Well, the good news is that the technology is here and ready to take your real estate agents mobile, with total access to everything necessary to do the job and to serve clients where they want to be served. In an economy with increasing pressures on margins, it's natural to look for ways to cut costs in brokerage management. The use of an online intranet, netbook computers and portable all-in-one printers will make the centralized full service office obsolete.
Netbooks are scaled-down notebook computers, usually with 10 inch or smaller screens, that are primarily designed for Internet access through cellular broadband connections. They are a threat to the "smart phone" market, and for that reason, the cell providers are cutting deals with the netbook manufacturers to subsidize the units in return for cell service contracts. There are already deals surfacing for $99 netbooks in exchange for a 2 year cell service contract.
However, even with regular pricing between $200 and $300, they are a bargain considering many are paying more than that for their smart phones with tiny keyboards that really are of no use for the mobile office demands of the real estate professional. With a netbook and an online intranet, the real estate professional can have access to everything they need to operate with complete mobility:
- Share document files with clients and the brokerage securely online.
- Access the MLS via online systems.
- Manage contacts, prospect and client information online.
- Manage listings, listing tasks, showings and feedback remotely.
- Transaction task management online.
- Manage leads with accountability.
- Even individual bookeeping functions can be provided securely for agents.
All of this can be done on the hood of the car, in the customer's kitchen, or anywhere where cell phone reception is available. The brokerage can cut floor space, while enhancing their services to the agent and the consumer. Virtually everything the busy real estate professional needs to operate their independent contractor business, can be handed to them by their brokerage, with total control.
Let's summarize our new age franchise characteristics:
It's all ready and available now, and at a cost that's a fraction of what's being spent to keep our large centralized and staffed offices open.
