Secret , how to use technology to get potential transaction

1. Using a Netbook or iPad for Your Mobile Real Estate Office

The first piece of the mobile real estate office is of course the computer. It's the core piece, but the steps that follow will fill out the picture with tools to use our computer remotely. While a notebook computer is fine, many have moved to the netbook for the smaller form factor. With WiFi access, you can work with documents, send emails, work online and more. So, sitting in a customer's hotel room or home isn't a problem...if you have the WiFi.

As for the iPad, you lose some functionality, but I use it almost exclusively when I'm traveling. I take the netbook for the now-and-then task that I can't accomplish with the iPad. Also, just because of many years of keyboard work, I find it faster to work in the netbook for many tasks. But, the long boot time, shorter battery life and heavier weight make it a second choice when the iPad will get the job done.

So, for the first component of our real estate mobile office, I recommend a netbook with at least a 10 inch screen, and/or an iPad. One definite advantage of the netbook comes in our third step when we talk about printing and scanning. With no USB ports, the iPad just can't do what the netbook can.

Now let's look at the next piece, getting our WiFi access when and where we need it.

2. Carry Your WiFi 3G Hotspot With You for a Mobile Real Estate Office

We now have our netbook computer and/or our iPad, but now we need to be able to access the Web from wherever we are, preferably without traveling to a WiFi hotspot. I've written about my use of the Verizon MiFi device, which provides this capability, but the $60/month access fee was a bit steep unless you use it a lot.

Well, the situation is now better, with two phones from Verizon that have 3G hotspot capability as a part of the cell phone. I bought a Palm Pre Plus, and can turn on a hotspot at any time, for use by multiple computers or devices. It works great, and now I don't have to carry the phone and a WiFi box, and worry about multiple different batteries to keep charged. The same level of access is also less expensive with the phone hotspot.

With the Palm Pre, I have Web access for the netbook or the iPad wherever I get cell service. I have no problem accessing Zipforms Online and doing contract documents. In fact, there's an app with the iPad that makes it easier yet. Now I can do purchase agreements, counter offers, and other documents in my customer's home, hotel room or other location.

That's all great, but it isn't good enough unless I can easily print out the document to get their signatures. Sure, some love their tablet computers for signatures, but I found it a pain to try and show my client the contract clauses on the screen for explanation, then keep turning the computer around for their signatures. They prefer the paper, and the last piece of our mobile real estate office, printing, is next.

 

3. HP Web Enabled Printer for Your Mobile Real Estate Office

In our first two steps, we talked about the computer we'll need for our mobile real estate office, and then about an easier and less expensive way to carry around our own mobile 3G hotspot as a cell phone feature.

Now, let's talk about printing. Sure, some of us are already carrying a printer in the vehicle, powered off of our car electric system. But, when I switched much of my out-of-office activity to the iPad, a physical USB connection wasn't there. Besides, all of those cables were a pain anyway. Well, HP responded with a printer series that communicates with the Internet via WiFi. It has its own email address. I can email a document as an attachment, and the printer receives and prints it.

Now, here's my remote office routine with a customer:

• We're meeting at their home to do a listing or purchase agreement.
• I get the details, their information, and use my Palm Pre hotspot and iPad to fill out the documents online.
• I email the documents as an attachment directly to the HP D110a Printer.
• Excusing myself, I go to my vehicle, the printer picks up my Palm Pre hotspot, and it receives the email and prints the documents.
• I take them back in for signatures.
• If you're using a netbook, you can take them back out and use the scanning function of the printer via USB to scan in the signed documents and print the customer a copy. With the iPad, I just tell them I'll do it back at the office and email them a copy

It's as easy as 1-2-3! You can set up a truly mobile real estate office with these tools.