Category Archive

Last January one of my co-workers kept encouraging me to get a BlackBerry™ but I kept putting it off. At the beginning of the year, I knew I’d be out-of-town and didn’t want to miss any emails as no computer would be nearby. Yes, I did get a BlackBerry™. Prior to this, I hadn’t purchased one because I didn’t want to be so “wired” to everything. Once I got it I couldn’t believe I had lived without it. While out of town, I sold 3 houses off that BlackBerry™. There was a closing and two sales that required counter offer after counter offer and I could not have gotten those deals handled without my “new” BlackBerry™. I was hooked.

Recently, Yahoo® reported that people are addicted to the BlackBerry™. Like all “addicts” I was in denial. Then my BlackBerry™ went out on me (there was only a very small glitch with it) and I realized that I was, as much as I hated to admit it, addicted. Just like fax machines, copiers, computers, cell phones, voice mail, printers, email, etc. all these things have on the one hand made my life easier and yet have complicated things at the same time.

“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinquishable from magic” - Arthur C. Clarke

In 1975 we received all new listing information on teletype. We basically had to keep our own multiple listing book. My first manager had a cell phone the size of a car battery. In the 70’s no one had cell phones, but she did! We had one large multiple listing book with all the available properties. At one point our MLS gave us plastic carrying straps because the books were so heavy. Then we got two books - residential was in one book and land listings in another. We would only get new listing books every other week and by the time the books came out most listings had already been sold. There were so many houses on the market that one of the big builders started his own MLS with just his new construction. We then had two lockbox keys-one to MLS and one to all of his houses. In the mid 1980’s, I got my first computer and thought I would break it. I was scared to death of it.  Just about that time, our MLS went online and we had training session after training session learning the new computerized MLS system.

Soon followed the fax machine, cell phones and computerized lockboxes. When the fax machine came out I thought it was better than “sliced bread”. Before we had the fax we had to hand-deliver every single document to wherever it had to go and get every signature in person, etc. The type of lockboxes we have used has changed too five different times during my years. I guess that’s not too high of a number considering how long I’ve been selling real estate. Times have changed. Now, I’ve been working on my real estate website and I’ve created this blog on my own. It would have been easier to have hired it out, but I wanted to learn and what a satisfying experience this has been. And, I just heard we can get our MLS on the BlackBerry™  Plus, there’s a new BlackBerry Bold™ coming out this summer! Ok I admit it, I am an addict!

P.S. This is not a paid commercial for BlackBerry™!

(For more local and national real estate news, click on my monthly newsletter - JUNG’S JOURNAL - on my website www.bettyjung.com).