The New Money ... Welcome to the Information Age. It's here, it's not going away. I speak to many Real Estate Professionals that simply don't want to deal with it. They have been doing business the same way for years and it has worked out so far, why change? Well, for starters, whether you want to face it, or not, homebuyers and sellers are. It's just that simple. Generation X has grown up, and they are beginning to become active in the Real Estate Marketplace. Moreover, the 30 to 50 year old demographic has gotten much more comfortable with technology. Even the baby boomers are online in increasing numbers. They can check out properties 5,000 miles away, complete with satellite images, from the comfort of their living rooms. They expect you, as real estate professionals to be up on all of this technology. If they can do it, why shouldn't you be able to? After all, YOU"RE the pro right? BUT WAIT! You're a REALTOR®. Your business is properties. Who said you have to be a computer science major? Now, you have to know about legal, financial, construction, city ordinanaces, taxes, and everything else that goes with selling a property? PLUS TECHNOLOGY??? Wow, doesn't seem fair does it? Unless of course you happen to enjoy technology. I have found that most people that don't have a good grasp on technology, just don't understand what it is all about. So, if that is the case, then, perhaps I can be of assistance. Keep reading. Before you get discouraged with it, let's take a look at technology? What its all about, how to work it, how to keep up? When you boil it all down, it's much more manageable then you might think. Let's break it down. The Internet, is simply a huge network of computers. Computers Manipulate and Store Files. Files, regardless of what they are (pictures, numbers, letters, email etc ... ) data. Data is simply information. Therefore, the Internet is just information, or, more plainly the Internet = Information. Think of it like an enormous library, that contains basically all of mankind's knowledge that you can access from anywhere you have access to it. All you need is a simple computer, like say ... a cellphone ... Better yet, once you get the hang of it, it is a lot more fun and a whole lot easier to find information then a real actual library. What's more, the information is up to the minute, comprehensive, interactive and constantly updated. There is information about anything that could possibly interest you, even if it only interests you for a moment (like this blog perhaps). Yep, it's all about information. That's all there is to it. As I see it, information is becoming more important than money. I am guessing that soon, information will be the new money. Already, I have little or no need for actual cash. I can lose it, have it stolen ... My check card is accepted everywhere. I even think the neighbor kid's lemonade stand has a credit card terminal ... But that is not really what I mean by "the new money" actually, information becomes a means to attaining money. For instance, Techy-REALTOR® A and Non-Techy-REALTOR B® are trying to get 29-Year-Old-Client A's business. Client A has a home that he won on an online poker game that he is trying to unload. It is a shotgun shack that needs paint. REALTOR® A has an interactive website that links to Google Maps, IDX, Blogs, REALTOR.org. He can take digital images of Client A's house, upload them to the MLS, market it all over the web, get comps in moments flat, e-mail blast perspective buyers, offer virtual tours of the property, video tours, send and receive email from the middle of nowhere on his PDA, line up; painters, plumbers, home inspectors, and candlestick makers. He can store the sellers name in a database for future reference, and match it with potential buyers from the same database. REALTOR® B thumbs through his roledex. REALTOR® A updates the new contact so that a service sends his wife flowers on their childrens birthday, as the offers are accepted. Simultaneously, he smiles as all the work he has done on SEO hits paydirt with 3 new strong e-mails from his site. REALTOR® B waits for his bus stop bench to generate a lead ... Make no mistake, business is war & that being the case, can you afford to be out there without the same tools the other guy has? Whether you like, or dislike technology, it is here to stay. It is up to you to lead, follow or get out of the way. If you are ready, but don't know where to begin, stay tuned, I will keep the info coming as time permits. If you are the motivated type, feel free to send me a message, either comment here, or shoot an email. Good luck, God bless and keep the powder dry. Courtesy of RealEstateTechOnline.com your real estate technology connection.