Yatter Matters

Men have become the tools of their tools.

- Henry David Thoreau

It’s Hard

I try to keep up, but the machine runs 24/7/365 and I find that after 14/5/200 I need an oil change and a new filter. I treat myself every so often and get out of town for a break but that’s a luxury and working in the Vancouver Real Estate market isn’t a luxury business.

Too Many

Staying current with the tools called Twitter, Facebook, Blogs, Feedreaders, emails, SMS, MLS, browsers both on the computer and cell phone, spreadsheets, video, radar, photography and the 8 different ring tones on my Blackberry. The latter are meant to hint which type of message is being delivered. I suppose each ring tone has merit, but a rooster crowing would be good. That’s a ring tone I’d remember!

Not As Good

I have a laptop too. Mobile connectivity at it finest except when it can’t connect to WIFI. Someone told that is a bad thing but most of the time when it happens, I feel good. Almost as good as the break I take when I have ice cream without chocolate.

Checkup

I also have a tiny portable printer that looks good in my bag of tools. My dentist got worried when I told him it had Bluetooth. He said, “Buddy, you got problems! Bring that in for a checkup!” As a precaution I removed the printer from the bag.

More Tools for Tools

I have many small tools so I had to get a Murse. It’s a man’s purse that serves as a portable centralized data base holding within unmentionable men things we keep in our pockets including wallets, glasses, business cards and pens.

I’ve even thought of getting a bigger tool for the tools. I saw a fold-up wheeled carrier that had the fold out delux-with-cheese case and came with a remote control. It had a compartment for every tool I had and compartments for tools I didn’t yet have. In real estate we have many funny names for things. I made up a name for it even though I never bought it. I named it my Tool Inventory CONtrol. TICON is the acronym and is much more impressive than tool box with wheels.

You Need More

It used to seem so simple. I had truck loads of excitement, paper and a pen. Somewhere along the course of my career those things became tools, tools, and more tools. Sure we need them to do the things we Realtors® do today, but I now wonder how we managed before all these tools. It never stops. People frequently call trying to sell me more tools. Not to be grumpy, but it would be nice if one of them would call to tell me about a new ring tone for my Blackberry. I could use to tell me it’s a tool salesperson calling.

It Gets Personal

Sometimes while laughing together, my friends will call me “a tool”. It’s then that I reflect on Thoreau’s message and I ask myself, have we become that which we possess?

Got a Vancouver Real Estate question? Always happy to answer it. Call or send me an email or twitter me @yattermatters.

Larry

*Statistics Courtesy REBGV. While believe to be accurate they are not guaranteed. **Numbers provided may vary as they are dynamically posted by the REBGV.