If you are going to work with a real estate virtual assistant rather than having someone else come into your office to help you keep up with your business, one of the most important things that you can do will be to ensure that you know what technology your real estate assistant is using. Simply put, you’re going to want to know that your real estate virtual assistant is going to be able to do the work that you need to have done.

Looking for a real estate virtual assistant who uses the same web design software that you already use so that you’ll know that you can tweak some elements after the fact? Then you’re going to want to be sure that you ask your real estate VA what she’s using. Want to know that the design work that goes into your marketing materials will be sharp? Take the time to learn more about the graphic work that your real estate virtual assistant has used and will be using to get the job done.

The more that you know that the real estate virtual assistant that you are working with will be able to take advantage of technology and tools that will help you to grow your business, the more successful your relationship is going to be. By making sure that your real estate VA can get the job done, the more satisfied that you are going to be. It really is just as simple as that.

I really like the new Google Chrome, however while in Top Producer 8i this evening Google Chrome is not showing the menu drop down correctly and we are getting error messages. It seemed to work okay this afternoon, however while in it this evening it is a different story. Keep your old browser handy while you are working in Top Producer 8i.

Today was the launch of Google Chrome and of course we had to test it out and let you know our thoughts.

First I love “most visited” Thumbnail boxes that show up when you open up the browser. Since we frequent a lot of the same sites most of the day they are all right on the browser when I open a window and it also has “recent bookmarks” that show what I have bookmarked most recently.

I was really excited when I didn’t find any bugs when I opened up Top Producer 8i with Google Chrome.

Google Chrome offers some other great features:
1) “Incognito” feature that will allow you to browse the net without it storing any of the information as to where you have been
2) Instant bookmarking- Just hit the star and it will bookmark the page you are on and give you a drop down for where you would like the bookmark to be displayed
3) Easier downloads- You can pause or cancel a download while it is in the process of downloading
4) Search for things just by typing what you are looking for in your browser. For instance I typed in “Canton Michigan Real Estate” it brought web addresses that were stored in my computer to choose from and a Google search.

We are just scratching the surface of Google Chrome and will bring about more tips and tricks as they become available.

If you want to give Google Chrome a try you can download it here

One word of caution.. don’t throw your other browsers to the wind just yet as Google Chrome is still in beta testing and I am sure will have some bugs!

If you are going out of town for the holiday weekend and need to receive your e-mails but don’t have the ability on your cell phone, it’s a simple fix.
If you are using Google’s Gmail, Google Apps, or any e-mail client just set up a forward rule to forward all e-mails that come in to your e-mail address to your cell phone number with the carriers information.
Here are some of the main carriers where the x’s are that is where your 10 digit phone number needs to go:
Alltel
xxxxxxxxxx@message.alltel.com

AT&T Wireless
xxxxxxxxxx@mmode.com

Boost Mobile
xxxxxxxxxx@myboostmobile.com

Cingular
xxxxxxxxxx@mobile.mycingular.com OR
xxxxxxxxxx@cingularme.com

Nextel
xxxxxxxxxx@messaging.nextel.com

Sprint PCS
xxxxxxxxxx@messaging.sprintpcs.com

T-Mobile
xxxxxxxxxx@tmomail.net

Verizon
xxxxxxxxxx@vtext.com

Virgin Mobile USA
xxxxxxxxxx@vmobl.com

Some charges may apply from your cell phone carrier so be sure to call and ask them. Also note that you can only receive 160 characters in your text messages so if it is longer you will not get to view the whole e-mail. Ejoy your holiday weekend and this little tip!
~Kandra

Friday morning I was up early and knew I was going to go sit in the High School auditorium while my child wandered through the classrooms touring her new school and getting her new books for the year. I decided to purchase some downloadable books on Lulu to take with me to read while I was waiting.

I downloaded 3 informational type books from Lulu and printed them off and away we went. I sat down and started reading the books that I had put into a binder before leaving and much to my surprise the books had a ton of hyperlinks in them. Most of them were links to go get the information that SHOULD have been in the book. I read what I could and then thought I would put it away and wait until I got back to my computer to read the entire book and click the words that contained the hyperlinks. I had a chance to sit down this afternoon to look at some of the books (they are in a PDF format) and the links were all in blue, however I couldn’t click them.. they were non clickable links in a PDF document.

I thought maybe I need to upgrade my software.. I updated my PDF reader to see if that made a difference.. NOPE still didn’t work.

Off to call Lulu! What, no phone number? Okay looks like they have a live chat. I got on live chat with a rep and they told me to use Firefox to download the documents and see if that made a difference. I downloaded it using FF and still didn’t work.

I asked them to refund my money which then they told me they couldn’t refund my money because the documents have already been downloaded.

Now.. ONE of these books is only 9 pages long has a staggering 69 links! That is over 7 links a page that I am supposed to click on and check out what the author is talking about and can’t! The books are useless! I explained this to the support rep who then started sending me Lulu’s member agreement policy through the chat window-
“Support: Please note that Lulu is not a publisher, but instead provides users with tools to publish their own content. Because Lulu is not a publisher, we do not review work published through our site.
Support: Lulu accepts no responsibility for the quality of the content (including misspelled words, grammatical errors, etc.), its formatting, design or overall appearance. We provide a creator-controlled publishing tool, so the author approves the visual presentation and content of each item. Our staff does not monitor or check individual content prior to publication through our web site.”

Bottom Line is.. make sure you check the member agreement policy before you buy anything from anyone. I am waiting to hear back from Lulu regarding resolving the issue and will keep you all abreast at what happens.

I recently had a website scare.. you know, the kind that leaves your heart throbbing out of your chest. Okay, well if you have never been that fortunate to have that happen.. it’s frightening.

I switched passwords on my database and to my HORROR my website and Blog went down. Now, I know better than to do this, but the wee hours had me not thinking the way I should.

My thoughts during my panic? Who you gonna call?? !
Conversation went somewhat like this:
Me- I have re-set my database password and can you walk me through how I can retrieve it or how I can find it.
Response- If you have changed it we do not have a way to retrieve it.
Me- I have Filezilla open and I know there is a way to recover it.
Response- Ma’am, Filezille is an FTP program and that will not assist you with your password
Me- I know what Filezilla is and I know there is a way I can retrieve the password from a file.
Response- Sorry Ma’am- you will have to find out where your database passwords are stored on all of your programs and change them and I cannot assist you with this
Me- Okay Thanks

Now I was thinking.. what in the world does this guy get paid to do?
Then onward and upward. I took a 5 minute break and then it came to me! Config file.. Found it! Re-set it and whala! Bingo! YES! We are back in business!

I thought I would call back Godaddy and let the guy know who assisted me what an easy fix this was so he could assist someone in the future with this problem. I sat on hold for almost a half an hour and didn’t get the information across that would assist this man with doing his job.

So my experience with Godaddy tonight has been awful customer service! Customer service is the foundation of any business.. does Godaddy know this?

My solution? MOVE! I am taking my ball and bat and going elsewhere to play!
Good Riddance Godaddy.com!
Let’s hear it.. How’s your customer service and what do you do to keep your clients happy?

Maybe computers and the internet still make you a little nervous; it’s not uncommon. But that doesn’t mean that you should rule out the ways in which technology can help you to boost your business.

With the right tools, your presentations can grab the attention of the audience. With the right tools, you can launch an effective email campaign. With the right web sites, you can draw in visitors from around the world. And, with the right tools, you can be sure that the graphics that you add to your business cards, stationary and brochures will pop off the page in just the right way.

But that doesn’t mean that you need to go out and learn how to use a new computer. You don’t even need to go out and learn about using digital cameras or fancy graphics programs.

All that you need to do to take advantage of the boost that technology can give your business is to hire a virtual assistant who knows how to make it work.

Kandra Hamric – Real Estate Virtual Assistant
See How a Virtual Assistant’s Technology Can Boost Your Business
Assistant For Real Estate Blog
888-REVA-USA (738-2872)

A virtual assistant can make you seem more tech savvy than you are.

Than may sound like a grand statement, but think about it for a minute.

Are you proficient with Photoshop and other desktop publishing systems? A virtual assistant will know how to use these programs and allow you to reap the rewards of great looking business stationary, business cards, brochures, sellers’ guides, buyers’ guides and even postcards.

Are you a whiz at web design? A virtual assistant can work with programs like Dreamweaver and Frontpage to create a great looking website and be sure that it is kept up to date.

Are you still keeping track of your contacts with an address book? A virtual assistant can transfer your records into a computer database – something that will help to keep your records organized and easier to keep track of.

Are you worried about giving presentations because you are unfamiliar with creating them? Let a virtual assistant work with you to create Powerpoint presentations that are sure to keep the audience interested and attentive.

No matter how much you love having pen and paper records, it’s important to embrace the technology that’s available to you. But that doesn’t mean that you need to learn all of the programs – or even to buy them for yourself. Let a virtual assistant take on those tech projects for you!

Kandra Hamric – Real Estate Virtual Assistant
Learn more about this virtual assistant’s tech skills and how they can be put to work for you
Assistant For Real Estate Blog
888-REVA-USA (738-2872)

Top Producers need Time and Assistant for Real Estate creates it
Assistant for Real Estate uses a wide range of technology based solutions to support real estate professionals, however the most valuable part of the service we offer is to free time in a top producers schedule in order to allow them to do what they should be doing most – listing homes and finding buyers for them.

At Assistant for Real Estate, we have a great deal of experience acting as a virtual assistant for a wide range of top producer real estate professionals across the country with realtors such ReMAX and Century 21.

Whether you are simply looking for basic administration support or sophisticated marketing and website management, we have the tools and the expertise to assist you achieve your business goals.
Kandra Hamric

888-REVA-USA (738-2872)