Quick, how do you send an e-mail? Quick, do you have Internet access? Do your clients?
It's 2009, right? So of course, you probably use e-mail as much as you use your Bic pen. Most likely, your clients are even more ubiquitous with the use of e-mail and the Internet. In fact, according to NAR, 84% of all home-buyers start the process online, looking up listings on various sites.
And soon, it will be 99%. Home buyers shopping today are more and more likely to not only know how to use e-mail and the Internet, but have grown up on it. To most new home buyers, it's second nature to send a tweet to a friend instead of giving them a call. In fact, just last year, texting has overtaken calling for cell phone usage.
So, why not meet your clients on their terms? You can satisfy your clients' needs by being on the forefront of technology. Have that Facebook account, tweet about new listings, blog about the newest report on a neighborhood's safety or school district rating. This will show your clients that you not only can relate to them on their level, but that you are working for them by providing another channel of communication.
DotLoop pushes the envelope even further. Now, buyers can go from viewing listings online to negotiating on that same listing online, too. They're already comfortable with the online world, now DotLoop blends the best of the online world with the best of the real estate world.
Your clients are online. You should be too. Join the DotLoop.
For more information, contact us at info@dotloop.com.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
It's Alive! It's Alive!
Just in time for All Hallows' Eve, our mad scientists (re: programmers) have been working frantically, constructing not a monster, but a revolution: DotLoop 2.0!We've updated the entire site--every pixel has been perfected to make DotLoop even more user-friendly and intuitive than ever before.
Check it out today at http://dotloop.com!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
DotLoop 2.0 Kickoff Party!
On Friday, October 23rd from 4PM - 6PM, DotLoop will be unveiling its newest product, an all-new, enhanced version of The DotLoop System! Please feel free to contact Nick at nsweeney@dotloop.com for your invitation.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
RE/MAX Rewards Winners!
On July 20th, DotLoop rolled out our RE/MAX Rewards Program for all beta users. It’s been 90 days and we now have our winners! Congratulations to Connie Rydzewski, Betty Poynter, and Julie Pruitt!
• Julie Pruitt was our Grand Prize Winner with a brand-new Netbook computer coupled with a year of free satellite Internet service and a full year of free DotLoop transactions!
• Betty Poynter won Second Place with a brand-new digital camera and six months of free DotLoop transactions!
• Connie Rydzewski was our Runner-Up and won herself a brand-new Tom-Tom GPS device and three months of free DotLoop transactions!
Congratulations you three! Your hard work, dedication, and leadership have helped DotLoop transform the real estate industry! We look forward to working with amazing agents like you in the future.
Monday, October 12, 2009
ESIGN: Easy
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Ever order a birthday or Christmas gift from amazon.com? Ever use your credit card to buy a kitchy item from ebay? Ever buy concert tickets online using your checking account or debit card number? If so, you’re already familiar with electronic signatures.
What you may not be familiar with, however, are the legalities behind simply clicking a checkmark box before hitting “Continue.”
Luckily, the law is pretty straightforward about what constitutes a “legal” signature in the 21st century. With ESIGN (Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act) and UETA (Uniform Electronic Transactions Act), there’s no need to put a pen to your screen to sign documents electronically.
Completely Legal
The ESIGN legislation enacted on June 30, 2000, very clearly states that any electronic signature is just as valid as any hand written signature. The UETA gives legal binding status to any electronic form or signature it produces.
More Secure
Not only are electronic signatures completely legal, in some ways, they’re even more secure than traditional pen and ink signatures.
Unlike forgeries, electronic signatures have to pass the scrutiny of computers, so unless you know that password exactly, you're not going to be able to forge a signature. And unlike the traditional name with 26 different possible characters, most passwords today use a combination of letters, numbers and symbols. With the average keyboard housing 114 different key types, the password possibilities are endless, making it nearly impossible to forge a signature.
Some systems, like DotLoop, even require a unique question be answered when requesting a password change, adding a further layer of security to a signature process, so, even if you know a user’s e-mail address, you may not be able to change their password without information only they would know.
Electronic signatures have helped create a more efficient, effective, and trackable signature system than the old pen and paper autographs of yore. Nilesh Patel, an attorney for the Frost Brown Todd law firm in Cincinnati, says it best.
“You can attack a contract on many fronts, on the grounds of consumer protection, fraud, authenticity, etc. But your reason for striking it cannot be that the signature was made electronically.”
Ever order a birthday or Christmas gift from amazon.com? Ever use your credit card to buy a kitchy item from ebay? Ever buy concert tickets online using your checking account or debit card number? If so, you’re already familiar with electronic signatures.
What you may not be familiar with, however, are the legalities behind simply clicking a checkmark box before hitting “Continue.”
Luckily, the law is pretty straightforward about what constitutes a “legal” signature in the 21st century. With ESIGN (Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act) and UETA (Uniform Electronic Transactions Act), there’s no need to put a pen to your screen to sign documents electronically.
Completely Legal
The ESIGN legislation enacted on June 30, 2000, very clearly states that any electronic signature is just as valid as any hand written signature. The UETA gives legal binding status to any electronic form or signature it produces.
More Secure
Not only are electronic signatures completely legal, in some ways, they’re even more secure than traditional pen and ink signatures.
Unlike forgeries, electronic signatures have to pass the scrutiny of computers, so unless you know that password exactly, you're not going to be able to forge a signature. And unlike the traditional name with 26 different possible characters, most passwords today use a combination of letters, numbers and symbols. With the average keyboard housing 114 different key types, the password possibilities are endless, making it nearly impossible to forge a signature.
Some systems, like DotLoop, even require a unique question be answered when requesting a password change, adding a further layer of security to a signature process, so, even if you know a user’s e-mail address, you may not be able to change their password without information only they would know.
Electronic signatures have helped create a more efficient, effective, and trackable signature system than the old pen and paper autographs of yore. Nilesh Patel, an attorney for the Frost Brown Todd law firm in Cincinnati, says it best.
“You can attack a contract on many fronts, on the grounds of consumer protection, fraud, authenticity, etc. But your reason for striking it cannot be that the signature was made electronically.”
Friday, October 9, 2009
Overhead Costs
This week's posts will highlight some of the issues innate to the current real estate industry, and will explain the benefits of a more secure, efficient, and cost-savings solution with DotLoop. The issues will be addressed through the lens of online collaboration and will focus on three main areas of improvement within the real estate industry: security, efficiency, and overhead costs.
Today's post: Overhead Costs
Overhead Costs
There are many costs associated with having to retrieve data from systems that are not automated. Currently, many organizations hire an imaging company to scan their files and save them in their systems, adding another layer of administrative costs, storage costs, and possible security breaches.
The DotLoop Solution
With The DotLoop System, the traditional paper trail has now gone online, saving your company time and money, and allowing your documents to be stored more securely. No more wasted office space filled with file cabinets; no more hunting down archived forms; no more costly duplications. The DotLoop System allows you to securely store all of your documents with us at no extra charge. Plus, all of the information can be easily retrieved at the click of a button, cutting administrative costs.
DotLoop—A Fully-Integrated Online Solution
The DotLoop System was designed specifically to overcome the challenges of the traditional real estate negotiation process. DotLoop marries the technology with the traditional, creating a collaborative online environment that uses the Internet as a tool agents can use to connect with their clients, saving them time and money. DotLoop allows the agent and client the ability to interact on their own terms, dissolving distance and sending fax machines further into obsolescence.
More than just a forms software, DotLoop is a fully-integrated, wholly web-based negotiation platform allows users to create, adjust, approve, and sign documents and contracts in one seamless, online environment. DotLoop offers a comprehensive solution to the challenges of security, efficiency, and overhead costs in today’s real estate industry, creating a 21st century solution for 21st century challenges.
Get in the Loop
To learn more about how The DotLoop System can enhance your business, please contact us at sales@dotloop.com or go to dotloop.com.
Today's post: Overhead Costs
Overhead Costs
There are many costs associated with having to retrieve data from systems that are not automated. Currently, many organizations hire an imaging company to scan their files and save them in their systems, adding another layer of administrative costs, storage costs, and possible security breaches.
The DotLoop Solution
With The DotLoop System, the traditional paper trail has now gone online, saving your company time and money, and allowing your documents to be stored more securely. No more wasted office space filled with file cabinets; no more hunting down archived forms; no more costly duplications. The DotLoop System allows you to securely store all of your documents with us at no extra charge. Plus, all of the information can be easily retrieved at the click of a button, cutting administrative costs.
DotLoop—A Fully-Integrated Online Solution
The DotLoop System was designed specifically to overcome the challenges of the traditional real estate negotiation process. DotLoop marries the technology with the traditional, creating a collaborative online environment that uses the Internet as a tool agents can use to connect with their clients, saving them time and money. DotLoop allows the agent and client the ability to interact on their own terms, dissolving distance and sending fax machines further into obsolescence.
More than just a forms software, DotLoop is a fully-integrated, wholly web-based negotiation platform allows users to create, adjust, approve, and sign documents and contracts in one seamless, online environment. DotLoop offers a comprehensive solution to the challenges of security, efficiency, and overhead costs in today’s real estate industry, creating a 21st century solution for 21st century challenges.
Get in the Loop
To learn more about how The DotLoop System can enhance your business, please contact us at sales@dotloop.com or go to dotloop.com.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Efficiency
This week's posts will highlight some of the issues innate to the current real estate industry, and will explain the benefits of a more secure, efficient, and cost-savings solution with DotLoop. The issues will be addressed through the lens of online collaboration and will focus on three main areas of improvement within the real estate industry: security, efficiency, and overhead costs.
Today's post: Efficiency
Efficiency
Business moves fast; if you can’t close a deal while you have your customer’s attention, you may lose their business forever. Faxing papers back and forth, having to meet clients in person, or agreeing to a deal only to not have the forms on hand can cost companies many lost opportunities.
E-mail has helped solve many of the inefficiencies associated with traditional communication by shortening the wait time between channels. But in many ways, even while increasing the speed of communication, e-mail still struggles to overcome the inefficiencies inherent with traditional mail. Sure, e-mail is digital, but is it trackable? E-mails can still be altered by any sending party, different organizations or people can be added and deleted from forwarded or replied messages with ease, and the ability to track the conversation from beginning to end, with all parties, is tenuous at best. E-mail is just that: electronic mail, with some of the same inefficiencies as traditional mail.
The DotLoop Solution
DotLoop allows for complete collaboration between all parties in one space. With DotLoop’s Automated Data Access, your forms are always ready for use, so that you’ll always be ready for an opportunity. Being able to confirm agreements with the click of a button saves you and your clients’ time and energy, which translates into savings for your company. With everyone on the same page—both literally and virtually—collaborations take place in real time, eliminating the need for special meetings and sending fax machines further into obsolescence. Having every field completely trackable not only gives you more security, but also eliminates questions about who agreed to what terms at what time.
DotLoop—A Fully-Integrated Online Solution
The DotLoop System was designed specifically to overcome the challenges of the traditional real estate negotiation process. DotLoop marries the technology with the traditional, creating a collaborative online environment that uses the Internet as a tool agents can use to connect with their clients, saving them time and money. DotLoop allows the agent and client the ability to interact on their own terms, dissolving distance and sending fax machines further into obsolescence.
More than just a forms software, DotLoop is a fully-integrated, wholly web-based negotiation platform allows users to create, adjust, approve, and sign documents and contracts in one seamless, online environment. DotLoop offers a comprehensive solution to the challenges of security, efficiency, and overhead costs in today’s real estate industry, creating a 21st century solution for 21st century challenges.
Get in the Loop
To learn more about how The DotLoop System can enhance your business, please contact us at sales@dotloop.com or go to dotloop.com.
Today's post: Efficiency
Efficiency
Business moves fast; if you can’t close a deal while you have your customer’s attention, you may lose their business forever. Faxing papers back and forth, having to meet clients in person, or agreeing to a deal only to not have the forms on hand can cost companies many lost opportunities.
E-mail has helped solve many of the inefficiencies associated with traditional communication by shortening the wait time between channels. But in many ways, even while increasing the speed of communication, e-mail still struggles to overcome the inefficiencies inherent with traditional mail. Sure, e-mail is digital, but is it trackable? E-mails can still be altered by any sending party, different organizations or people can be added and deleted from forwarded or replied messages with ease, and the ability to track the conversation from beginning to end, with all parties, is tenuous at best. E-mail is just that: electronic mail, with some of the same inefficiencies as traditional mail.
The DotLoop Solution
DotLoop allows for complete collaboration between all parties in one space. With DotLoop’s Automated Data Access, your forms are always ready for use, so that you’ll always be ready for an opportunity. Being able to confirm agreements with the click of a button saves you and your clients’ time and energy, which translates into savings for your company. With everyone on the same page—both literally and virtually—collaborations take place in real time, eliminating the need for special meetings and sending fax machines further into obsolescence. Having every field completely trackable not only gives you more security, but also eliminates questions about who agreed to what terms at what time.
DotLoop—A Fully-Integrated Online Solution
The DotLoop System was designed specifically to overcome the challenges of the traditional real estate negotiation process. DotLoop marries the technology with the traditional, creating a collaborative online environment that uses the Internet as a tool agents can use to connect with their clients, saving them time and money. DotLoop allows the agent and client the ability to interact on their own terms, dissolving distance and sending fax machines further into obsolescence.
More than just a forms software, DotLoop is a fully-integrated, wholly web-based negotiation platform allows users to create, adjust, approve, and sign documents and contracts in one seamless, online environment. DotLoop offers a comprehensive solution to the challenges of security, efficiency, and overhead costs in today’s real estate industry, creating a 21st century solution for 21st century challenges.
Get in the Loop
To learn more about how The DotLoop System can enhance your business, please contact us at sales@dotloop.com or go to dotloop.com.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Security
This week's posts will highlight some of the issues innate to the current real estate industry, and will explain the benefits of a more secure, efficient, and cost-savings solution with DotLoop. The issues will be addressed through the lens of online collaboration and will focus on three main areas of improvement within the real estate industry: security, efficiency, and overhead costs.
Today's post: Security
Cell phones, e-mail, electronic lock boxes, video conferences. The last twenty years have seen a tsunami of technological achievements that have helped bolster the real estate industry into the 21st century. Eighty-four percent of all home-buyers begin the transaction process online, viewing listing after listing on websites. More than 90% of real estate professionals use a cell phone to conduct their daily business. E-mail has swept the industry and now, even text messages are becoming commonplace.
For the most part, the real estate industry has been able to keep pace with the quickening rate of business, but there are still considerable gaps between the technology available and the processes implemented. By far the biggest hurdles have been the negotiation and transaction processes.
Many within the real estate industry are still struggling with decades-old storage and filing techniques. What should be a simple, automated process has been bogged down by manila folders with loose documents and vast wastelands of storage cabinets. Reams of paper are copied, faxed, and wasted each and every day. Some within the industry have taken to documenting their finished contracts using imaging companies, but even this wastes time and resources that could be better allocated growing the business or focusing on client needs.
Security breaches within this antiquated system have lead to wasteful lawsuits and wasted time. The market collapse of 2008 saw the revelation that some home-buyers did not even understand the forms that they were signing, leading to brokerages being sued by their own customers. This lack of collaboration between brokerages and clients has not only lead to a more unstable business model, but also helped create the current struggling market.
Security
Initialed changes to smudged contracts, illegible handwriting, over-faxed contracts, and lost documents not only waste time, but can create legal risks for companies and clients alike. One lost form can cost a company many hours of extra work at best and many dollars in legal costs at worst. Papers can easily get shuffled or lost and government regulations can leave organizations susceptible to potential legal ramifications or fines if proper tracking is not in place. With no concrete way to document and track changes to a contract or form, companies may lose important information or clients may dispute terms that at one time were agreed upon, but no longer available to see.
Such regulatory compliances and legal risks have motivated many industries to find better ways to organize their documents and information. Unfortunately, the real estate industry has not been quick to adapt to these new processes.
The DotLoop Solution
Using The DotLoop System, every adjustment can be tracked and time-stamped, creating one seamless document. Each field has its own history attached to it, allowing users to see what changes were made, who made them, and at what date and time, leaving a fail-safe audit trail for both you and your client. This level trackability has never been so ubiquitous or so easy to understand. Our entire system is backed up multiple times a day in multiple locations, with built-in redundancy, so you can rest easily knowing that your documents are safe and secure. DotLoop’s e-sign technology has been proven to be more secure than traditional signatures, and is even mandated by some sectors of the Federal Government.
DotLoop—A Fully-Integrated Online Solution
The DotLoop System was designed specifically to overcome the challenges of the traditional real estate negotiation process. DotLoop marries the technology with the traditional, creating a collaborative online environment that uses the Internet as a tool agents can use to connect with their clients, saving them time and money. DotLoop allows the agent and client the ability to interact on their own terms, dissolving distance and sending fax machines further into obsolescence.
More than just a forms software, DotLoop is a fully-integrated, wholly web-based negotiation platform allows users to create, adjust, approve, and sign documents and contracts in one seamless, online environment. DotLoop offers a comprehensive solution to the challenges of security, efficiency, and overhead costs in today’s real estate industry, creating a 21st century solution for 21st century challenges.
Get in the Loop
To learn more about how The DotLoop System can enhance your business, please contact us at sales@dotloop.com or go to dotloop.com.
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