The Future of Realtor Data Management
By: James Hsu,
NWupdate.com,
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RSS FeedPosted: Sunday, April 15th, 2007, 1:57 pm MST
Category: Real Estate,Technology
Following on the heels of Greg’s write-up on web technology for blogging, I thought I’d share with everyone a relatively recent technology discovery of mine…one that is quickly transforming how I as Realtor organize and manage all the information I come across with in my work.
For whatever reason, going to college in Microsoft’s backyard made me very anti-Microsoft. Perhaps in my youthful, idealistic mindset I didn’t like their apparent lack of innovation. Instead, they just bought everyone else’s ideas (think Powerpoint, Hotmail, Frontpage, Visio) or copied the idea and threw a ton of money at it until they overtook their competitor (think IE vs Netscape). This mindset of mine has gradually changed over the years as I realized that’s just what businesses do (why re-invent the wheel) and also Google has shown that a small player can challenge and beat the big MS. But anyway, I was introduced to a relatively new product from Microsoft by a client of mine who works for them: Microsoft Office OneNote. Probably, in the consumer market, the first really innovative product I’ve seen in a long time from MS…and it’s really not all that complicated…just really smart!
I don’t know how other people manage their data but I’ve been basically using a combination of my computer, a binder, folders and lots of tree-killing paper. I don’t like this system since the data is not centralized anywhere. Some of it is on my computer, some of it is loose sheets in folders or my binder. However, it’s been working for the most part. All of that has changed in the few weeks I’ve been using (or learning to use) OneNote.
Think of OneNote as a spiral-bound, tabbed notebook, where each page is as long and wide as you want and you can have an unlimited number of pages. It’s free-form so there is no set way to organize your tabs or pages. You’re given 3+ layers of organization: Notebooks, Sections and Pages. (I say 3+ because within Sections you can create another layer called Section Groups and in Pages you can have a regular page or a sub-page). I know…you’re probably going …HUH? Essentially, I have everything for each client stored within one application and organized how I want to organize it. For a seller, I have all the contact info for them, a copy of my CMA, copy of the listing, copy of the old listing from when they bought their house a few years ago, copy of the tax record printout, a free-form page where I can keep random notes, copies of a weekly status report I give them, and so on. For buyers, I can save every single listing we’ve seen, copy of the purchase and sale contract, copy of the inspection report, etc.
Well, that’s all dandy, but all this can be already done in a basic file structure and lots of PDF files. True, but in OneNote all the data is accessible from one application and you can type notes directly onto a page overlaying what was already on that page. You can type anywhere. I can have a copy of a listing and type notes directly onto that listing or circle things I need to follow up on.
The glue to bring this all together is a convertible notebook/tablet computer. A convertible notebook is a regular laptop where the screen can flip around and lay back down flat to operate as a tablet computer. Everything you can do in OneNote with a keyboard can be done with a tablet pen. Jot down notes while you’re looking at a house directly onto the copy of the listing you have. Everything at your finger tips wherever you go. No more paper folders stuffed with print-outs to tote around in your car. Many business laptops have built-in finger print readers to help secure your laptop should you lose it. A word should be said about data synchronization. You can sync your OneNote data between your desktop and laptop without any other software.
So how do you get all the information into OneNote? Listing print-outs, CMA’s, etc. Besides manually typing or writing them in, OneNote installs itself as a printer. Many of you are probably familiar with printing to a PDF file. This is the same concept. Take anything you can print, and you just print it into OneNote. If anything else, …it’s a way to save the trees.
Is it really the future of Realtor data management? In my business…most definitely yes.
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15 Comments so far
I really want a tablet PC – and OneNote sounds cool. Give me a few more transactions and I’m in! Thanks for the useful review.
James,
Thank you for the explanation of how you use OneNote. For me it has just been part of the technology that allows the completion of offers and related forms on my Tablet PC (Toshiba). That it can be a storage file for all transaction data is interesting.
Then I go back to having as much as possible stored online to avoid the consequences of not backing up as often as recommended;-(
Roberta, get “Mozy” http://www.mozy.com and never worry again about backups. Did I mention it is free? You can upgrade to unlimited storage for $4.95/mo.
I’ve been using the same setup with OneNote and Journal Note Writer for the past few months and it really is efficient. I use the tablet with a Spring data card and e-Fax and my paper consumption now approaches zero–I leave home with my Tablet everyday, and nothing else.
That sounds like an interesting softward (that would be fun to use on a landscape oriented screen).
Funny about your feelings toward MS. Granted the points you cite are pretty accurate.
As a further example there is a product for the Mac that sounds like OneNote with a richer feature set. It is called Notebook. It comes with full indexing and other things. All media types can be added so you can keep different documents, podcasts, video and other such things organized and cross indexed like you prefer to do.
Many of the MS things did come from somewhere else. Even the stuff that seems like an MS original many times is based on prior art. Science does build on the past and MS is no different. As Alan Kay once said to Bill Gates. [From memory...] “Bill, we do not mind that you copy what we have done. We just wish you would copy the whole thing.”
Tangent from the Alan Kay entry on Wikipedia: “[Alan] is the conceiver of the Dynabook concept which defined the basics of the laptop computer and the tablet computer and he is also considered by some as the architect of the modern windowing graphical user interface (GUI).”
In my words, building on what others have produced works best when you understand the prior work and the logic behind the work.
Alan invented much of what we think of as today’s computing technology. Bill stacked it high and sold it cheap. Both helped move the world forward in their own way.
For the RE investors…
Foreclosure overview -> http://johncorey.wordpress.com/2007/04/11/foreclosure-overview/
Buying (REO) property from the bank -> http://johncorey.wordpress.com/2007/04/11/reo-deals-when-you-are-buying/
John Corey
Real estate investor, 20+ years – multiple states and countries
http://johncorey.wordpress.com/... – advice for real estate investors
You might want to look at Evernote. I found that the filing system in OneNote left me looking for documents in mulitple folders. Evernote, with extremely fast “as you type” search, found my notes faster. It’s pretty amazing.
I might have to give Evernote a whirl. Not sure what you mean that OneNote left you looking for docs in multiple folders.
The “as you type” search you mention is now a part of Office 2007 ..IF you want to install it. Takes a long, …long time for it to index everything.
James:
The folders were the recommended method for filing documents in OneNote. As with other folder type filing systems I’ve used, I would have one idea of where it should be filed when it was created, but a different idea of where to look for it when I needed it later.
Evernote creates this never-ending timed-order list with tags. So I’ve got three ways to look for something. By date/time, by tags and by a search that is amazingly fast.
Another thing I liked about Evernote is the ability to take a clipping of a document or web site to Evernote and it will pull the link to the page or document with it. That way, a ten page document in Word could be found by my having filed just a representative paragraph in Evernote. It would have the link to the document under it. The same worked for a piece of a web page. Links in the clipping are hot, but the page link is also pulled over.
My problems with OneNote were self-created with my convoluted mental filing systems.
Jim
Can you set Evernote up as a printer?
It doesn’t install as a printer. However, if what you’re trying to accomplish is to get something from another application or the web into Evernote as a note, it installs buttons in IE, Firefox and Outlook. Anything you can highlight on the screen up to whole web pages and documents are sent to a new note in Evernote with a click on the button icon.
I just installed the new 2.0 version and it has the “universal clipper”, that you turn on and can clip sections of any screen straight to a note. Hope this helps.
Jim
Excellent article James.
I was thinking about doing a Onenote article but you did such a good job I instead just gave a brief overview and told everyone to read your post
[...] I’ve fallen off the face of the world for a long time, but I’m back and I’m here to provide a follow-up to my discovery of Microsoft OneNote and tablet PC’s. In short, I’ve been able to complete my last 3 transactions …from first meeting the client through to closing ….generating less than 10 sheets of paper myself ….total (2 transactions had zero paper that I produced and the third had about 6 sheets). It has simplified/revolutionized how I organize my client data and all the information that’s gathered in the course of a transcation, my notes, my tasks, prospecting, …you name it! I’ve been able to reclaim a good portion of some desk space since I’ve been able to do away with almost all my printed client files. When I go out for a showing, all I bring is my tablet pc and my keycard. The benefits go on and on. It has by far surpassed my expectations from only a few months ago. [...]
Looks like I need a few more closings. I had never heard of OneNote, but am glad I saw your post. I need to read more about this before I get too excited and go spend more money.
I came upon the post just now as I am struggling to find an efficient and relatively easy way to manage, drip on and effectively follow upwith leads. I too have never heard of OneNote, so don’t feel bad Sam. Its an informative and interesting article. My search will continue as I weigh my options.