We’d be happy to do all the looking for you, but if you want to save time when trying to find the right property check out these Tips:

Did you know you can save a property you want to come back to look at again?

Do you keep looking for the same kind of property?

Try to save your search – so you don’t have to spend time entering it every time you want to browse properties.

• After you enter your criteria and hit SEARCH look for the link that says “Save this search” on the left side above the results.
• Then just click “Saved Searches” at the top of the page to see them all again.

Look near the top of the page to get your saved searches or properties!

I think that using your cell phone is a much better way to get all that information!

Last year we were the only company in the area offering a high-end phone search tool. Today there are a dozen options for consumers, all geared to making your home search easier! Here is a brief review.

Realtor.com

Realtor.com iPhone App

The new application for the iPhone from Realtor.com is what I have been using lately.  It can use your location to show the homes for sales nearest to you, and it has an easy menu system for looking at photos or all the property details. You can also search by some basic info.

The information is very reliable because it is from the same source as the main Realtor.com site.  The info feeds out from the Realtor Association systems across the country every day straight to Realtor.com.  If you can’t find a property in the search it is probably either already under a contract OR the seller didn’t allow their real estate agent to publish the property online.

Bottom Line:

It is easy to use.      The information is reliable.    It’s free.

Smarter Agent

Smarter Agent works with many phones.

A year ago this company was on the cutting edge. The difference with this company is that they support A LOT of different phone platforms.  That means you can use it if you have something other than a smart phone.

The application can find homes near you and lets you do other searches.  It does photos, and property information as you would expect it to.

The information on this application is less reliable.  I have seen problems where a property I was standing in didn’t show up, and it has happened more than once.

Bottom Line:

This is a good tool for people who have “normal” cell phones, but beware that it isn’t always 100% accurate.

They provide information on SOLD homes, so you can see what has been going on in the area.

Your cell provider may charge you to use the service.

re.gainesville.com

This service includes texting and mobile website

Many people turn to the Gainesville Sun when they look for real estate.  They are rolling out a text messaging service and mobile search webpage for you to use.

Texting Tools – send a text to 22411 that includes regs plus the MLS number of the property.  Their system will respond with a text message telling you the basics of the property (beds, baths, price) and provide a link to their website.

The Mobile Search Page – If your cell phone has a web browser you can use this service.  Just type in re.gainesville.com and you will see a search form.

Bottom Line:

This is a good tool for people who have “normal” cell phones.

This is a pre-release version at the moment, and number of photos etc. will improve.

Enjoy!

However you decide to find your Dream Home, make sure that it adds to your experience.  Have fun and good luck!

The basic premise is: “What would email look like if it were invented today, instead of 50 years ago?”

Wow.  Think about that – how different was technology 50 years ago compared to today?

If you already have Wave, add me as a contact at kathleenseide at googlewave.com

Google Wave Logo

For Real Estate…

I’m excited about using Google Wave to manage transactions in the future!

For home buyers:
We can collaborate with Google maps and manage your viewing list together rather than loosing information in multiple emails.  We can keep track of your ratings for properties in once place, where we can both see it and comment easily.  We can share documents and update each other on the progress of the contract time line.

For sellers:
We can share information about the marketing plan for your property, add updates to how each piece is performing, and see your comments about it all.  We can share and talk about feedback, and what might be keeping people from making an offer on your property. Showings, open house traffic, home sales updates, all in one place where we can both comment and update.

For other members of the transaction:
(like lenders, home inspectors, and real estate agents) we can share documents, update each other on the progress of contract requirements, and keep track of everything that would have gone into email in one place so that nothing is lost.

And that is just for starters… as programmers make new widgets the possibilities will continue to grow.

Anticipation

Google Wave is not open to everyone yet, you can’t just wander over to their website and get an account.

Before I could start playing with the next free toy from Google I had to get invited… The easiest way is to be invited by a friend. When anyone gets an account Google gives them 8 invitations to hand out.

What is Wave?

The interface looks a lot like email.

A Wave includes you and contributors/participants you added to it.  They can add, edit, and delete the contents together at the same time, or separately at completely different times.  They can also add other users, but I can’t see a way to remove people once they are added.

Google says
“A wave is equal parts conversation and document. People can communicate and work together with richly formatted text, photos, videos, maps, and more.

A wave is shared. Any participant can reply anywhere in the message, edit the content and add participants at any point in the process. Then playback lets anyone rewind the wave to see who said what and when.

A wave is live. With live transmission as you type, participants on a wave can have faster conversations, see edits and interact with extensions in real-time.”

Think of the basic use of Wave as similar to having a Word document that everyone can share access to and update.

Some basic text-only uses for Wave include: Taking meeting notes as a group, Brainstorming, and Organizing Events.

Except you can replay the entire history of each change to the Wave.

Powerful – yes.  No step along the way is lost.  But no mis-step is truely lost either.  Similar to a true conversation.

Review of Google Wave Beta

Add-Ons

Google has given developers tools to build widgets and add-ons to wave, similar to what we have seen as add-ons to Google Maps.

You can include interactive maps, videos, conference calls, and games so far… but people have only just started programming for Wave and I’m excited to see unexpected and exciting developments.

For Real Estate Today?

The core of what I do is communicate and share my expertise, and that is what Wave is for, but it will be a while before Google Wave is a part of my business routine.

Once Wave is completely public it will take a while for people to start using it, and just like there are people who don’t use email today there will be lots of people who don’t use Wave.  That’s OK, I still have a phone and an office ; )

For now I’m just using it to manage projects inside my office.  I’m learning more about using wave, different ways to use it, and watching new widgets be introduced.

A big focus for right now is learning about the security features (like how secure your confidential data is).  Until I am comfortable with security and understand who has access to your data I won’t be using Wave for any customer information.

Want to Join the Party?

I have 6 invites left to hand out – If you want one just ask in the comments below.

If you prefer to ask Google directly here is a link to request an invitation from them.

If you want to keep up with Google’s Wave Blog here is a link.

If you already have Wave, add me as a contact at kathleenseide at googlewave.com

www.MyFloridaCFO.com

Florida’s Chief Financial Officer maintains a website called www.myfloridacfo.com.  The theme is “transparency” – meaning that they are trying to let us SEE what our money is being spent on.

You can look at your local government’s spending, at what bills are getting paid, and at which contracts are given to which companies.  There is almost too much information available, but not quite.

I think it is great that our civil servents are acting like they work for the people, and making some reports available to us!

Be a Superstar!

With my Jott.com service I can call in to their number (on my phone’s speed dial) and just speak my message out loud.  The Jott system will transcribe what I say and send the message where I told it to.

I can tell it to email me, or text me a reminder at a certain time.  It can email anyone on the contact list I maintain and it recognizes who I want to send to by my voice, no typing or remembering IDs.  I can even have it update my calendar or post to Facebook for me.  All without typing and as easy as leaving myself a voice mail.

All of  a sudden I had No more forgotten to-do items!

Cost & Alternatives

The Jott.com service I use costs about $25/year.  You can sign up for a trial account to see what you think.

I think it is totally worth it however since I signed up there is a competing website out there where the service is still free – Dialtodo.com. (Jott used to offer the basic service for free once-upon-a-time.) Dialtodo’s website seems a little clunkier, which is expected since they are a bit behind on development time, but I tested the service out and it seems to work well.

Either Jott or Dialtodo can be linked up to a BUNCH of different web services, so you never have to type things in or hope to remember to update or research something later.

Now, get out there and use your new superpower!