Using Technology & the Internet to Buy or Sell a Home

Not a day goes by that you don't hear something about the Internet and other forms of new technology. Up until 5 years ago, the Internet was something new and something most people didn't understand, and they certainly weren't using it on a regular basis.

Times have now changed. Whether you are watching television, listening to the radio, or reading a newspaper, you are not only presented with the phone number of a business, you are also now given their fax number, their email number, and their Internet address. So how can this help you when you are considering buying or selling a home?

Whether you want to buy your first home, upgrade, or sell your present property, information is the key to your success. And this new technology can help!

If you are contemplating the sale of your home, you want to know what the market is doing so you know whether or not you can sell your home at a price that is acceptable, you want to make sure that buyers know about your home, you want to be able to read a contract or offer as soon as it is received, and you want to be able to leave a message for your real estate professional‹even if it is 2:00 a.m.

And if you are buying property, you want many of the same things. You want to know about properties that are available‹you don't want to miss out on the property that is perfect for you because you didn't know about it or your agent didn't know about it. You also want to be able to read documents, leave messages, and you may even want to do some window shopping when your agent is not available or when your schedule doesn't permit you to actually meet with them.

Thanks to the continued improvements in technology, The 21st Century Team can provide their expertise to you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year! How do they do it? Here is a brief overview of how technology has enhanced the systems that The 21st Century Team uses, resulting in their being able to spend more time selling your home or helping you find the home of your dreams.

1. Computerized systems. It is rare to see a professional office that is not computerized and networked. The 21st Century Team has taken this one step further. We have systematized everything, from the typing of contracts, to sending you weekly reports, to the marketing of your home, to finding available properties for you to see all of these are designed to provide you organized, efficient service.
    
2. Sending information to you. No matter what time of day or where you are, The 21st Century Team has the technology to communicate with you. Whether you want to send them an email note, leave a voice mail message, or fax a signed contract, The 21st Century Team provides 24 hour access through the use of cellular phones, voice mail, facsimile machines, and email.
    
3. So what about the Internet? Up until a couple of years ago, the Internet was considered to be nothing more than a toy. Now it is an essential tool for any professional office. If you are selling, your home is placed on the Internet and made available to millions of potential buyers; if you are buying, the Internet provides a credible indication that The 21st Century Team is aware of the shifts and trends in business, and this may be important to an individual seeking to sell his or her home, a home that is perfect for you. The Internet also allows you to do some window shopping with our listings, maybe one of them is right for you.
    
4. 24-Hour Access for Buyers and Sellers. Just as you may have responded to our Real Estate Hotline, hundreds of potential buyers and sellers will be doing the same. Whether they want to know available properties, more specific information regarding your home, market reports, services from mortgage and title companies, or reports designed to help sell or buy a home, this information is truly at your fingertips 24 hours a day.
    
5. How are buyers finding out about your home? It is very important that you know how buyers are hearing about your property. If you are already using the services of a real estate professional, ask them what they are doing to market your home. Are they telling other agents about it? Are they sharing feedback that agents and other buyers have about the home? If they have simply placed a sign in your yard and an ad in the paper, maybe you need a whole new approach to marketing your home.
    
6. Telephone communication. With the addition of cellular phones, call forwarding, and voice mail, you can easily reach The 21st Century Team through our telephone system. This provides virtual 24 hour a day access to The 21st Century Team to answer any real estate questions you have. And with the 800 numbers, The 21st Century Team makes sure there is no cost to you for the call.
    

Although The 21st Century Team knows how technology can help manage the day-to-day tasks involved with real estate transactions, they are also very careful to make sure that technology never replaces the personal service and touch for which The 21st Century Team is so well known. Rather, technology manages the routine tasks, allowing them to spend even more time with you, helping you sell your home or find the property of your dreams.

Discover for yourself how technology is an added benefit when you work with The 21st Century Team to purchase or sell your home. The 21st Century Team will constantly stay abreast of changes in technology that will allow them to continue to provide better service to you. Simply another way that The 21st Century Team "helps you make all the right moves."