smartphones » Technology Tools for Real Estate

Touch screen mobile phone Iphones, Blackberrys and other types of smartphones are just small, handheld computers. In fact, many of today’s phones have computing power that far surpasses that of the earliest microcomputers.

Increasingly, we use our phones to do more than just talk to clients and read e-mail. The newer phone applications let us store passwords, do banking transactions, manage our prescriptions and medical records, and handle other sensitive data. As a result, our phones are a perfect target for hackers.

Cell phones are easier to hack into than our laptop or desktop computers. In addition, most of us know not to open suspicious files or e-mail when we’re using our computers. But we’re not so vigilant with messages we get on our phones. We’re much more likely to click on an odd-looking link or open a questionable message when it pops up on our Iphone.

The good news is, there aren’t a lot of cell phone viruses out there–at least not compared to the number of viruses aimed at our computers. The fact that there are several different carriers and many different mobile phone operating systems makes it tough for hackers to mount a massive attack against smartphone users. But as the number of smartphone users grows, the number of criminals writing malicious code for them will probably also grow.

Right now, there’s not one anti-virus product that will protect every phone. Again, that’s because we’ve all got different phones from different carriers. Check with your carrier about anti-virus software that will keep your phone running smoothly.

place a call It would be dumb to lose your smartphone.

You’d be inconvenienced, and whoever found it might have access to a goldmine of information, including your e-mail correspondence, your address book and maybe even your documents.

Play it safe and use these steps to protect and yourself and your phone:

Never leave it unattended, not even for a moment. It only takes a second for someone to pick it up.
Add password protection to your phone and to any sensitive documents. Set your phone to require a password at start-up. This may seem like a nuisance at first, but you’ll get used to it eventually. It’s worth doing because if you should leave your phone somewhere, no one can get on and browse your documents, look through your contact list, read your e-mail, or access info that would allow them to steal your identity. If your phone has any sensitive documents, set them to require a password, too.
Never use the “remember me” option that pops the password in automatically. This may seem like a nuisance, too. But it’s useless to have passwords if anyone who finds your phone can breeze right by them.
Back up your info. Synchronize or back up data regularly so that any information that disappears with your phone can be recovered easily.
Consider anti-theft software. You can get software for your phone that lets you track or remotely access it if you lose it. There are even programs that let you control the phone remotely, causing it to ring constantly even if it’s off or on silent mode. This last item may not get your phone back, but you’ll be secure in the knowledge that it’s annoying whoever took it.
Wipe your phone clean before discarding it. Many people sell or give away old phones that still have data on them. When that happens, the person getting your phone can see your contact list, can read your messages, can see who you’ve called and who’s called you. That’s not good. So when you get a new phone be sure you wipe the old one clean. Your cell phone carrier can do it for you, although they may charge you. You can also do it yourself.

Client Meeting What would you think if you were meeting with a client and she abruptly pulled out a book and started reading in the middle of your listing presentation?

That would seem bizarre if not outright rude, yet many agents do something similar when they take phone calls during a client meeting. Some agents even answer e-mail while their clients sit waiting patiently.

Smartphones make it easy for us to stay in touch, but they also encourage us to behave in ways that many people find offensive. Smartphones draw us in to what’s happening on the handheld device and encourage us to neglect what’s going on around us. They give us a false sense of importance and make us forget that others are in the room.

It’s rude to keep one client waiting while you answer a call or a message from another client. Behavior like that communicates to the client you’re with that the other client is more important and that yourtime is more valuable. Not only it is bad manners, but while you’re texting you could be missing something important your client is trying to tell you. Most of us don’t multi-task nearly as well as we think we do.

Yes, it’s true that some clients will be reading their messages while you’re giving your presentation. It’s also true that some clients will expect to be able to reach you at a moment’s notice and being slow to respond could cost you business. That said, it’s still better to demonstrate good business etiquette regardless of what others around you are doing:

Put the phone on vibrate. Silence the phone ringer when you’re meeting with a client.
Don’t even look at it. Put the phone away so you’re not tempted to keep glancing at it to see what you’re missing.
Alert the client upfront. If you’re expecting an important call during the meeting, tell the client in advance. But only take one call like that; don’t keep jumping up and taking more calls.
Leave the room. If you must take a call during a meeting or a business luncheon, excuse yourself, step out of the room, and conduct your call out of earshot. When you return, apologize for the interruption.
Pay attention to what’s going on around you. When you’re hosting an open house, for example, focus on your guests. Pick up your calls and messages afterward.
Put your clients first. When you’re showing homes, give your clients your undivided attention.
Talk in a normal voice. When you do take calls, modulate your voice. People around you don’t want to hear your conversation.
Avoid all distractions. Remember that texting is no different than talking live on the phone. Both are distractions when you’re with a client and both are bad manners.

: Image via Wikipedia

If your handheld device is your constant companion, then you know the lure of constantly checking e-mail of the thrill of getting replies back in minutes. So here’s a question: Should real estate negotiations be conducted via e-mail?

There are certainly some obvious benefits. For one thing, the negotiation will proceed faster; agents using handheld devices can e-mail an entire conversation back and forth in the space of minutes. For another, it might allow the negotiation to proceed late into the night, long past the time it would be inappropriate to call the other party on the phone. E-mail also creates a written record, so it’s easy to go back over what’s been said or to review the offers and counter-offers made so far.

But e-mail has its drawbacks. In an article in the New York Times, Vivian Toy references a study conducted by a Rutgers University business professor who found that people are more likely to lie in an e-mail message than on paper. There’s also evidence to suggest that people feel they can get away with more in e-mail. As Toy’s article points out, it’s may be easier for agents to present grossly unattractive offers by e-mail when they know they won’t have to hear their colleague’s disdainful reply.

So, if you’re going to negotiate using e-mail, here are some things to think about.

Be careful what you put in writing. An e-mail offer or counter-offer is business correspondence and shouldn’t be written on the fly or without thinking. Write it, and then review it to make sure your communication is saying what you really want to say. It might even be a good idea to hold it in your outbox for a few moments and then to review it once more time before sending it.

Be care who what you’re sending and who you’re sending it to. Many a person has been done in by hitting the “reply” button when they meant to hit “forward” or by including someone on the distribution list who should not have seen the message. It’s way too easy to accidentally forward the other agent a message that includes what should have been a confidential strategy discussion between you and your client.

Read every message completely before taking action. Toy’s article tells of an agent who lost a deal because she misread her client’s instructions, countering $5,000 more when her client had actually instructed her to counter $5,000 less. Again, maybe the rule should be to read it, set it aside for a few moments, then read it again before responding or taking action.

Don’t use e-mail to handle emotional issues. Emotion is not conveyed well in writing so if you sense the other party is frustrated, upset or angry, pick up the phone. And certainly do so if you’re the one feeling the emotion. It’s far better to talk out disagreements or emotional issues than to try to work them through in writing.

CC with caution. Think carefully about the pros and cons of cc-ing your clients when negotiating with the other side. While doing so keeps them in the loop and gives them up to the minute information, it also gives them the opportunity to respond directly to a message or offer from the other side—or to send their own messages to the other agent and the other client. You have to decide if that’s a good idea.

Don’t make it look too easy! The sellers have hired you, in part, to negotiate a good deal on their home. Consider how unimpressed they’ll be about paying you a fee if you manage to negotiate the sale of their home in less than 30 minutes using e-mail.

Why Your Smartphone May Need Anti-Virus Software

How to Not Lose Your Smartphone

Mind Your Smartphone Manners

Negotiate by E-Mail?

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