Real Estate LEADER Magazine (Summer 2004) - Mississippi ...

Home is where your @ Is
Today’s REALTOR ® uses e-mail like yesterday’s REALTOR ® used the telephone.
It is the tool of choice in developing new prospects and communicating
with clients, according to NAR studies that show 96 percent of REALTORS ®
use e-mail.
Kim Noffsinger, of Coldwell Banker S.R.E. in Starkville
(www.noffsinger.net), goes a step further with "tailored" e-mails that highlight
specific details for prospective clients.
Working with a software programmer she met through a local civic group,
Noffsinger helped design a program that organizes data from new property listings
in accordance with her own database of clients and prospective customers
who’ve expressed interest in certain property features. The program then generates
bulk e-mails alerting those in her database who would be interested. But
it’s not just a general message with a string of addresses in the "Sent To" field.
The program generates what looks like individualized emails with personal
greetings and only one recipient’s e-mail address.
"Within half an hour, I’ve e-mailed hundreds of people with information tailored
just for them," Noffsinger explains. Her cost for the software: only $500.
The downside, of course, is that it’s strictly for clients who are e-mail savvy.
Noffsinger also says it’s crucial to have a system in place to respond immediately
when customers reply to her e-mails. "Otherwise, good prospects may fall
through the cracks," she warns. "But there’s no question this approach works;
we see a huge percentage of our sales linked directly to our web site and our
e-mails."
REALTOR ® Lady Cox, of Coldwell Banker S.R.E. in Starkville
(www.starkvillerealestate.com/realtors/cox.html), also uses e-mail to provide
a unique service. With a degree in
communications and experience in
marketing, Cox produces an electronic
newsletter that highlights several
established neighborhoods in
Starkville. "A lot of companies offer
real estate newsletters you can just
print your name on, but I write this
one myself so I can make it specific to
individual neighborhoods," Cox says.
Electronic newsletters are driving more sales She estimates it would cost between
home for Starkville REALTOR ® Lady Cox. $12-$15 per household if she printed
and mailed the newsletter in paper form, but the e-mail newsletter gives her far
greater reach at much less cost. She says clients also appreciate her environmentally
friendly approach because it saves paper and is less like junk mail.
Less paper, better form
Broker/Owner Mark Warren, of ERA Real Estate Professionals in Jackson,
came to the profession after a successful career in manufacturing and remembers
thinking: "There’s an awful lot of faxing going on here." Like others in his
company, he wondered if there weren’t easier ways to conduct transactions. He
found several online document services and began working to incorporate
those services into his own website (www.markwarren.net). The result is an
online transaction capability that streamlines the whole real estate process.
He’s been testing the system in-house for a couple of months and plans to
launch it later this year. Forms, documents and other materials required for
real estate transactions can be accessed and transmitted via e-mail. He purchased
the service from a software company but had to modify his website to
make it compatible. "The bigger hurdle was implementing a procedure in our
office to keep the forms updated and maintain certain communications, but it
was certainly worth the time and effort," Warren says.
As a new REALTOR ® , Kevin Lawrence of Kosciusko Realty (www.kosciuskorealty.com)
agrees with Warren in thinking there’s a better way. He’s discovered
ZipForms, the Mississippi Association of REALTORS ® ’ standard forms software,
and prefers the convenience over
paper versions. Using his Dell Axim
pocket PC and a portable printer, he’s
able to access ZipForms anytime, anywhere.
"If my client needs a particular
form, I don’t have to run back to the
office. I just print it out right there," he
says. Clients are impressed with this
speed and efficiency, Lawrence notes.
"I probably used ZipForms at least
eight times already today."
It was both a need and an objective
that drove Al Allegue,
Broker/Owner with RE/MAX by the Gulf (www.alndee.com), to find a better
way. He now conducts real estate closings by video teleconference, enabling
out-of-town parties to participate in real time without the hassle of designating
a representative to attend in person. Documents are prepared in advance and
e-mailed to the respective parties who review them prior to the closing. This
saves time and cuts down on transaction costs, Allegue says. He estimates ordinary
closings cost between $500 and$600 but does video closings for only
$250.
Once a year, his team of REALTORS ® evaluates the kinds of technology used
by other professions. "We ask what’s out there that we can use to make our
business more service-oriented and more profitable. That’s how we came up
with this idea," he says. Allegue says video closings provide the ultimate in flexibility.
"We once did a video closing at 1:00 a.m. because all the parties were
in distant time zones," he recalls. Since he sees many clients from Kessler Air
Force Base, this service is especially valuable when the military member is
deployed or overseas.
It is these novel uses of
technology that are
helping Mississippi
REALTORS ® improve
productivity, serve
customers and
ultimately achieve
freedom. Allegue
sums it up nicely:
"If not for technology,
I’m certain I’d
be working twice
as hard for the
same income." n
REALTORS ® Kim
Noffsinger, Starkville;
Cindy Litsinger,
Madison; and Mark
Warren, Jackson, make
use of the latest technologies
to improve
their businesses.
Video teleconference closings have saved time
and money for Gulf Coast REALTOR ®
Al Allegue and his clients.
15 / MISSISSIPPI REAL ESTATE LEADER / Summer 2004