WRAR Provides eShowings

How to Sync Your Google and Apple Calendars
Are you an iPhone owner who uses Gmail? Or a MacBook owner with an Android? If you're any kind of technology cross-pollinator, chances are good that you've had some issues synching things, like your calendar. A transaction deadline or client appointment is the last thing you want to miss, so if you use a mix of Apple and Google products, it's important to make sure every crucial date is on the the calendar you use most. Syncing your Apple and Google calendars is a great way to make sure no important dates slip through the cracks. Fortunately, that's an easy process, and the video above shows you just how to do it. Watch it to learn how to: Add your Google Account to your Apple Calendar so transactions syncing to your Google Account also show on your Apple Calendar Add your Apple Calendar to your Google Calendar to get all your appointments, tasks, and events in one place Make Your Calendar Work for You Leveraging Google Calendar for Real Estate Real Estate Smartphone Tricks: Using Your Phone's

What Should Your Open House Tech Checklist Contain? 9 Must-Do Items
Open houses are a tradition that started more than 100 years ago. According to the National Association of Realtors, before 1919, anyone could claim to be a real estate broker. So when a home went up for sale, multiple "For Sale" signs, each from a different broker, could be strewn all over the lawn. The open house, like the first professional real estate organization, was born to add organization to the home-buying process, which was chaotic. The NAR archives show the first recorded open house was held in the 1910s. Called "Open for Inspection," it was held over several days. The first "staged" home was in 1925, and in the 1930s and 40s, open houses gained popularity among agents as a powerful personal marketing tool. In the 1950s, "open house" was the new nomenclature for "open for inspection." Today's open houses have come a long way and are powered by technology. As a result, real estate agents can leverage tech tools to better promote – and host – an open house. Agents also need to remember that many of today's homes boast an array of new tech of their own. That smart home tech can positively impact an open house, but you must be prepared. Here's your tech checklist for an open house: 1. Wi-Fi and internet access: Make sure the home you are hosting offers a strong and reliable Wi-Fi signal. If not, check for cell phone coverage because you'll likely need access when hosting. Plus, you can create a hotspot to connect your laptop. Finally, having internet access can come in handy when you're trying to answer a question from a prospect or share online resources. 2. Make sure all your devices are fully charged: When your devices are fully charged, you won't panic if you leave your charger at home or in the office. 3. Do you have the alarm code? If the property has an alarm system, have a guest alarm code to turn it off — always double-check. 4. Do a run-through of the home's tech with the owners: Smart houses have some really cool features you can show off – if you know how to use them and what to say to Alexa or Google Home. Getting a demo and taking notes can add fun to a routine open house tour. 5. Let buyers know about cameras: Many homes have cameras today, which may always be on. Make sure you disclose this fact by having a sign that shares this information. 6. Offer a mobile charger: Here's a tip to get people to stay a while and spend time taking in the whole house. Set up a charging station for mobile devices and put out a sign to encourage use. 7. Digital sign-in apps: Instead of using a traditional paper sign-in sheet to track traffic, use an open house app – search the app store for your device. Most of these can connect to your CRM to add their contact info or are built to send out a follow-up email immediately afterward. It's the easiest way to track who visited the property and sync up with potential buyers. 8. Virtual staging software: While you know that professionally staged homes sell faster than vacant ones, sometimes, you must show a vacant property. Why not set up your laptop and virtual staging photographs to showcase the property in the best possible light? This helps potential buyers visualize themselves living in the space and may lead to more interest – and offers. 9. Live video broadcast: If you are accustomed to using video to showcase your listings and have tried your hand at live broadcasts such as Facebook or YouTube live, why not promote on your social channels a live broadcast at a specific time from your open house? The best part is your live video is recorded and archived for others to watch in the future on demand. Overall, this tech checklist for an open house may need to be modified depending on the type of home you are showcasing, your local market, and ultimately understanding the preferences of the potential buyers you are trying to reach. By going through this checklist before hosting your next open house, you can be well prepared to leverage technology – and spotlight the home's technology – that can help create a memorable experience for visitors and win more offers. And remember, if you are among the more than 725,000 Realtors in North America with free access to Tech Helpline, you can always reach out by chat, phone, or email for help with your open house tech issues. If you don't have access to Tech Helpline for free as a member benefit, ensure your MLS, association, or brokerage goes to TechHelpline.com to learn more. Finally, if you have an interesting open house tech story, please share it in a post on social media using the hashtag #TechHelpline! Tricia Stamper is Director of Technology at Florida Realtors®, which owns and operates Tech Helpline and Form

What's Coming for Open Houses? Predictions for 2023
Open houses have long been a point of contention for real estate agents. Are they in? Are they out? Are they back in again? Even just in the last couple of years, this will-they-won't-they dynamic has switched multiple times—understandably, given world events. Those switches have happened fast, too. As an example, an article on Inman from July 2021 definitively stated that open houses were out. At the time, that was more than fair: Between government and health agency mandates and consumers' concern about being in closed environments with strangers, it was going to be next to impossible for agents to bring in visitors. Less than eight months later, another piece definitively stated that open houses were back in vogue. Again, fair: People were ready to be out and about, they were ready to start home searches, and they were ready to see spaces through more than the occasionally fish-eyed lens of a virtual tour. Now, with 2023 around the corner, here we all are wondering again whether open houses will be the thing agents turn to with confidence. No matter what happens, though, one thing is for certain: Open houses will be different. Here's what we expect agents will see with open houses in the new year. They will become more popular with sellers. The hot-or-not dichotomy for open houses has historically been incredibly dependent on their popularity with consumers, especially sellers. We've based this prediction for popularity on a combination of larger expectations for the year: Foot traffic for individual home showings as reported by Sentrilock through NAR has consistently fallen in every report issued throughout 2022, and hasn't shown signs of changing. Experts have predicted that days on market will most likely spike this coming year, potentially reaching over 30 days. Together, these trends mean that fewer people are touring homes than ever, and home sales will drag on much longer than most sellers would like. This will likely leave sellers in a position where they feel an open house is their best bet for getting an interested buyer. Open houses will be in agents' best interests, too. The state of the real estate market has been fickle in the last few years, changing almost as quickly as the popularity of open houses. Next year, though, has been almost universally predicted to be a balanced market, thanks to a combination of external factors. Issues like inflation, increasing—or at least, not decreasing—mortgage rates, and affordability issues will likely impact the number of buyers who decide to brave the market. Sellers, who often end up becoming buyers as well, will have the same concerns, and will understand that their own audience is reluctant. This may hinder the number of sellers coming onto the market, as well. This means that agents will need to work harder to find buyers and sellers—and to help them as best as they can. Generally, open houses present an opportunity for agents to showcase their value to both sides of a real estate transaction, and can give them visibility and access through neighborhoods of potential sellers and larger audiences of buyers all at once. Agents will need a hybrid approach. The pandemic has had a much longer effect than many of us would like to admit. When was the last time you were happy to touch something that a stranger may have—especially an implement like a pen, which inadvertently reaches people's mouths far more often than anyone wants to think about? Traditional sign-in sheets (and their requisite pens) will fall by the wayside in 2023, and will largely be replaced by digital methods that allow visitors to check in using their own smartphones. After all, they know where those have been. As a bonus for real estate agents, digital sign-in methods can also make it easier to follow up with interested parties quickly—which could help secure an otherwise uncertain buyer. To view the original article, visit the Lone Wolf