Why You Need to Learn How to Use a Computer – Now!

I am still in shock at how many agents out there have no thought how to use a computer, and how many of these agents do not realize how much their lack of ability in using a computer is costing them not only a lot of time, but clients and money as well.

There are three small real estate companies that I can reckon of in my area who do not subscribe to the MLS. They do have listings, as I see their ads in the paper and signs on the road from time to time. I just don’t know why they don’t feel having the MLS isn’t necessary. It’s certainly possible to sell a house without it being listed in the MLS first, as I have seen agents place contracts in on houses before they even had a chance to get the listing entered into the MLS. But, in times when the real estate market is not seen as “booming”, these real estate brokers are missing out on a lot of potential business and really serving and representing their client’s needs.

In other real estate offices I have been in, there are agents who do not know how to turn on a computer. I wish I was exaggerating. The few agents who have been able to successfully turn on their computer then struggle with trying to access the MLS. I accidently deleted the MLS desktop shortcut on a office computer once. Without that shortcut, they were panic stricken. “You deleted the entire MLS system!!” they screamed at me. Obviously, not the case and in minutes I had the shortcut back up, but not without a half an hour of them complaining about how “stupid” I am.

Next we have agents who are comfortable with turning their computer on and accessing the MLS, though they certainly do not know how to use the MLS to their advantage and really get the most out of it. (Most are not aware you can run reports or do other advanced things with it.) But there are other problems. They don’t know how to use their email beyond typing simple messages. They don’t know how to use word processing software to its full capacity. These are the ones who reckon I am a downright “genius” when it comes to computers because I know how to print up marks for their mailers.

Fortunately, we have many agents who are computer savvy. They can do all of the things above. They have a real estate blog and may even know html and javascript! They use Adwords, they enhance their listings online, they can convert faxes to email, they might even have a power point listing presentation or a video for home sellers to watch. These agents are way ahead of their competition – and as more people start becoming more and more technologically advanced these are the agents who will survive and thrive while the other agents find themselves struggling more and more.

The point of this post is not to belittle anyone who doesn’t have excellent computer skills. It’s understandable that many agents did not grow up with computers and that learning them is not exactly simple. The point of this post is to encourage you to learn how to use a computer and its software to its fullest capacity. It’s never too late to learn and there are many ways you can learn more about computers. You can take computer classes, hire someone to teach you the ropes, or if you have basic computer skills you can enhance them by reading the many free computer tutorials online.

So what are you waiting for? You need to learn how to use a computer – NOW!