I keep hearing the same story . . . . .
Your broker/manager told you that it is not a good idea to upgrade to Windows Vista. Lets face it, in many cases he/she is not exactly sure how to turn on a computer, and is probably not your best source for advice when it comes to anything more technical than answering the phone, or doing that cold calling thing that we hear so much about.
This isn’t a recommendation but rather an overview of what works and what does not with the Windows Vista operating system, written by a REALTOR just like you, who is actually using the new OS.
I have been using Windows Vista for almost a month and as a Twin Cities agent I probably use some of the same software you do except for the stuff the real estate companies give us, I won’t touch it, the idea of it is frightening. (made by re weenies, opinion)
Top Producer 7i – works but only after a patch is down loaded and installed. They don’t put a link to it on the Top Producer web site so call tech support, they actually answer the phone quickly and are helpful. TP still does not work with Firefox, not a deal killer just an annoyance.
NorthstarMLSMatrix – Works fine with Vista and every version of FireFox and Explorer and Windows that I have tried it in.
MLXchange – Works fine with Internet Explorer 7 and Windows Vista, but doesn’t work with FireFox. I still can’t get it working because of a problem with my virus software.
Zip Forms – Works with IE 7 and with Vista, but a “viewer” is needed. Download the viewer from the Zipforms web site, install it and it all works. According to the ZipFroms on line web site they are working on a Windows Vista compatible version. It seems to crash less often on Vista than it did on XP Pro. Why does it crash at all? It only happens when a client is waiting for a contract. Did they plan it that way?
Agent Office – It took a bit of time and effort but I managed to contact some at Realty Star regarding agent office. Whats up with that? No one answered the tech support line and on line chat was unavailable. They stated in an email that Windows Vista compatibility is just around the corner but gave no date. I guess that means Re/Max agents will have to just wait. (Tip: call the tech support department before buying the software or hardware, if tech support is hard to obtain buy something else)
Networks – I only use the printers on the office network and have not had any problems, mainly because I was willing to find and install the correct print drivers myself.
Supra – no problems with the Super Key web site.
my BlackBerry, but we all know REALTORS are supposed to use the Palm Treo. Death would be the only thing that could separate me from my BlackBerry, and T-Mobile’s excellent customer service and support.
A quick visit to the Palm web site revealed that It could take hours to sort through it all, apparently there are some issues: http://kb.palm.com/SRVS/CGI-BIN/WEBCGI.EXE/,/ If anyone is using a Treo with Vista, leave a comment and please include the model number of your PDA, and let us know if it works.
About Windows Vista, I have no idea what the experts are saying about it, I did not bother to read up because I can’t do anything about it anyway. I decided I had better things to do than fool around with it so after I bought the computer I left it with the Geek Squad to upgrade and set up.
I like Vista better than XP. It is more like a MAC OS. The Geek Squad put Trend Micro AntiVirus on it, and it seems to work better than Norton or McCafee because it does not prevent me from actually using the computer. The Geeks thought it was a better choice for someone who uses wireless internet in public places.
Before considering Vista check for print driver availability, and software compatibility. All of my stuff worked except for my ancient HP Laser Jet which is no longer supported by HP and an ancient Adobe photo shop elements program. MS Office 2003 works with Vista, but the Geek Squad stated that earlier versions will not work.
If you regularly use a network at a real estate office call your technical support department, if they won’t hook you up to the network, or support Vista come work with me, you will have more fun.
I will make one recommendation, with four Windows Vista operating systems available try the Ultimate edition. Compare all four.
Here is an article from Mish that every Real Estate Professional needs to read.
Sorry, totally OT but very timely and important.
Mish’s Global Economic Trend Analysis
Like it or not (and the NAR doesn’t like it one bit) the business of buying and selling a home is changing. While a slowdown in home sales may be cyclical, changes in the nature of how people buy and sell homes is going to be permanent. These changes will dramatically affect the current real estate commission structure and who benefits.
I had the pleasure of talking to Joseph Fox, CEO of both BuySide Realty and its sister company IggysHouse about the nature of these changes. Let’s take a look at each side of the transaction.
The Buy Side
In the typical relationship at present, a person finds a home with or without the help of a Realtor, makes an offer, and commissions on the sale are split between the buyer’s agent and seller’s agent.
Those commissions are usually in the 5-6% range. Historically the split has been 50-50 between the buyer’s agent and seller’s agent but given the current slowdown the buyer’s agent now gets as much as 4% of 6% commission.
The question is “for what?”
Joe Fox said the percentages in Iggy’s Facts come straight from the NAR. So if 64% of home buyers find a home without the help of an agent (24% online and the rest driving around neighborhoods or by other means), exactly why should a substantial commission be paid to some lucky real estate agent for essentially doing nothing but presenting an offer?
It is that very question that was the foundation for BuySide Realty. The idea came about when Mr. Fox and his brother Avi flew to California a couple years ago to look for a house. On arrival, a Realtor had them look through a bunch of online listings to see if they liked anything. “Why fly to California to look at images on a computer?” asked Fox. “Our trip was symptomatic of a totally broken business model”. Joe Fox and his brother scrapped the idea of buying a house and spent the entire rest of the trip formulating the basis of BuySide Realty.
BuySide Realty operates on the principle that people who find the home they want to buy should get paid for their effort. So BuySide actually shares with the buyer 75% of the commission it receives. This commission sharing can be substantial. On a $500,000 home with a 6% commission spit equally, BuySide Realty would return $11,250 to the buyer of the house. If the commission was split 4% to the buyer’s agent (not uncommon in this market) BuySide Realty would return $15,000 to the new home buyer. The largest rebate so far was $40,000.
In 2006, the average BuySide customer received over $11,000 that they otherwise would never see. BuySide keeps the other 25% for providing expert advice from the offer through the closing.
The current perception that BuySide is attempting to change, is that one needs substantial help from a Realtor to buy a house. Mr. Fox offered the following comment about those perceptions: “The NAR has done an excellent job of convincing the consumer they are too stupid to buy a house on their own accord even when their own facts show otherwise”.
Just to see how the process works, I registered online and there are plenty of homes right in my own neighborhood to see. Unlike classified ads in places like CraigsList, the homes on BuySide Realty are the same ones you would see in any Realtor’s office. BuySide Realty pays fees to the MLS for access to those lists.
Once you register you can print out a business card to hand to the agent at any open house you attend. BuySide will also arrange appointments on your behalf. That is the way to assure you that 75% of the seller’s agent commission benefits you rather than unnecessarily padding the pockets of some random agent. Here is an image of the card for Illinois.