Paperless Transactions :: "Secondary" benefits can be a life saver

I was born and raised on the east coast, more specifically, New Jersey. After living and working in PA for almost 5 years after completing my undergraduate degree, a terrific opportunity presented itself to move to San Diego, CA. An opportunity that I gladly have accepted, and I have lived here for almost 2 years.

Four years ago, ironically almost to the very same day, Southern California experienced the Cedar Creek fires - at the time, indisputably the worst fire disaster in the history of California, and quite possibly all of the west coast. Thousands of homes were destroyed, hundreds of thousands of people displaced, and even more acres of growth, personal property, and livelihood were wiped from So-Cal.

This was the worst disaster in California history - that is until this past Sunday. If you have been following any news anywhere in the last few days, you may have an idea of the magnitude of what is occurring here. Half of a million people have been evacuated - that's 1/7 of the population of San Diego proper. I have one friend who has been evacuated twice from TWO different areas... see coverage of this disaster here.

Yesterday, Monday, Oct 22 (2007), there was a very real possibility that the fires could reach my town. Although this is STILL a possibility, I have not forgotten how I felt when the thought occurred to me that I might have to evacuate my home. It's a feeling, an emotion, that is almost impossible to describe to someone who has never had to experience it. To sit in my home, and have to decide what items I could do without, and what I absolutely needed to take with me - that is indescribably the scariest moment of my life.

But sitting here thinking of that moment, I realize that in some ways I am a lot luckier than others. Not because my place of residence is still standing, but because I realize the items I cannot live without is only limited to personal items. My cat, my personal information and documents, a computer, some diplomas and pictures - these things are only my personal items (and can luckily fit into the back of a mustang). Since my primary source of income is not a personal business, I don't have to worry about what will happen to my business files, transactions, contact information, and the like.

As I thought about this I realized that many Real Estate brokers, REALTORS and assistants are housing transactional documents in on-site/offsite locations that may not be safe from fires. And although not all locations are unlucky enough to be in the path of a fire disaster, that does not negate the fact a disaster could destroy any physical location anywhere - from west coast earthquakes, to Midwest tornadoes, to south east hurricanes to the ungodly blizzards of the north east coast. If your primary business could be at risk, even if it seems absolutely safe from any natural disasters, in the end it always pays to be prepared.

Digital Documents - Paperless Transactions
Although the primary purpose of paperless transaction technologies, such as the those highlighted in the REAL ESTATE WEBOGRAPHER™ certification, is to help RE professionals conduct business as easily and seamlessly as possibly for their clients and NOT for disaster relief, recovery or avoidance, it is an INDISPUTABLE secondary benefit. And that benefit becomes even more evident in a traditional hard copy market such as Real Estate. Technologies such as Electronic Forms and Online Transaction Management (OTM) allow real estate professionals to house and conduct their most valuable customer, contact, and business information online, digitally formatted and backed up for your protection.

For an unfortunate few who are unlucky enough to find themselves in a potentially life threatening AND business threatening disaster, this could mean grabbing a hard drive or computer, rather than countless filing cabinets. This could mean the difference between saving your personal items vs your professional ones - between saving yourself or your career. Sound preparation and planning is the difference between those who succeed, and those who do not.

In rare instances like these, secondary benefits could be a life saver...