by Osman Parvez

Phew! What a weekend.

Friday I enjoyed a bit of skiing with friends at Copper Mountain but it was back to reality on Saturday and Sunday. A very tight schedule prevailed with back-to-back client showings in Boulder, Erie, Longmont, Louisville, and Lafayette. Grueling, but it was fun and we found some great properties.

One tool that I’ve been using more and more is GPS. The package I’ve got is Delorme’s Earthmate GPS with Street Atlas mapping software.

If you’re mildly tech oriented and comfortable around technology, this is a very inexpensive (~$100) solution. The user interface could use some “googling up” in terms of friendliness, but once you get used to it, it rocks. Dallice relies on her mapbooks, but I can’t imagine going out with clients without GPS.

I’m posting about GPS because buyers could benefit from it as well, and this version is a very inexpensive way to get started. Simply plug in the addresses (or import from another file) and set as waypoints. Set the start as the current GPS location and the end for wherever you wish, and voila – you’re on your way.

If you are a prospective client looking at real estate in Boulder or any of our neighbhoring communities and need help with Delorme GPS, give me a call at 303.746.6896. I’m more than happy to walk you through it (If you aren’t a prospective client, try Delorme’s support)

Positives: Very inexpensive. Functional. An excellent solution. Since it’s laptop based, you can take it with you for trips. With an inverter ($50 or less), plug directly in the cigarette lighter and avoid running out of battery power.

Negatives: Clunky interface. Non intuitive controls. Dated Atlas (missing some newer developments and roads).

p.s. for you realtors lurking out there, bringing your laptop with you means you can punch in showing feedback immediately. With a wireless/mobile network card, you are truly a mobile office.

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