With all of the new technology available these days, consumers are more educated & they expect for Realtors to keep up with these new tools…at least as much as they do.
Many times when driving around looking at homes, clients will have questions about the homes, communities, schools and many other things along they way that may not even have anything to do with real estate. Sometimes we will know the answers and many times we could use a life-line. Because it is not usually the best option to “call-a-friend“, it can help to have google on your side!
Picture this situation…It’s a Hot Texas day and you are escorting clients around…their children are getting figity and they are getting frustrated looking at homes in neighborhoods they know nothing about…trying to make sense of it all. This is where the right vehicle & technology can make all of the difference.
We have outfitted a Cadillac Escalade with wi-fi technology that allows web access in the vehicle and we always bring with us our 14″ HP Laptop as well as our Samsung Galaxy Tablet. So, as we are driving around, the clients have the ability to utilize the internet if they want to search for information. We also pre-load information from MLS so that they have all of the details & photos of all of the properties we are viewing. There are also great apps through the android market on the tablet that allow us to quickly access additional information on other properties in the area.
Even the kids get great use of the Tablet…they can play games (usually angry birds) or even watch a movie. If the adults need to use the tablet, we also have the rear entertainment system in the Escalade that they can watch movies on.
As you can see, the picture changes a lot…Happy informed clients and content children being escorted around in a roomy comfortable vehicle.
We also bring along with us our Sony Nex-5 camera so that we can take high quality pictures of the homes that we view. We are able to upload them right there in the vehicle & email them directly to the clients. This way, if clients need to review the properties as they narrow them down to “the perfect one” they have an easier way to remember details. Plus, when they make their decision, they will already have some great shots that they can email out to their friends and family or put into their new facebook album “Our New Home!”
So far, turning our Cadillac Escalade into a high-tech mobile office has been a great tool for real estate! Our clients love being able to “stay connected” while they search for their new home! I guess this is how we roll!
What else do I like about it?? The Speed. The HTC Evo 4G was the world’s first 4G Android powered smartphone. I have found that keeping the 4G on constantly seriously reduces the battery life. So I keep it on 3G most of the time, but switch to 4G when I stream video & stuff. I also dowloaded an app (Advanced Task Killer) & that has helped a lot with the batter life as well!