As I mentioned in my previous post, here at Track My File we’ve been very busy on the development side of things. And at long last I’m pleased to announce the launch of our newest product – TrackMyDocuments.

What’s Track My Documents all about? Well, a lot of people out there like the idea of online transaction management but are just not ready for a full fledged transaction management platform. Perhaps you fit in this category where you want to clear up the paperwork but you don’t quite need contingency tracking or conversation logs.

When you want a simple solution to help you organize your paper files, cut costs and reduce your environmental impact (in other words, reduce your carbon footprint by cutting down less trees) then TrackMyDocuments should be your next stop.

TrackMyDocuments is essentially online document storage made simple.  We like to think of it as a great big filing cabinet floating around on a cloud. It allows you to cut down on paper waste and storage space.  It allows you to centralize and conserve!

Imagine having easy access to all your files at all times – each one organized and indexed, available 24/7. That’s what TrackMyDocuments online document storage is all about.  You can easily email documents to anyone.  Your dashboard shows you how much storage space you are using and how much is available based on your subscription level (pricing is based on storage).

Use the power of “the cloud” to give you the comfort of an instant disaster recovery plan! All of your important files are automatically backed up! It’s quick, it’s easy and it’s affordable.  Check it out!

These updates will help you – our visitors – find all the information you need to determine whether or not you wish to delve deeper into our online transaction management software. We’ve made it much easier to ask for a live demo too because we want you to take us up on that offer!

As if we weren’t busy enough with the website changes, our developers have also been working hard to put the finishing touches on the first quarter release for our production site.  We’ve made many changes there too but they’re less visible. Basically, now there are two levels of service: Standard, which incorporates all the basic functions of the site and Premium, which includes site branding, broker review/initials, and the ability to email documents directly into a file.

Our new email-in option makes it soooo much easier to post a document.  No more saving to your desktop and uploading.  Now you simply click the file ID at the top of the file screen and your email program will automatically open. Email that document to doctmf@trackmyfile.com with the file ID in the subject line.  That’s it!

The new “Reviewed By” option is intended for those companies who want to eliminate the stacks and stacks of paper files that take up residence on managers’ desks waiting for compliance review.  Now once the document is posted to TrackMyFile online transaction management software, the manager is notified and can log in and approve the file from anywhere.  No more scrambling at closing to find all the missing documents! They’re all neatly held in one central file on the web. Commission checks are released immediately and all is right in the compliance world.

Yesterday we had our first product development meeting for TMF’s next quarterly release.  That one will be enormous.  Leave a comment with your wish list so we can be sure to include your ideas as we plot our next adventure in the land of online transaction management.

Photo credit: ExeterAnna

The thing about  multitasking is that people think they’re getting further ahead by doing a whole bunch of stuff all at the same time but that, of course, is a myth. If you were to take your time and focus on each individual task you’d actually get more accomplished and you’d likely do a better job of it all.

Then there’s the risk of being seen as someone who is never present (nobody wants to be the agent who doesn’t concentrate on his/her clients) and only half listening in all of your dealings with people.

Real estate professionals are often guilty of trying to do a million things at once because of the sheer volume of details they must keep track of at any given time and just by the nature of the fast pace of the industry.

We’re aiming to help agents free up more precious (and valuable) time by keeping all transaction details in one easily accessible place. If you’re an agent using Track my File, anyone would be able to log in to the system and tell you exactly what the status is for each of your transactions. No more flipping through folders and shuffling through a stack of papers to find this amendment or that agreement. It’s all in one place.

The agents who use our system report having several hours freed up each month. Never mind the mental space that’s decluttered, not having to keep mental tabs on where everything stands with each deal you have on the go. Others users  are able to finally hand over the transaction side of the business completely to a capable assistant because everything can be handled virtually.

Are you guilty of multitasking in your real estate business?

Photo credit: WagsomeDog

Perhaps you’ve been putting off hiring someone to take care of these details for you because you can’t afford any more desk fees. Maybe your office is just too small to squeeze an assistant in there.

With online transaction coordination you can hire a virtual assistant (a professional, trained to keep your transactions together) who will work on your files from anywhere in the world. You’re only limited by the qualities you want in a virtual assistant.

Now, in case this whole concept of virtual assistance is new to you (which it probably isn’t), basically there are thousands of people around the world working from their own home offices, using tools like TrackMyFile to take care of the administrative needs of all types of professionals.

Your time is valuable and so are your transactions! Hire someone who will be dedicated to managing your transactions. It will free up even more time for you to be wheeling and dealing, bringing in more deals.

www.ivaa.org is a great place to go to find a real estate virtual assistant, or REVA as they’re commonly known as.

Photo credit: wwworks

The second bit, but equally as interesting, is that many bricks and mortar stores are discontinuing the practice of sending out catalogues.  Too expensive with not enough return on investment.  Instead, they are investing more in their websites and offering customers an incentive to turn to the web for their shopping needs.  Transacting online is not the wave of the future,  the “future” is NOW  and will only grow stronger.

I gave serious thought about whether or not I should publish this article, but finally decided it was worth taking the flak that might fly my way.

Obviously my company is involved in the real estate business. We offer a web application to (mostly) real estate brokers/owners/managers and high producing agents to help them manage the complexities of coordinating all the moving parts of sale transactions and their associated documents.

Of course we are extremely sensitive to the fluctuations of our industry. In 2010, you can’t turn on the television, listen to the radio, read a magazine or online newspaper without hearing about the crazy foreclosure rate, banks making paperwork errors, people losing their homes, banks reaping massive profits, etc, etc –  on and on, minute by minute, hour by hour.

One of the other favorite topics seesawing against the foreclosure drama is the rising tide of unemployment. There are plenty of people who are out of a job and can’t make their mortgage payments or qualify for a loan modification. This causes the banks to foreclose and keeps the downward spiral swirling as it drives down the value of the real estate asset.

So when I read this article in “The Economic Times” about Fidelity National Title sending hundreds of jobs overseas to India, it made me pause. Certainly I understand the need to trim costs but at what expense?  Throwing more Americans out of work doesn’t seem to be the answer to helping the U.S. economy recover, now does it?

Read for yourself.

(Don’t say I didn’t warn you)

The second change was buying a e-reader.  I’m a big fan of books.  I read constantly and  find being surrounded with numerous unread books to be comforting.  I’ve been known to travel with a suitcase full of books….just in case I should finish one or two before the trip is over.  Anyway, I broke down and bought a Nook (Barnes & Noble’s e-reader).  The Nook doesn’t give me the same feeling as holding a hard bound book but it certainly is much more portable.  And, being the compulsive reader that I am, it’s far too easy to be seduced into purchasing that one extra book that catchs my eye while I’m browsing from the comfort of my couch.  I will have to work hard to refrain from impulse buys.  I haven’t yet loaded music on the Nook.  I can only do so much at once (smile).

And to finish my third and final act for the month, I bought a new desktop PC for my office with the new Windows 7 operating system.  Now I have my home laptop using a older version of Windows and a brand new operating system to learn when I use my other machine.

The thread here is about change and how difficult it is.  At TrackMyFile we run into that roadblock constantly during the sales and implementation cycle.  Sometimes we’re probably not as compassionate as we should be because we know the product so well and it makes sense to us.  But having just gone through my own series of changes and challenges, I’ll be much more considerate when contacted for “just one more question” about how to use TMF.