Earth Day 2011: Doing Business Online Reduces Environmental Scourge

Today is Earth Day, and we here at DotLoop take that rather seriously. Reason being, we aim to serve real estate professionals by reducing the environmental scourge that is excessive paper and ink cartridge use.

Electronic transactions have become prevalent throughout commerce in every industry as a solution for more efficient transactions. As a collaborative workspace for agents and clients, DotLoop applies the same concept to real estate in order to reduce the vast amount of paper used in a transaction, while being more efficient for all parties.

Some real estate transactions can use more than 100 sheets of paper per transaction -- depending on the number of counteroffers throughout the process.  Consider how many homes have been sold in the history of homes, along with the number of homes that will be sold in the future.

While there are no exact figures, one should conclude that it would add up to a lot of paper, which consequently breeds a lot of deforestation and waste. In an age where virtually everything is done electronically, it’s a wonder why an industry so reliant on contracts and negotiations would continue to use a method that’s out-dated and environmentally unsound.

Additionally, there is more to consider than paper in the printing of contracts. Since, printing requires a lot of ink, cartridges also pile up, impacting the earth negatively.

According to curerecycling.com, more than 700 million ink cartridges are used every year, many of which are thrown away. This is especially damaging due to the residual ink that leaks into the ground along with the plastic that can take generations to decompose.

The practice of printing should only be done when absolutely necessary. Oftentimes, contracts are printed with errors or need corrections; prompting a person to reprint the very same thing. Doing business electronically allows corrections to be made to virtual documents without wasting a page or expensive ink.

Therefore, continuing to use ink-to-paper practices in real estate only contributes to the deterioration of the environment. Subsequently, the materials that deepen an agent or broker’s carbon footprint also cost more money in the long run.

Consider how many pages are needed to complete a deal, the amount of ink used and the space needed to store the documents. Altogether, a broker could be spending considerable money on out-dated practices that slow agents down, and contribute to a global problem that affects everyone. Moving one’s business online eliminates the previously mentioned inefficiencies and saves money.

Think about it. Eliminating paper and ink waste while reducing overhead costs in one’s real estate business seems like a logical move. Technology has made the world a smaller place allowing people to do things never thought possible before.

Every industry has the ability to go paperless in commerce. Real estate is no different; therefore, agents and brokers have the opportunity to protect the environment and save money by moving their business online.

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