Dropbox, a cross-platform file-syncing tool, has now made it’s way to the iPhone and iPod touch, complete with offline file viewing for professionals who need access to files on the run. This will be a wonderful advancement for the real estate industry to use for documents and listing information.

Once installed on your device, Dropbox for iPhone provides access to all your Dropbox files, allows you to view any file supported by your iPhone (including documents, photos, music, and video), uploads any photo or video you’ve taken on your device to your Dropbox account, and lets you save any file as a favorite for offline viewing. If you want to share a file in your Dropbox with someone else, the application can generate an email with a link directly to the file.

I tested this on my iPhone last night with a sellers price change form and it worked fantastic. I can see how this will really be a benefit to Realtors who are already taking advantage to forms online. You can use it for sharing photos, forwarding a disclosure form, or line side to a prospective purchaser, and many, many other ways to go green and paperless.

Dropbox is revolutionizing the way that people think about and access their files. In particular, they make it easy to securely share files with other people, sync them across multiple computers, access them from anywhere, and keep them safe.

Drop Box has been featured in publications like the New York Times and TechCrunch, and have won awards from places like PC Magazine.

As you discover new ways for Realtors, and real estate ancillary businesses to use this program, send me your thoughts to share with others. I can see Dropbox for the iPhone being a great collaboration here for title companies, mortgage, and home inspectors, as well as appraisers and Realtors.

Worried about security? Dropbox uses secure servers. Put your files into your Dropbox on one computer, and they’ll be instantly available on any of your other computers that you’ve installed Dropbox on (Windows, Mac, and Linux too!) Because a copy of your files are stored on Dropbox’s secure servers, you can also access them from any computer or mobile device using the Dropbox website.

Well, I need to go organize my fies on my desktop, so I can start using this great new program on my iPhone today, while on the run.

“Expect the Best” Mike

 REALTORS, Who Get It, Resent Those Who Don’t Get It!

Over the years I have heard it all, however, in today’s market our challenges, pet peeves, and complaints amongst our peers have changed.  Here’s 10 items I can think of right off the top of my head that continue to grind away at others and myself, that I communicate with on a daily basis. I’m sure you could add more
to this list, I encourage you to do so.

Please note, that this is a constructive, reasonable list of what I feel would benefit our industry if improved upon.

1. Setting up a showing and finding out it’s pending, but the agent is waiting to see if it closes. (Waste of everyone’s time, usually a short sale with bank involved)

2. Listings indicating key box, only to find out it’s a combo box (Should be outlawed, all should be electronic)

3. Receiving offers on regular homes for sale at low-ball prices (These are not bank foreclosures and short sale homes).

4. Getting offers with low deposits or that say deposit upon acceptance (not worth the paper it’s written on)

5. Listings having no pictures or just a few. (All listings should have a minimum of 12)

6. Agents not using the Doc Box - Forms on-line system because they haven’t learned how to use it yet. (Eliminates paperwork and saves time)

7. Showing instructions on line-side says text me at ##### for showings; and you don’t get a response for 2 days. (The best technology is the technology you use.)

8. You email feedback to an agent on your showing of their listing, they don’t read their email, and so they call you for feedback. (Hello, read your email)

9. You email agents to schedule showings and never hear from them. (Because they don’t read their email or get email on Blackberry or iPhone to respond quickly)

10. Getting a call from the neighbors that your listing that was shown by a co-op agent was left unlocked or lights were left on. (Usually at night, right after you have settled in for the night.)

You may be saying: this comes with the territory.  Maybe it does, and yes, people make mistakes. However, we have much work ahead of us to get everyone going in the same direction for new standards of practice and professionalism in our industry and going green. What are your thoughts?

“Expect the Best” Mike

Greater Lansing home buyers and sellers can begin to smile as real estate sales continue to perk up over last year and the market begins to bottom out.  I would consider a strong 4th quarter coming up to buy or sell real estate in the Greater Lansing area real estate market.

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said the housing market momentum has clearly turned for the better. “The recovery is broad-based across many parts of the country. Housing affordability has been at record highs this year with the added stimulus of a first-time buyer tax credit,” he said.