As most of you know, I work for the MOST AMAZING real estate company in the world (yes, I am biased) Keller Williams Realty.  One of the things that I admire most about this company is the core foundation on which this company is build… The Associate.

Being in the real estate industry I am hearing a lot about the “Next Gen Office.”  I am challenged with that right from the get go.  Who ever called it the “Baby Boomer Office?”  The reality is this, the way we work has been evolving from day one and that simply isn’t changing.  So we are not looking at the next gen office, we are simply allowing ourselves to flow with the times and not get caught like some car and airline companies have in the past.

What does this new workforce look like?  Interestingly enough, they look a lot like the people that are currently in our workforce today AND those that will join our ranks in the future.

When I look around at some of our mainstream real estate conventions they feel an awful lot like when I launched my first dot com in 1999.  We raised $4 million on our passion and were set on changing the status quo.  We found ways of doing things that hadn’t been done before on the simple fact that nobody ever told us we couldn’t.  And if they did, we simply didn’t listen.

We were out to change the way people think and enlist people to challenge our thinking.  That is what I LOVE about our current environment in real estate.  Like I said, it feels a lot like the good ol’ Dot Com days where creativity and innovation ruled.  People were collaborating and sharing ideas which only caused us to create even cooler products and services (some of which were shut down and are only now seeing the light of day).

When I founded my tech company (that’s what I called it for many years after the dot com bust) we rented executive suites complete with a cyber cafe and all.  So when I hear chatter about the Starbucks feel, I cringe because that is so 1999.   The new office environment combines the best of both Jack Welch and the dot com era.  Think of a virtually flat hierarchy for the organization with collaboration occurring at all levels.

A friend of mine and his close buddies have launched a successful Coworking space in Santa Cruz called Next Space (www.nextspace.us).  Wikipedia defines coworking as “the social gathering of a group of people, who are still working independently, but who share values, and who are interested in the synergy that can happen from working with talented people in the same space.”  To me this sounds a lot like the environment that already exists within a Keller Williams office.  So we have the cultural environment and now we need the physical environment.  (p.s. the culture was there at Next Space early and strong to the point that people were working on milk crates and doors on saw horses until the real furniture showed up… they couldn’t wait to be a part of it!).

This is much greater than a simple cyber cafe, being wi-fi and mobile, or going green.  This is an ENTIRE OFFICE that is built around the collaboration of people that believe “People have walked before us, so why reinvent the wheel.”  Space that not only supports masterminding, but encourages it at every turn.  A place that associates truly believe that a rising tide raises all ships.

Keep in mind, the next generation doesn’t buy a Prius because it is better for the environment.  They buy it because it is better for the environment AND is also more fuel efficient which saves them money.  Try selling a Prius if it only got 1 mile per gallon at $3.45 a gallon!  Smarter, not harder…

While all the ideas I have heard are great, most of them I have had for years (even in my own home).  So it’s not so much where is the workforce heading as much as where we already are.

After all the greatest point of creating a collaborative environment is not to make it easier for real estate agents to be more mobile, but to do that and create an environment that the truly believe their business is better because of where they work and who they surround themselves with.  Where are they getting fed, building relationships and growing their business?

In closing, what I really want to know is this…  How do you see a real estate office truly embracing the innovation that is occurring RIGHT NOW?  What gets you excited about that?  Let’s not simply talk about it, let’s be about it!  Let me know (good or bad) in the comments!

Very soon I will have my 35th birthday.  Tonight I was on the phone talking to my Mom and Dad and they asked me what I would like for my birthday… (Flashback to being 12 again!).  I really couldn’t think of anything that I wanted or even needed.  If anything I have always been the person that if their birthday just came and went with nothing more than i decent meal I would be completely happy.

That’s when I stumbled across mycharitywater.org.  This has to be the coolest idea!  You can give up your (insert special occasion here) to raise money that will provide for clean drinking water to people in developing nations.

So this year I am giving up my birthday in the hopes that we can raise $5,000 that will give clean water to 250 people!  So if you would have given me a gift for my birthday, please donate to help us reach our goal.  It is also my hope that me giving up my birthday would be the catalyst for others that would not normally give me a birthday gift (or maybe don’t even know me) to donate to help this goal become a reality.

After all, we live in an amazing country that provides so much opportunity that other nations couldn’t even fathom.  Even in our current economy we have so much to be grateful for.  Take a moment to visit this site and learn more about this amazing cause.

http://mycharitywater.org/Patrick

I sincerely hope that you will make a donation.  After all… it is my Birthday.

Click here to view the embedded video.

So I hear this, look up the app on my iPhone and that’s when my ADHD kicks in!  From Chase to BofA (when are they going to get this!) to “I saw a commercial for Quickbooks Online, I wonder if they have and app?” to randomly… “What the heck is Mint.com?”

What is it?  Picture Quicken online and free!  In fact, Quicken (Intuit) bought them in an effort to further push financial awareness.

This one site allows you to access the information to all of your financial accounts (checking, savings, loans, credit cards, etc.), create budgets and set goals.  I was skeptical at first and then I began to play with it and WOW!  It is so easy!  Your data is secure and more importantly so is your money.  Mint.com only accesses the data and does not have the ability to access the $$!  This means that no one that accesses your Mint.com data will be able to either.

How is it Free?  Mint.com will make suggestions based on your financial data.  Say your interest rate on a credit card goes up.  Mint will see this and suggest another card with a lower rate.  That is where Mint makes money.

Bottom line, I love Mint because it is so simple.  I believe most people don’t take control of their finances because it feels too overwhelming.  This system makes it so easy for anyone to have a financial dashboard that gives them an amazing overview of their financial position in seconds.  Mint will also send you email and text alerts for a number of different scenarios (account too low, spending over budget, etc.).

I could so go on and on about Mint.com, and I won’t.  What I will do is ask you how much longer you are going to wait to get a guage on your financial health, especially since someone has made it this easy!

Click here to view the embedded video.

When I first heard of the iPad, I was sure that it would be a monumental disappointment. As I began reading the blogs though… I got sucked in (like sitting on the sofa as my wife is watching The Bachelorette). After much deliberation I decided that the iPad would be a tremendous investment, if only for the “Buzz Factor.” The amount of press that this device received in recent months, how could it not be a conversation piece? I wouldn’t really have to do much on it, the mere fact of owning one would cause people to start a conversation with me! So, I bought one, and….

I was right!

No matter where I am people are asking “Is that the iPad?”, “I have never seen one up close!”, “Do you like it?” Buzz Factor accomplished.

I knew this would be a great device to create a buzz, but how would it hold up to actual real world application for real estate? While some things (honestly) are still to come, I have compiled a quick list of must have apps to make your iPad really work for your real estate business. You get the advantage of me spending an enormous amount of time and a small fortune on Apps only to delete most of them.

So here are the Top 10 Apps that I would recommend for the iPad:

1. Keynote – This is Apple’s version of PowerPoint.  I love Keynote and this is the perfect app to “wow” your clients with a slick Buyer Consultation or Listing Presentation.
2. DocsToGo – This great app allows you to access and edit your documents that are stored on your iPad or on “The Cloud.”  So if you are using Google Docs, SugarSync, DropBox and more, this app will access them all.  Not only can you view them, but you can also email them on the spot!
3. SugarSync – This is one of my favorite apps!!  This program will sync your document folders between multiple computers, your smart phone and your iPad.  Simply amazing!
4. Evernote – Ever have those ideas while you are out and about and before you can get a chance to write it down, you have forgotten it?  In comes Evernote!  This app will allow you to type or record a voice note.  If you use a smartphone with a camera, you can also create notes from photos.  Again, this app syncs your notes online so they are accessible everywhere (phone, computer, iPad).
5. Hootsuite – while this app is still in iPhone only flavor (iPhone apps do work on the iPad, they just don’t look as pretty), it allows you to manage multiple facebook profiles, pages and twitter accounts.  My favorite feature is the ability to schedule posts and tweets for later!  This way you can be focused during your social networking as opposed to what most would think of someone posting to Facebook all day long.
6. Analytics HD – This app syncs to your Google Analytics account.  This way you can track how your sites are doing while on the go.  See if a new blog post or tweet is driving traffic to your real estate site.  After all, without the data how do you improve your results?  Google Analytics is FREE too!  Imagine showing your clients the traffic on their listing page real time from your iPad!
7. Beejive IM for iPad – This is the best Instant Message/Chat client around!  You can log in to pretty much any chat client available with this one application.  It also has push notifications, so if someone wants to IM you while you are on the go… They can… and you won’t miss it!
8. iAnnotate PDF - This app allows you to actually sign a PDF file, and it doesn’t just drop the signature “on top” of the pdf, it actually adds it into the pdf!  So, yes, you can sign documents on the iPad!  And for those of you that can’t handle signing with your finger… check this out – Pogo Sketch
9. NewsRack RSS – As the world gets smaller it becomes increasingly more difficult to sift through everything to find the news and stories that I want to see.  Thanks to RSS feeds (Really Simple Syndication) we can now only listen to what we care about!  I use NewsRack RSS because it syncs to my Google Reader account, so no matter where I read my feeds, it will be up to date on all my devices!
10. LogMeIn Ignition – Ok, this is the pricey one!  And I debated long and hard before I bought it.  Wouldn’t you know that the day I did it came in handy.  This app allow you to access any computer remotely.  So if you are out and about and there is that one thing you need off of your office computer, this app can be a life saver.

So there you have it, my must have apps for real estate.  As the iPad matures I can say with complete confidence that I will be coming out with another list with even better apps, and for now this should get you going in a HUGE way.

If you have a favorite, I would love to know about it.  Also, I will be making a post on some of my favorite apps for the iPhone and iPad real estate or otherwise.  Not only do these devices allow me to be more mobile, they also show that I am on the bleeding edge of technology.  This is not a bad thing when technology and real estate go hand in hand in our clients eyes.

Enjoy!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Goupon is a service that will email you coupons for your geographic area every day!  Restaurants, stores, and more!

For example, today in Sacramento, Groupon is promoting a HALF OFF subscription to SacTown Magazine.  That means a 1 year subscription will cost only $6 and not the full $12 annual fee.  Here is another option, why not subscribe your SOI to SacTown?  A $6 expense that will have them thinking of you every time the magazine is delivered!  Why send a postcard when you can send a magazine!!

There are a ton of great deals on Groupon.  They will email you daily and you can simply forward the email to those that you think would be interested.  A simple, easy and effective way to touch your clients and add value… not to mention make yourself the local expert!

Click this icon to check it out!

So you have probably seen more and more foursquare posts in your Facebook Feed…  So and So just became the mayor of such and such…

What the heck is foursquare?
Foursquare is a mobile application that is a cross between a friend-finder, a social city-guide, and a game that rewards you for doing interesting things. Foursquare lets you “check in” to a place when you’re there, tell friends where you are, and track the history of where you’ve been–and who you’ve been there with. Foursquare challenges you to explore your city in new and fun ways by earning points, winning mayorships, and unlocking badges and specials for trying new places and revisiting old favorites.

Is it difficult?
No, you simply need an email address and a mobile phone. foursquare does the rest! Based on your GPS location on your phone you are able to “check in” at neighborhood venues. After so many “check in’s” you can become Mayor of that venue.

Why would I do this?
Do you remember when everyone was saying “What’s the deal with/I don’t understand… Instant Messaging, Texting, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, etc?” And now Everyone is doing more than one of these daily! Think of it this way… Imagine that you own a business and EVERY TIME someone “checks in” they post “Patrick just checked in to (Your Business)” on Facebook and Twitter so ALL of their friends could see. So they are promoting your business for FREE to their circle of friends!

Why do you do this?
I am competitive and want to OWN my neighborhood! When anyone checks in anywhere I want them to see Patrick Woods is the Mayor. I am now perceived as the area expert!! Not to mention, when you and your friends are fighting over a few locations, you will actually re-route your drive home adding more time and mileage to check in at a space to avoid losing or regain your Mayorship!

Some tips…

• Watch for specials! Restaurants and coffee shops will post specials for their Mayors. Who doesn’t like free drinks or appetizers?
• Don’t check in while driving! I was going to San Francisco one day and crossing the Bay Bridge and saw that there were multiple locations that people had created and checked in at! I was on a bridge over the bay! Let’s all be safe out there on the road!
• If you want to have fun with your friends and get them addicted to foursquare, check in and become Mayor of their house!

Be prepared! You will battle to be the mayor of places and it will bring out all the best smack talking you can handle! You will duke it out over your office, home, favorite restaurant, etc.

That is foursquare in a nutshell.  This is obviously something that will evolve over time and we will keep you up to date on the do’s and don’ts of location based social networking.

Bottom line, if foursquare can launch in March of 2009 and hit 1.6 million users by June 2010 there is something to it!  I would love to hear your thoughts!!

I have been using google voice for over a year and I am just now really digging into it. That is… Seriously considering using it as my main phone #. Here are a few reasons why:

1. Voice mail transcription – Google Voice will transcribe my voice mails to text and email and text them to me (transcription is not the best, however it is better than nothing when you are in a meeting and cannot check your voice mail right away)
2. One number for all of your phones! – this is the greatest feature. I give out one number and it can ring on any number that I specify (work, cell, home, etc) without having to give everyone each number.
3. Call Transferring – say you are in the middle of a call on your work phone and realize that you need to hop in the car to your next appointment… with simply pressing a button Google Voice will ring all of your other phones, you pick up and the call is transferred to your cell and you carry on the conversation as you hit the road.
4. Personalized voice mail greetings – imagine your spouse calls and hears “Hey honey, sorry I missed your call. I will call you back as soon as I can. I love you!” Google voice recognizes the caller ID and you can make a personalized voice mail for each contact. Imagine how special each client would feel with a personal voice mail just for them!
5. Google Voice Widget!!! – You can add a “Call Me” widget to your website. So when people visit your site, with the click of a mouse can contact you directly. Also, you can create a custom voice mail just for this widget! “Thank you for calling me on PatrickWWoods.com, sorry I missed your call….”

Here is an overview video on the awesome beauty that is Google Voice!

Click here to view the embedded video.

I wanted to give you another little boost to kick off your week!

“Practice isn’t the thing you do once you’re good. It’s the thing that makes you good.”
- Malcolm Gladwell (Outliers)

I am a HUGE Lance Armstrong fan! For all that he has accomplished including and after beating cancer… This guy is committed to the end result. I used the Malcolm Gladwell quote above because his book Outliers is amazing and it discusses why some succeed while others do not. Time on task.

So as you are working through your week, focus on the activities that will generate the best results and know that success doesn’t happen in a day, it happens day by day.

Click the video below to watch!

As always, your TEAM here at KW is here to help you accomplish your goals in any way we can!

Make this an AMAZING week!

P

Click here to view the embedded video.

You can see it in action here:

http://preview.kw.com/kw/