Truth be told - I am a paper-holic. I love books (a Kindle would not be the same), newspapers (I can't watch Katie Couric- sorry Katie), and magazines (friends save their People magazines for me). I keep my to-do list in a notebook and carry a calendar where I keep track of my life. If I read something really funny or inspirational on the computer, I print it out to share with Scott and the kids. I know I sound positively Stone Age.
We kill so many trees in the real estate business. And we are just as guilty (if not worse) as the next agent/team. Going paperless would not be easy for us. It would require a whole new way of thinking.
Here are some of the things we print:
Newsletters that we MAIL (yes, old-fashioned snail mail) to our sphere
Listings for our showings and the customer versions for our clients
Listing flyers
Buyer presentations
Listing presentations
Contracts (over and over again it would seem - copies for everyone)
Addendums to contracts (over and over again - copies for everyone)
Settlement Notices, Pre-approvals, Mortgage Commitments, Title Reports, BFI's, Consumer Notices, Buyer Agency Agreements, Additional Terms and Disclosures, Sellers' Disclosures, Inspection Reports, Preliminary HUD's, Instructions for software, meeting agendas, new sale/listing checklists, and the list goes on and on....
And then I spend hours every year carefully purging older files of excess, useless paperwork carefully checking for what can be recycled versus shredded.
I really could use a makeover on my approach/attitude.
There is so much terrific technology out there that I could use to mend my ways. Here's the plan:
- Let's start with using my phone to keep track of my schedule and my life.
- An iPad for presentations (We can email the electronic versions).
- An external hard drive to "file" all the important documents in a transaction.
- Electronic signatures for the contracts that seem to need many revisions.
- A wide screen laptop to make it easier to proof and review those documents where you need to make sure all the i's are dotted and the t's are crossed.
- And most importantly - a scanner/fax machine to make PDF's of all those pesky documents and make sure they get out to all the people who need copies.
I like trees, so I guess I will have to try a little harder. That is with everything but our newsletters, because I know how much other people like the feel of paper too. Even our highest of "high tech" clients tell us how much they love getting them in the mail. And I can't throw the baby out with the bath water. But let the purging begin!
~Lisa
"This post is written as a submission to the ActiveRain & Kodak Paper-less Challenge contest. I have the chance to win the high speed KODAK SCANMATE i1120 Scanner, great for helping real estate professionals reduce their stacks of paper by scanning contracts, photos and business cards in seconds."
Contact Scott Loper, Associate Broker, Realtor®, RE/MAX Realty Group at 215-513-1333 for help buying or selling a home in Lansdale, Harleysville, Hatfield, Souderton, Skippack, Collegeville, North Wales and the surrounding areas of Montgomery County of Pennsylvania. To Search for Homes For Sale in Montgomery County Click Here.
Paper-less Challenge - Oh My, Do I Have To? - Copyright © 2011, The Scott Loper Team, All rights reserved.
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The Scott Loper Team
Scott Loper - Associate Broker
Lisa Loper - Sales Associate
Gina Wherry - Sales Associate
RE/MAX Realty Group
439 Main Street
Harleysville, PA 19438
Ph: 215-256-1200 x-213
