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COVER FEATURE: The List Issue 2006 Tech Watch
What’s the use of having great tech tools, such as text messaging or a Web site, if you aren’t using them to their fullest potential? These tips will help give you the tech edge you need.
19 text message abbreviations you should know
Texting on the go? You’ll want to have a few standard abbreviations in your text-message vocabulary. Just remember, most business communication should be the more formal variety.
To avoid a WOMBAT, we should ADD,AYEC, the remaining WRK. But IANAL, soPXT to the client. I know TTTT, but let’sset a deadline JIC. GL & KIT.SLAP! MTF by COB. It’s AAP!THNQ! TSTB on the update.UW & HAND. EOM
TRANSLATION: To avoid a waste of money, brains, and time, we should address, at your earliest convenience, the remaining work. But I am not a lawyer, so please explain that to the client. I know these things take time, but let’s set a deadline just in case. Good luck & keep in touch.
Sounds like a plan! More to follow by close of business. It’s always a pleasure! Thank you! The sooner the better on the update.
You’re welcome & have a nice day. End of message
5 ways to make a big impact with video
1. Welcome online visitors.
Create a video that automatically plays to greet new visitors to your Web site and to tell them how to take advantage of all the tools and resources you provide. Work with your Web designer to make sure the video plays only for those who have never visited your site before. Otherwise, you risk annoying repeat visitors.
2. Provide interactive tutorials.
Some visitors won’t be as savvy as others when it comes to using the home search tools and other resources you’ve made available online. Avoid time-consuming calls about how to use your site by offering a step-by-step video tutorial that can be accessed with the click of a mouse.
3. Tour listings.
Video provides a more realistic perspective of a home than photos alone. With video, you can also add background music or a narrative to guide the viewer through each room and talk about special features.
4.Tour the neighborhood.
Buyers often consider the community just as important as the home itself. Take viewers on a tour of local parks, schools, and museums.
5. Show them how to stage.
Keep sellers coming back to your site by offering short videos that instruct them on the various aspects of preparing a home for sale. Include clips of a room before and after staging.
5 tips for doing video right
1. Cut to the chase.
Web visitors have short attention spans, so keep the clock in mind as you develop your video. Each video should be no more than 90 seconds long; any longer than that and you risk boring your audience.
2. Script what you plan to say and practice.
Even if you plan on using a teleprompter, practice will calm your nerves and give you that natural, off-the-cuff delivery that’s key to connecting with visitors on video.
3. Use a professional.
Unless you’re skilled in producing online videos and own the proper equipment, seek professional help. There are countless video presentation companies that offer reasonably priced services or do-it-yourself software that will walk you through the filming (on a Web camera), editing, and site-loading process.
4. Make it easy to view.
The video must be accessible to visitors with varying Internet connection speeds. Consider using a video hosting company that has the hardware and bandwidth to deliver simultaneous streams. That will keep your server from slowing down and will ensure multiple viewers can access your video at the same time.
5. Use talent if necessary.
If you’re not comfortable in front of a camera, find a local talent who is. For affordable actors, search IndieClub.com for talent in your area.
Source: Michael Russer, a.k.a. Mr. Internet, Santa Barbara, Calif.
Create a successful blog
Blogs — short for Web logs — are online journals that give everyone the opportunity to be a writer and publisher. Real estate practitioners use the medium to interact with their community and reinforce their professional expertise. Here’s how to get started:
- Understand what a blog can do for you. Blogs are frequently updated and blend personal opinions and fact with links to other resources. If done right, your blog will showcase your real estate know-how and differentiate you from other practitioners in your market.
- Determine the purpose of your blog. Before you leap into the world of blogging, find your focus. Your blog can be professional, fun, or educational, or any combination of those. Define your blog’s goal. Will it position you as the neighborhood real estate expert? Will it service your clients and prospects? Will it help you network with other real estate pros or with fellow hobbyists?
- Select blog software. There’s no shortage of programs that make it extraordinarily simple to create and update a blog. With no more effort or time than it takes to compose an e-mail, you can have your latest blog entry on the Web. Experiment with different software programs, such as Google’s Blogger or InternetCrusade’s RealTown Blogs, both of which are free.
- Address the needs of your target audience. Think of yourself as an editor who must provide compelling and relevant news and filter information on your audience’s behalf. For example, if your audience is primarily buyers, use your blog to deliver buying tips and information on properties just minutes after they hit the market.
- Update your blog regularly. Create a schedule of when you’ll add new postings, whether it’s three times a day or once a week. Let readers know how often the site is updated, and stay true to your word. Fresh content will keep your audience interested and will help the blog rank higher on search engines.
- Encourage audience participation. Ask for opinions and feedback on the issues you cover in your blog—for example, “Which architectural style do you like best?” or “What would you like to see developed at the corner of Main Street and Forest Drive?” Also include a “comments” section where readers can post other feedback any time.
- Jazz it up. Add dimension to your blog with photos, videos, and links to news articles, relevant Web sites, and your favorite blogs.
- Use RSS feeds. A technology called RSS, short for “really simple syndication,” allows you to proactively distribute your blog content. It works like this: People who visit your blog—and have already installed an RSS reader on their computer—can click on a link you provide to have the content delivered straight to their reader. Make sure your blog software has RSS feed capability.
- Arrange postings by categories. Your blog software will automatically sort your postings on your blog site with the newest content on top. But that makes it difficult for visitors to your site to zero in on the topics they find most interesting. Use the “categories” feature of your blog software to organize your postings by topic.
- Promote your blog at every opportunity. Create a prominent link to the blog on your Web site, include the blog’s Web address in your e-mail signature, and reference your blog in all advertising and marketing materials. If you publish an article in your blog that you’re particularly proud of, send a link to everyone in your sphere of influence. Be sure to have someone check your spelling and grammar before you publish. Errors will reflect badly on you.
Source: InternetCrusade, San Diego
Flash drive 101
What’s a flash drive?
Think of it as a modern version of the floppy disk, only it’s compact enough to fit in your pocket or on your keychain and can store and transport an amazing amount of data—including video, text, photographs, and music. A 2GB flash drive can hold about three times the content of a standard compact disc.
Why would I use one?
Flash drives are ideal when you aren’t bringing a notebook computer with you and you plan to use another person’s computer to access information or when you share a computer with someone and prefer not to store your personal data on the hard drive. Flash drives also provide peace of mind; you can feel better knowing that you’ll be able to access important data even if you’re away from your office.
How do you use one?
Just insert your flash drive into any computer’s USB port, select the appropriate drive, and quickly access the information you need.
How much do flash drives cost?
Flash drives differ widely in price, from less than $10 to more than $100, depending on their capacity, design, functions, and features. Expect to pay more for the ones that store the most information and have extras, such as a built-in MP3 player.
Where can I buy a flash drive?
Flash drives are available at most electronic stores, computer stores, mass retailers, and discounters. There are also countless vendors who sell them online.
Source: USB Flash Drive Alliance, San Jose, Calif.
5 things to save on a flash drive
1. Your listing presentation.
Store a slide show or other presentation materials on your flash drive and access them from your prospects’ computer. You can even transfer your presentation to their computer so they can review it later.
2. Important forms.
Have ready access to your sales contract, disclosure forms, and other documents you might need at a moment’s notice.
3. Hot listings.
Include price information, photos, video tours, and neighborhood amenities.
4. Marketing materials.
You can transfer the content about yourself, your brokerage, and your services to a prospect’s computer or print it out at the nearest workstation.
5. Passwords.
You’ll never forget another membership ID or account password.
Source: Todd Costigan, NAR’s Center for Realtor® Technology
10 timely tech etiquette tips
Without a little sensitivity, a reliance on technology can get in the way of good old-fashioned manners. Here are good habits to keep in mind.
1. Advise and get consent.
Expecting an urgent message via phone, e-mail, or instant message when meeting with clients or peers? Advise them at the outset so that the temporary distraction won’t be taken as an insult.
2. Update outgoing messages.
When you know you’ll be unavailable, update your e-mail auto-response and voicemail message letting people know how long you expect to be tied up and when you expect to be able to respond.
3. Ask before clicking.
As a courtesy, ask home owners’ permission before taking photos of their house, and explain how the photos will be used.
4. Some things are better discussed in person or over a landline.
Have discussions about personal or financial information face to face or over a landline. Cellular and cordless phone conversations can be easily overheard. Advise those on the other end why you’re calling so that they can be discreet.
5. Get to the point.
When you use e-mail or leave a voicemail message, don’t waste words. With voicemail, clearly enunciate your name and the time and reason for the call, and repeat your phone number at the end.
6. Confer before conferencing.
Advise participants of the agenda for a conference call and let them know who will attend. As the initiator, moderate the call, starting with introductions.
7. Schedule faxing.
If there are scores of pages to the document, call ahead and see whether the receiving party would prefer you to send it after hours, when the transmission won’t tie up the line.
8. Get a Tablet.
Opening a notebook computer and typing away puts up a barrier between you and clients. If you must record notes on the fly, consider a Tablet PC, which includes a special pen for on-screen notetaking. It’s less intrusive and doesn’t give up any of the convenience of your portable computer.
9. Don’t hog the Wi-Fi.
Hot spots in restaurants and coffee shops are a customer convenience, not a field office. If you can’t complete a task in the time it takes to finish that latte or meal, move on to a public space like a library.
10. Avoid spam, period.
No one wants it, no one appreciates it, and it always reflects poorly on the manners of the sender.
Source: Michael Antoniak
8 steps to staging a virtual tour
1. Understand the camera’s perspective.
The camera’s eye is very different from the human eye. It magnifies clutter and poor furniture arrangement. To make a home shine in a virtual tour or video presentation, cater to the lens.
2. Make the home “Q-tip clean.”
Because the camera magnifies grime, each room must be spotless. Don’t forget floor coverings and walls; a discolored spot on the rug might be overlooked by prospects during a regular home showing, but that stain becomes a focal point for online viewers.
3. Pack up the clutter.
But leave three items of varying heights on each surface. For example, on an end table you can place a lamp (high), a small plant (medium), and a book (low).
4. Snap pictures.
This will give you an idea of what the home will look like on camera. Closely examine the photos and list changes that would improve each room’s appearance: opening blinds to let in natural light, removing magnets from the refrigerator, or taking down distracting art.
5. Pare down furniture.
Identify one or two pieces of furniture that can be removed from each room to make the space appear larger.
6. Rearrange.
Spotlight the flow of a space by creating a focal point on the furthest wall from the doorway and arranging the other pieces of furniture to make a triangle shape. The focal point may be a bed in a bedroom or a china cabinet in a dining room.
7. Reaccessorize.
Include a healthy plant in every room; the camera loves green. Energize bland decor by placing a bright vase on a mantle or draping an afghan over a couch.
8. Keep the home in shape.
You want buyers who liked what they saw online to encounter the same home in person.
Source: Barb Schwarz, Staged Homes, Concord, Pa.
More information
For regular technology updates, including new content at REALTOR® Magazine Online, visit the Technology area of REALTOR.org. See the REALTOR Benefits(SM) Program for special offers on technology products and services from partners, visit .
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