BUYER’S GUIDE: Maps, GPS, demographics
Choosing your course
Voices of experience Hardware
Services/Software
BY MICHAEL ANTONIAK
Getting around
Aside from firefighters and police officers, no one needs to know the community like a real estate professional. And whether you’re trying to find your way to a broker open house, conduct showings more efficiently, or provide buyers with a primer on your area’s amenities, there’s technology to make your job easier.
For as little as $9.99, you can load the software equivalent of a road atlas into your computer or PDA and enjoy instant access to street-level maps.
Software maps serve as a foundation for more ambitious systems using global positioning satellite (GPS) technology. These satellites continually beam to earth signals that can be read by GPS-compatible hardware, including many computers, PDAs, and car navigation systems. When deployed with mapping software, the technology guides you as you move from one location to another with detailed turn-by-turn directions.
GPS hardware also tracks your travels, saving a visual log of places you visit and a mileage record. Use the logging capability to map out boundaries as you walk a property line. This is no substitute for a survey: For national security reasons, the government makes GPS data inaccurate within 10 meters. But it can give you, and an interested buyer, a quick approximation of the lay of the land and acreage.
You can also combine mapping software with a database of demographic information to reveal more about an area than can be gleaned from geography. Drawing from U.S. Census data and other resources, demographic software programs and Web-based tools can profile a selected area’s inhabitants and income levels, the quality of local education, shopping patterns and commercial activity, and the success potential for a business startup. (Be sure you follow NAR Standards of Practice in your use of demographic information to avoid violating fair housing law or the Code of Ethics.)
No matter how familiar you think you are with your locale, the technology available in mapping, GPS, and demographic tools can add the insight and direction to keep you on course for success.
Choosing your course
Mapping software: Computer- or PDA-based mapping programs offer a welcome alternative to carrying an oversized atlas or foldout maps. You can conduct quick searches by typing in an address or street name. The software’s zoom capabilities easily enlarge or reduce the details of a map.
GPS: Adding GPS capability means you’ll need a computer/PDA expansion card, a peripheral device connected through your USB port (like a handheld GPS receiver), or dedicated hardware. It’ll guide you from one location to the next or help you map out an itinerary for a tour of several listings.
Demographics: Use demographic data tools to sell prospects on locating in your market and to demonstrate to buyers and sellers how well attuned you are to your area. Plus, demographic data can provide strategic insight into trends shaping your market and where to find the potential buyers and sellers you want as clients.
Voices of experience
Darwin Barker, salesperson, Edina Realty, Edina, Minn. Barker knows the city of Edina as well as anyone who calls it home. Nevertheless, he relies on a Bluetooth-enabled HP iPaq PDA loaded with Mapopolis software and a dashboard-mounted Bluetooth GPS receiver to guide him around town. “In the car, I’m usually concentrating on speaking with clients,” he explains. “My system reminds me where I need to go for my next stop and how to get there.” The receiver tracks and relays his location to the handheld, which displays it on a map. “Before I head out with clients, I load the addresses of several properties into Mapopolis” to get spoken directions. Barker also appreciates the GPS system’s ability to tally business mileage.
Eliot Meier, CRS®, broker, The Hasson Co., REALTORS®, Portland, Ore. Meier charts his travels with Microsoft MapPoint software loaded on his laptop. “It’s very accurate,” he says. “I just type in an address and a map pops up with its location. If I need a closer look, I can zoom right in.” He also incorporates maps into his PowerPoint listing presentations. “For market analysis, I can create a map showing exactly where other houses sold and where active listings are in relation to the home.” And when people express interest in a neighborhood, he prints out a map—with his contact information prominently displayed—highlighting points of interest, such as schools.
HARDWARE
EarthMate Blue Logger GPS $149.95
Earthmate.com, www.earthmate.com, 207/846-7177. Bluetooth-compatible GPS handheld bundled with DeLorme GPS mapping software for Windows PCs. Unit automatically records trip log and map. Records up to 50,000 location points/landmarks you choose. Can trace property boundaries as it’s carried. Transfers stored information, such as landmarks, to Bluetooth-compatible computer for creating a custom map.
Pharos CF/PCMCIA GPS bundle $199.95
Pharos Science & Applications Inc., www.pharosgps.com, 310/212-7088. CompactFlash (CF) card GPS receiver bundled with Microsoft Streets and Trips 2004 mapping software. Card adds GPS capability to CF-compatible notebooks and Tablet PCs. May be used with CF adapter for PCMCIA slots. Provides turn-by-turn directions. Software tracks mileage, travel time, and fuel expense.
GPS Navigator $299
PalmOne Inc., www.palmone.com,800/881-7256. Bluetooth-enabled solution for use with compatible Palm OS handhelds. Includes GPS receiver and TomTom mapping/navigation software. GPS receiver tracks location and transmits it to PDA via Bluetooth for display on map. Provides spoken or on-screen directions to destinations.
Pathfinder starts at $350
Advanced Marketing Services, www.internetmls.com,800/428-0004. Handheld GPS system for use with Pocket PC PDAs running InternetMLS data service. Includes GPS antenna, mapping, and MLS data sync software. Provides driving directions to any MLS listing from present location. If you don’t already have a Pocket PC device, you can opt for Dell or Hewlett Packard Pocket PC bundle.
iQue 3600 $589
Garmin International Inc., www.garmin.com,800/800-1020. Palm OS PDA with GPS functions includes antenna for pinpointing location and navigation/mapping software. Unit will determine how to reach any destination, including addresses stored in contact database, from present location. Provides on-screen or spoken turn-by-turn directions.
NAV-200 $1,800
Alpine Electronics of America Inc., www.alpine.com,800/421-2284. Mobile navigation system for in-car installation. Includes DVD-based PowerNav System, GPS receiver, 5.8-inch-wide LCD monitor, and SmartMap Pro software. Offers several ways to find destinations, including searching by address, street name, or name stored in address book. System determines most efficient travel route, providing turn-by-turn directions on screen and via spoken commands.
SERVICES/SOFTWARE
(VIP Partner)
TeleNav pricing varies
Telenavigation Inc., www.telenav.net, 888/353-6284. Navigation service for cell phone customers of Nextel, a REALTOR VIP® partner. Visit www.nextel.com/nar or call 877/607-8998 to learn about 10 percent discount and free trial. Users call service and announce or type in destination on phone keypad. Service determines present location, then provides turn-by-turn directions over phone until you reach destination.
Rand McNally StreetFinder $9.99
Rand McNally, www.randmcnally.com, 800/275-7263. Windows-compatible navigation software includes detailed street maps for entire country, including major airport diagrams and 1 million business listings. Users can connect to company Web site to retrieve turn-by-turn directions. Can also be used with GPS hardware to determine location and best route. Company offers version of software for PDAs and Trip Maker software for PCs. Use Trip Maker to create itinerary for visiting a series of properties.
StreetAtlas USA 2004 $49.95
DeLorme, www.delorme.com, 800/561-5095. Windows-compatible map software for notebook and desktop PCs. Database of latest street-level maps for all states. Provides JPG versions of maps for e-mail distribution. Can be used with optional DeLorme Earthmate GPS receiver to provide turn-by-turn directions. Special version of software also offered for use on Palm and Pocket PC PDAs.
Mapopolis Navigator $99 base price
Mapopolis.comInc., www.mapopolis.com. Users download map viewer software for PDAs, then can subscribe to five different levels of map libraries for selected areas or cities. Company also offers bundle of GPS expansion cards or peripherals with map subscriptions for many models of PDA hardware.
VIP Partners
REALTOR VIP® Program partners offer special pricing to NAR members. Learn more at REALTOR.org/realtorVIP.
- eNeighborhoods Power Suite $199 startup kit; monthly subscription fee starts at $39.95
eNeighborhoods, www.eneighborhoods.com/realtorVIP, 877/363-4442. Suite of marketing tools for organizing and presenting information on market areas online or as printed reports. Data includes neighborhood demographic profile, local crime rate, home values, school information, and cost of living. Includes proprietary mapping engine with support for aerial and satellite imagery, where available. Subscribers receive monthly CD with updated information.
- MapPoint 2004 $299
Microsoft Corp., www.microsoft.com/mappoint,800/426-9400 ext. 11315. Business mapping and data visualization software for Windows. Contains street-level maps for North America and database of consumer purchase and behavior data from U.S. Census and market research. Generate customized maps highlighting demographic information impacting an area. Maps can be saved as Web pages or downloaded to Pocket PC PDAs. Integrates with Microsoft Office suite.
Prices are the manufacturers’ 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.
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A list of commercial real estate technology links from the REALTORS® Commercial Alliance
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