Star Trek and Real Estate

It is depressing to think that for the last 30 years we have used has used the same space shuttles in NASA. Original onboard computers were state of the art 286 processors and the onboard flight instruments were analog like you would find in a 70s airplane. These systems are now upgraded with faster computer systems and flat screen display panels for the instruments like you would find in a modern airplane. I know many of the systems have been upgraded and the oil has been changed meticulously but even with all that maintenance the basic systems are the same. Being a child of the Star Trek generation I would think that we would have something better by now. Maybe my expectations are too high. I think it is just a bit sad that we don't have something ready to go or at least getting built now to replace these old birds. Seems we will be relying on the Russian old style rockets to get into space for the foreseeable future.

As you probably know it is a short trip from talking about space travel to real estate. Though you might think they are unrelated I have news for you. Many aspects of NASA are being employed every day by Realtors. As some of you can remember, fax machines have been around since the mid 1970s. Many improvements have been made to this technology but its time has come and gone. It is always sad when I have a Realtor that wants to fax me an offer or fax me some information on a listing. It makes me wonder how they survive in our market without being able to scan and email documents. In order to accommodate these agents I have set up a number that converts the fax to a digital PDF file and I receive it on my email wherever I am. Unfortunately the quality of the copy is limited to the other agent's outdated technology.

Another major advancement that has been made in the last 10 years is the advent of digital signatures. Credit goes to President Clinton for signing this into law in 1998. The use of digital signatures has been very slow to be adopted into use by Realtors. To be fair, most banks selling homes (foreclosures) do not accept digital signatures so it is not accepted by all sellers. For most transactions though this is the new way to make legally binding contracts. In an age of out of state buyers and the accessibility of email this is the new way to do business.

I use www.docusign.com. All I need to do is upload paperwork to the web site and place initials and signatures where they need to go. My client will get an email requesting them to review the documents and click to sign where needed. This does not replace sitting down to make an offer with someone who needs that time explaining the contract. There is something magical about meeting at the office or over coffee with a pen and paper and I will not deny that. But for those of us who buy and sell often it can be done easily and quickly. It never fails that many negotiations get handled late in the evening and using this technology we can eliminate the need for faxing and driving all over creation to get things finished.

One last area where technology has left behind many Realtors is the availability of online marketing. Clients used to be satisfied with putting a sign in the yard, taking a few pictures and hoping for the best but that time is over. While I still get the old school customer who tells me that all they need is the local agent who knows people in the area most people now know better. 95% or homebuyers look online first. If find that only 50% of the people I work with buying in our area are moving from here. Our Collin County area is expanding from out of state buyers and people relocating to our area. These buyers are scanning Realtor.com, remax.com and other sites before they actually start the process of visiting homes. It is Essential that Realtors have as many pictures as possible and a virtual tour attached to every listing. Pictures and virtual tours are what will get your home looked at online. My virtual tours are also auto populated to virtually every real estate website. Here is a list of my current inventory http://www.visualtour.com/inventory.asp?U=154808

I hope I am around to see our next great adventure in space travel. As I write this blog I am watching the final liftoff off space shuttle Atlantis. I hope that we advance and get back to innovation and discovery. Real estate should not be the only thing that has moved forward

Wayne Warshawsky RE/MAX Four Corners 214-718-3096

Broker Associate www.365incollincounty.com