DotLoop Blog

The construction industry has a 17% unemployment rate, but one sector not suckered into job losses are green buildings.

Accounting for up to one-third of all new construction in the US, green buildings are the hot new trend in construction. They're the asbestos of the new millennium, only without the carcinogens.

But what makes a building 'green' anyway?

For most, having the designation of a LEED certified building seals the deal (or is that insulates the deal?). LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, a term created by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), a non-profit consortium of builders and designers.

But does the point-based system really make buildings greener, or just the wallets of its council? As far as new construction is concerned, do we really need any more buildings, or would it be 'greener' to simply rehab older buildings and bring them up to modern code?

It may be time to question some of the assumptions one makes about what makes a home environmentally sound.

After all, like most movements, the green movement seems to be more about making money than saving manatees.

Real estate agents are an endangered species.

And, like dodo birds, jobs already lost in real estate are not likely to come back anytime soon.

That's according to the new report from the Labor Department, which speculates that most or all of the 8.4 million lost jobs will be regained by 2014.

The catch?

The new jobs will most likely be filled by two categories: high paying, high skilled jobs or low-paying, low-skill jobs. The middle, it appears, has been sliced out and shipped out overseas.

Of course, as a real estate agent, you no doubt have already seen what having less real estate agents is like on the industry. Perhaps the job-losses were long-overdue residual effects from having too many "me, too" agents.

For the fittest who've survived, however, your evolution is not yet complete.

The real estate world will continue to rapidly change, from less inventory with lower prices to clients who demand paperless, real-time collaboration and updates. Your job is to evolve and grow as this change occurs.

The best part, though?

No matter the changes in the economy, they'll never be able to outsource real estate agents.

Do you know what a div is?

A what?

Exactly.

You probably think I'm lying, but computers aren't magical. They are just language and microchips. But you don't care. Nor should you - you're too busy getting your work done. Here at DotLoop, we understand that, which is why we create tools to simplify your lives, not add complexity to an already complex world.

As Google points out in the video below, most people don't know how the Internet works, but most people nonetheless use the Internet.



Most people don't know how their car works, either (something about internal combustion), but they drive one every day.

Your clients don't necessarily know how real estate works; they just want their house sold.

Folks just want things to work. At DotLoop, we get that, which is why we are constantly tweaking and updating our site to make it more efficient, more robust, and more useful.

Look for some changes next week and enjoy your holiday weekend.

For the record, a browser is software used to render the Internet onto your computer screen. Think of it as a window into the web. Google, by contrast, is a web site that helps you search the Internet. It's a search engine, not a browser.

Easy, right?

This economy is a strange, fickle little creature, and it may be years before we see an upswing.

At least, that's what Jeremy Grantham's predicting. This fabled recovery, he says, will not happen in 2010, but around 2016.

You know - the future.

Of course, he may be just another Economic Nostradamus and might be completely wrong about his "seven lean years" prediction. This downturn, after all, may last even longer.

Our economy is only as fickle as we are, though - we've been impatiently waiting for a recovery for the last three years.  Now that it's lasting longer than we had anticipated, it seems a good idea to start thinking long-term about changes we can all make to wade through this economy tsunami.

Here are three areas you, as an agent, can start to cutback on to wade through this recession.

Office Supplies
Between the manila folders, costly ink cartridges, and burdensome storage cabinets (which take up precious office space), the cost of business has always been a bit on the high side.

With today's technology, however, you can run a completely paperless office, saving you space, waste, and haste. DotLoop's paperless online transaction system, for example, means you'll never have to worry about costly paper fees (or paper cuts) again.

Fuel
How much time are you spending stuck in traffic? How much money are you wasting on gas? Fuel costs add up and can eat into your revenue faster than you think. With more cars on the road today than ever before, even a quick trip downtown can waste hours and gallons.

Luckily, with e-mail, eSign, and eFax services so readily available, you can save your gas for when you really need it - to get to the closing table.

Advertising
There are only so many channels agents use to get their name out there; unfortunately, most are not only out-dated, but downright costly.

With free services like Facebook and Twitter allowing you to be your own brand manager (and more easily and effectively connect with your audience) why would anyone still use a billboard or bus stop bench to get the word out?

These are just three areas you can curb your spending to survive this wave of slumped sales. I'm sure you can think of even more.

And hey, even if this economy come back swinging again soon, think about how much more efficient, effective, and economic you will be as an agent.

Consider yourselves warned.

As The Wall Street Journal reports, that "professional card" offer you received in the mail last week may give your ego a boost, but not without first raiding your wallet.

With issuing offers of such cards up 256% from last year, you may be asking yourself: has everyone become a small-business owner over night?

Hardly. Thanks to the new CARD (Credit Card Accountability and Responsibility and Disclosure) Act of 2009, card issuers can no longer jack up your rates or ding you with inactivity fees.

Such consumer protections are not covered for small-business cards, though. So, now, not only can your dog receive a credit card, he can also be a small business owner, too.

They keep finding the loopholes.

Chase spokeswoman Laura Rossi says that only small-business owners should be receiving these cards and that "mailings for small-business cards have not spiked but have remained relatively consistent."

Apparently, a 256% increase is not a spike. "Professional", huh?

So, if when they ask you 'what's in your wallet?' let them know: cash.