAR members. Find out more at  REALTOR.org/realtorbenefits.