More about me…
Consider how far technology has come in just the last eight years… When I got my real estate license in 2002, I was told to start a contact management system… by buying index cards and one of those plastic file boxes to keep track of people… really… that’s what people told me!
Over the years, I took advantage of available technology to help establish and grow my business, learning whatever I could, and, in an effort to manage expenditure, trying to do things myself where I could. Eventually, I sort of became the go-to person for technology and then was asked by my local board President chair the Technology Committee. At that time, the committee was sort of there to be… well, remember the AV guys from high school – the geeks who made sure the film projector worked and the VCR was connected to the TV? Well, that’s sort of what the committee was, I suppose. Fortunately for us, we had a Board President who had the presence of mind to understand that technology meant something far different in this day and age and that we needed to re-direct that committee and re-form it into something more useful to our members.
So I’ve spent the past several years dragging the members of my local associationas I jokingly say, ”kicking and screaming into the 21st century.”
I’m not a tech geek… I don’t always know the proper terminology and I know enough to know that I don’t know much. What I do know is that I love gadgets, new tools, new methods and new resources. I enjoy researching new tools, learning how to use them and helping others discover better ways to do business or stay competitive. I am by nature creative and inquisitive.
As an instructor, I also have a knack for explaining things to people in a way that is not fettered by IT-Speak… able to use descriptive language that can help the average real estate agent to understand and relate. Also, as a REALTOR myself, I can then help put all this technology into the context of our industry to help them decide if something is worth pursuing, buying, using, etc.
I’m also a classic example of Gen X – I question and research everything. I grew up with technology… I remember patiently typing in code for a rudamentary video game on my brother’s Commodore 64 in the early 80′s. I got my first computer in 1986 – an Apple IIc (anyone remember those? lucky for me, my brother worked for Apple at the time!) – only one of two kids in my dorm at Rutgers to have a personal computer at that time – imagine that!
Today, like many others, I watch TV shows on my computer. I haven’t bought a music CD in years, I download songs I like. I rarely buy books anymore either, I download them too and listen to them on my iPod. My guilty pleasure is that I love playing video games. I have a Wii… and just replaced my PS2 for an xBox 360. I pay my bills on-line, I shop on-line, plan vacations on-line, connect with my friends on-line… you get the picture.
Welcome to Real Estate Tech Topix where I hope to share and exchange information about the tools and applications impacting and changing the nature of the real estate industry every day. Today, technology is essential to a successful business... and let's face it, it can be a lot of fun. Come join me in the conversation and let's all learn something new!
