With split families, highly mobile clients, and a great deal of mobility in home buying, there are more and more negotiations and transactions between people in different towns or states, as well as those mobile for work. Email helps to move information between these mobile participants with immediacy and over great distances. There is no longer the wait for mail, or even for overnight expensive document services. It's all about right now.
Using email, the real estate professional can inform their client of changes in situation, deliver documents, ask questions and get answers with almost instantaneous responses. The client is well-informed, and appreciative of being in the loop more than ever before. A "quick question" is just that nowadays, and the answer can be just as quick. A client needing to know if an inspection is completed can receive an email minutes after it's done. There isn't a report of results, but it's enough to know that things are on track.
It gets even better with electronic signatures, and the ability to execute many transaction documents with the click of a mouse, rather than printing out a document, signing it, and faxing it back. I even did a transaction with a lcoal client mostly over email with electronic signatures. We were in the midst of a snow storm, with really cold weather and bad roads. We were only a few miles away from each other, but we both agreed that it was wonderful to be able to execute documents without physical meetings.
There are reasons to be careful with email for transactions and negotiations. Many times true intent and tone are impossible to discern from email. So, work hard to get to know your clients personally with email as well as time together. You'll find it easier to move information without misunderstandings.
