Robert May
By Toby Welch
The paperless realty office is no longer an intangible dream. It can be done and it’s not as challenging as many people believe it is.
Robert May operates Rainbow Realty in Lethbridge, Alta. He went completely paperless in 2006 and now helps others make the transition.
“My original motivation to go paperless was driven by the desire to improve organization and to cut expenses,” May says. “The first and easiest switch was from a paper fax machine to an efax service, something which I still use and highly recommend. The efax now blends flawlessly with Cloud storage of documents and allows me to access files anytime and anywhere.”
May says, “I currently use Dropbox for all of my online document storage and have found them to be reliable and affordable. It integrates well with my other technology and it saves all document revisions, a fantastic feature. I also have free software called Evernote that I use on my smartphone to scan and organize everything I might want to recall later.”
The use of these modern technologies has allowed May to lower operating expenses, increase efficiency, and to gain a public reputation as offering modern service. “I would advise all offices to plan for these technologies as quickly as possible. Clients will soon expect these tools and new industry members will demand them from their brokerages. The change is inevitable.”
The greatest obstacle to Realtors making the advancement is the initial expense and learning curve. However, most of the technology needed to go paperless can be used on an introductory trial at no cost at all. Monthly, May spends about $20 on efaxing and $10 for online storage.
Jessica Stoner
Jessica Stoner, broker/owner at Re/Max Alpine Realty in Canmore, Alta., has been paperless for almost three years. “Getting the paperless system in place is somewhat time-consuming, as any new system will be. Once it is in place, it saves the client, the agent and the staff time. It makes things simpler and faster, such as looking for a document or file. When using paper files, searching for misfiled documents is extraordinarily time consuming.”
Stoner’s clients appreciate her system. “Many clients are very pleased to be part of a paperless transaction. We have some rather low-tech paperless tools, such as a pad called the Real Sign pad. It is a simple device that attaches to a computer USB port. The client writes on the pad and sees their writing applied to a contract. The simplicity makes the least tech-savvy client comfortable, as it looks and feels exactly like they are signing on paper. For our more technology-savvy clients, agents tend to use the iPad or other higher tech devices.”
Rick Dubord, broker of HomeLife Benchmark Realty in Surrey, B.C., and the president of Realty Nuance, has always been interested in technology. Seven years ago, Dubord got together with two Lower Mainland Realtors and they created Realty Nuance, a virtual business centre. They went totally paperless the following year.
Rick Dubord
“Once the real estate board integrated with our business, the system was all-inclusive,” Dubord says. “Once that was in place, the salespeople bought into it. When we first set it up, it was tough as people had their paradigms as to how things should be done.”
But Dubord won his staff over once they realized the benefits of the paperless transaction system. For example, a Realtor had all of his files stolen out of his car. He was devastated until he realized that they could be recovered from the online virtual filing cabinet.
It also streamlined Dubord’s services and his office. As opposed to having one administrator that would service 25 salespeople, the administrator services three times that number. Dubord says the paperless process is 85 per cent more efficient than paper systems and that it also eliminates the errors.
Realty Nuance stores all of the documents online chronologically and the customer is invited to the transaction to see it unfold. Biometric as well as electronic signatures are used. No new equipment is necessary as everything is web-based. A number of HomeLife offices use the system as well as competitors such as Royal LePage and Re/Max.
Dubord estimates that he saves on average $1.65 a file as he has no hard costs like toner, paper, labour and storage. Other advantages include a better ability to supervise transactions, remote audits, electronic back office integration and an attractive recruitment tool.
If you want to keep the process as easy as possible, Stoner suggests, “The simplest tool to start with would be to get a Real Sign pad. This tool can make any agent paperless within the first few days of using it. The next thing you will need is an on-line document storage account, such as Google Docs (free) or Dropbox (inexpensive). Now, all documents can be signed paperlessly and stored in the Cloud to be accessed anytime. It really is as simple as that.”
Regardless of how tech you want your paperless office to get, you will find a system that works for you; a myriad of options are available at all levels. For example, Faltour’s Real Estate Electronic Document Management system has been accredited for use in Quebec. eEdge is used by Keller Williams Realty associates and other systems include Real Estate Dashboard and Opreie, among others.
James Buonassisi
Not convinced about going totally paperless? Consider what James Buonassisi, a Realtor with Re/Max Select Realty in Vancouver, does. Using first a tablet and now an iPad, Buonassisi has been paper reduced for the past three years. “Don’t re-invent the wheel. Get help from others who have experience with it. Here in Vancouver there is a consultant you can pay to get you started and I would recommend someone like that.”
Dubord shares some final observations, “Usually the ones that do the most complaining when you start the paperless transaction systems are the ones that buy into it the most. But the biggest challenge in the industry is that the average broker isn’t receptive to a lot of change.”
