My 30th birthday is looming, and everything I used to think I'd feel at this major milestone has changed completely. Any sadness at disappearing youth or fear of my own mortality is a non-issue. Instead, all I feel is gratitude that I have the most important thing in the whole world: a beautiful family. I realize now that my family is the center of my world, and EVERYTHING takes a back seat to them.

Making my home and my family the center of my universe means I need to be more efficient at other things, like work. For me, that's writing about real estate—and for you, it's selling real estate. I'm trying to find tools that can help with this efficiency at work, as I'm sure you all are, too. So while it's top-of-mind, let's talk about some of those tools that can help real estate agents streamline work to free-up time for what really matters: family.

eSignatures

The first timesaver I thought of was digital signatures. Signing documents digitally is taking our industry, and others, by storm by offering wide-ranging and substantive benefits for professionals and consumers alike.

I interviewed Paul Koziarz of DocuSign, a leading digital signature provider, to learn more about the ways that eSignatures can save real estate professionals time.

• Time in the car. When your loved ones are waiting for you at home, the last thing you want to do is waste time stuck in the car. Driving from point A to point B to collect signatures doesn't require your unique professional expertise, and it's certainly not emotionally fulfilling. "eSignatures allow the parties in a transaction to sign documents quickly and safely, no matter where they are. And best of all, no driving across town required," Koziarz explains.

• Time printing and faxing. "Printing the cumbersome paperwork associated with a real estate transaction can be expensive and time consuming," Koziarz said. Then there's the faxing, which is far from quick.
• Time waiting around for signatures to be returned. Electronic signatures allow for the immediate signing and transmission of signed documents using the convenience of mobile devices such as smartphones, iPads, or laptops.

Learn more about eSignatures with exciting news, product information, and articles from DocuSign, or visit them at www.DocuSign.com.

Other Technology

There are numerous other solutions for real estate agents torn between family and professional success:

• Email marketing. Companies like Happy Grasshopper take on the time-consuming task of writing, editing, and sending out email marketing communications so that you don't have to.
• CRM. By keeping your contacts organized in a single location, you reduce time spent digging through an outdated system (i.e. an Excel spreadsheet, you cellphone, or an address book).
• Showing appointment technology and call centers. I'm lumping these together because showing appointment tools often incorporate call center services. However, each can be obtained independent of the other.
• CMA. Putting together a visually appealing and well-researched comparative market analysis (CMA) or other report can be a challenge. However, new tools (such as Cloud CMA and REALTORS Property Resource®) have automated much of the process, allowing you to create faster and even more attractive reports for you buyer and seller clients.
• Web design. You really shouldn't be doing your own web design anyway. Even if you are, deep down inside you know I'm right. A professionally designed website looks better, runs better, and delivers better results. Plus, the time it will take you to learn how to build your site, as well as the time to maintain your site, is much better spent elsewhere.

So, battle on, all you moms and dads. It isn't easy, but it's so worth it! And if you have other timesaving tips that might help the rest of us, please share them here.