Technology Solutions

Max Mobility

Nowadays, it’s easy to find articles about apps that help you work more efficiently. However, a mobile CCIM needs a more specialized approach to operate in the commercial real estate world. But a few apps and low-cost subscriptions could free you from your office PC or Mac and allow you to truly work from anywhere there’s a Wi-Fi connection or cellphone service.

Get Comfortable on the Cloud

Until recently, if you went out of town or were out in the field, you were limited by the tools you carried. To access STDB you needed a laptop and an Internet connection (thank you, Starbucks). To sign a contract or lease, you needed a printer or used your smartphone screen, which made it look like a 4-year-old just signed everything. Need a file? “Sorry,” you’d say. “I have that on my office computer — I’ll get back to you.”

But this is changing. Nearly every broker I’ve met is somewhat tech savvy. Most have smartphones with a few useful apps and a financial calculator. And nearly all of them have a desktop PC or Mac in addition to a laptop and/or a tablet —although I’ve never understood the concept of having all three. After all, today’s laptop is as powerful as any desktop computer, while the smaller tablet is the go-to device out in the field.

To eliminate some of this expensive hardware, get comfortable with your data being on “the cloud,” or Internet-based storage. Some people are apprehensive about their information being stored “somewhere else” instead of on a nearby hard drive. This is understandable, but mostly unwarranted. Companies that offer cloud storage, such as Dropbox and Box, spend a lot on data security and server protection. Plus, you can still keep copies of everything on your desktop computer and back it up as often as you wish.

Going Mobile

Once you’re comfortable with cloud storage, most tasks that previously required a desktop computer can be handled with a laptop. And outside your office, the laptop can be replaced with the smaller tablet, with a keyboard and other accessories if necessary.

There are many useful apps for the iPad and other tablets. (See “Commercial Real Estate Apps,” May/June 2012.) However, remote-access apps such as Splashtop 2 and LogMeIn are key to achieving “max mobility.”

I prefer Splashtop 2, which lets users access a sleeping PC, Mac, or laptop remotely. Heavy Argus users can “check in” software remotely.

Another option, OnLive Desktop, provides access to a customizable, cloud-based PC that comes with full versions of Microsoft Word, Excel, and even Internet Explorer with Adobe Flash. Most useful to CCIMs is the ability to adjust Excel spreadsheets on a tablet and to access Flash websites including STDB. Imagine being able to pull up a saved site survey or start a fresh one while out in the field — and skipping the entire issue of “getting back” to your client.

Of course, Internet access is required to use these apps, and Wi-Fi doesn’t exist everywhere. To have Internet access at all times, make your smartphone your modem with a monthly data plan. These usually range from $0 to $20 per month depending on the carrier and current plan. You can also purchase a carrier-ready tablet and pay a monthly fee for data, which is the simpler but in many cases more expensive option.

But the question remains: Will max mobility help you make more money? The short answer is yes. For example, while viewing a property to purchase, a client told me the area “wasn’t as nice” as others we had seen. I argued that it was actually a nicer area — only the block we were on wasn’t as well kept. To prove it, I hopped on STDB and demonstrated that not only did the surrounding area have less crime than other locations we had visited, but the median household income was higher as well. With this new information, my client took up my offer to drive the area a bit more and he was soon convinced that the location fit his needs.

Davide Pio, CCIM, CRS, LEED-AP, is a broker associate with BCRE in Pinole, Calif. Contact him at info@iLiveInTheBayArea.com.

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