Absolute Beginners Guide to Tablet PCs

The real estate agent deals in residential properties and prides himself on finding the perfect house for each person.

Toolkit

• Convertible style Tablet PC This style of Tablet PC is ideal for high text demands.

• Bluetooth adapter This is necessary for data communication with other Bluetooth-enabled devices.

• Bluetooth mobile phone This can be connected to the Tablet PC to enable wireless Internet access.

• Digital camera with Bluetooth This can be used to capture pictures of homes that might interest clients.

• Navman GPS 4400 GPS receiver This program enables users to find directions and track travel progress.

• FranklinCovey TabletPlanner This program is used for time and task management.

• Microsoft Office 2003 The real estate agent uses this to prepare documents and email.

• Adobe Acrobat This program is used for digital document creation.

Value Proposition

The Tablet PC can reduce paperwork in the office and allow the agent to spend more time in the field with clients. With a completely mobile setup, he can connect to the office and the Internet while in the car, allowing more timely access to information.

Day in the Life

The real estate agent doesn't even go to the office much any more. Instead, he begins his day at home by checking recent MLS additions that meet his clients' criteria. He finds a new listing for one of his clients, and emails her the listing to let her know. He also inputs the addresses for most of the homes he wants to visit for the day and has his Tablet PC tell him the optimal driving route.

He takes his Tablet PC in the car with him, connecting it to a GPS and letting it tell him directions via voice prompting. He arrives at his first appointment, picks her up, and confirms the houses she wants to see. He pulls up the first address and reviews the map quickly to confirm the shortest route.

When they get to the first house, the agent grabs his Tablet PC and goes to the door, unlocking it for his client. He walks around the house with her, telling her details such as the builder's reputation and identifying any quality issues in the house, such as excellent or poor craftsmanship. He makes digital notes about the house on the listing that he pulled from MLS, and these notes are tied to the listing number in Mi-Forms so that he can refer to them later as well as share the comments with colleagues. After looking around, they both decide that the house is not quite what she is looking for, so they head to the next house.

While she is looking around the second house, he connects to the Internet via his Bluetooth phone, and checks MLS for anything new. He finds one that may suit his client, and imports the listing to Mi-Forms, which he can mark up. He adds the address to his navigation program and it now becomes the fourth stop of the morning.

After they leave the second house, having declared it a possibility, they go to the third, which is not for her. When they reach the fourth (the house that just got listed), she immediately likes what she sees. When they enter the house, they discover that it is perfect for her. The builder is reputable, and the construction quality is excellent. In addition, the floor plan and upkeep is great as well.

The client decides that this is what she is looking for, and the agent recommends driving around the neighborhood to look for any issues. They find none, and she decides to place an offer. Because the agent has everything he needs on his Tablet PC, he parks in a nearby parking lot, pulls up the contract template, and fills in the details while the client is excited. He then faxes the contract to the seller's agent via his Bluetooth phone connection, and the first part of the deal is done.

The agent and the client return to her house, and they part company pleased with the morning's success. Later that day, the agent gets confirmation that the seller has accepted the offer.

Summary of Benefits