Pretty spiffy. But don't forget - Smarter Agent's Homes for Sale app is available on virtually every mobile device!

Over the past 15 months, my wife and I have been preparing to purchase our first home. It started with raising our credit scores by decreasing our debt, which fortunately turned out to be easier than expected. Simultaneously, we were gathering information about what neighborhood, school district and price range would be ideal for us. After crunching numbers and weighing the pros and cons, we narrowed our search down to the zip code that best fit our criteria.

But we were challenged with trying to lay out a plan to drive through the different neighborhoods and only see the properties that were both in our price range and included the features we desired. Throughout this time we witnessed our selected homes pop up as new listings only to go off-market before we were ready to commit. We never imagined what a challenge it was going to be to keep track of the dynamics that were happening as we were out searching for properties.

While we were out searching, I noticed some For Sale signs had sign riders to have the property information texted to your cell phone so I decided to give it a try. I’d stop the car, pull over in front of the sign, type in the text information and wait for the text message. Much to my surprise the text message arrived quickly, which made me very excited to be able to instantly see the additional information available for the property, “including photos” it said, but I was disappointed by the seemingly endless wait for the data and photos to be transmitted to my phone followed by endless scrolling up and down to actually view the data.

These events provided more than enough motivation to help the company I work for, Smarter Agent, to launch its carrier approved, GPS mobile search application. Finally, the time came that we are ready to purchase our home. So, on the night of May 15th, 2009 I took a BlackBerry armed with Smarter Agent's Homes for Sale mobile application to the neighborhood we were interested in and performed a GPS refine search, narrowing the results to within our price range. Very quickly we had a list of 17 properties that fit our specifications, along with a map view to guide us to each one. As we easily drove to the homes on the map, we were able to quickly narrow the list down to our top five: three corner lots and two middle rows, based on all the property information, including pictures, displayed right there on my BlackBerry screen. I need to mention that there was no need to send a text message and then wait for the information and photos to be transmitted to the phone for just that property, or scroll endlessly to see all the information once it arrived. It was just there. An easy-to-use, touch-of-a-button application allowing us the luxury of driving right past the homes that the photos and data helped us eliminate and right to the homes that we could stop in front of and envision ourselves living in.

I immediately called my Agent to schedule showings for our top 5. As we walked through the homes, I was able to pull up other properties for sale in the immediate area by doing a GPS Quick Search to compare the value of the property we were being shown. Now the best part- As as we walked through our top pick, the value was clearly evident. This home was priced to sell with a list price 15% under the 3 other properties within a stone’s throw. We are now under agreement with this property and are very excited about this terrific opportunity that may have been lost without the instant access to information provided by Smarter Agent's Homes for Sale application.

Ken Gilliam, Data Analyst for Smarter Agent

Eight months ago I tottered slowly into the Smarter Agent headquarters for the first time. And to be honest, I felt like I was walking into a completely new universe. I've been employed at countless jobs ever since I was a young teenager, but I never actually had a real job. I scrubbed tires at a car wash, bussed tables at a restaurant, stocked shelves at a supermarket, and did about 734,278 odd tasks at various local grocery stores. So when I was shown my very own cubicle... with my very own name on it... with my very own computer (with two fancy shmancy high grade monitors, mind you), I felt like Charlie when he won the golden ticket. You mean I can actually sit down at work? You mean I get unlimited free coffee? You mean I can make my own schedule that works around my college courses?

Seriously, it felt like I had met the most beautiful girl in the world. And for some odd reason, she decided to give me a chance.

Well once the initial honeymoon wore off, and it actually got down to do work, I was pleasantly surprised. I work on the fastest desktop I have ever used. I use powerful “crème de la crème” programs. I write web pages. I design handouts. I create things. I create things that people are actually going to see on their computer screen or mobile device. I'm not just cheap physical labor anymore, but an actual asset to a company. It's honestly one of the most exhilarating feelings I've ever had at a job.

I've been pretty busy at the office these days. I seem to have my hands on a bunch of different assignments at once. I get to work one-on-one with most of the other people at Smarter Agent, and everyone is extremely proficient at what they do. Not only are they hard workers, but they are darn good co-workers, too. It's a real family atmosphere over here, and that definitely makes it easier to be productive all day long. One of my bosses actually decorated my cube with Jonas Brothers and Twilight posters, as well as various High School Musical memorabilia. Despite the fact that I am a twenty-year-old male with little to no interest in these tween sensations, I keep all the items exactly where they were placed. Because I'll tell you, looking up and seeing Nick Jonas squinting seductively back at me is enough to make me crack a smile on even the most stressful of days.

While I'm notorious for my lighthearted and jocular personality, I'm using this post as an earnest opportunity of reflection. I get to do something I love for a company that makes a product that I am very proud to be associated with. I'll meet people in my personal time who ask me if I have a job. I'll tell them how I do graphics and web work for a company that makes a GPS-based real estate search for cellular devices. And they all respond the same way: “Whoa... cool.”

So I'm grateful. I'm grateful that I wake up in the morning and drive to work with a smile on my face. I'm grateful that I work with some of the coolest, smartest, and most talented people I've ever met. I'm grateful that all of my superiors think highly of me enough to keep me on board. And I'm grateful for the opportunity to be apart a company that is destined for tremendous success.

To the MLS companies that supply their IDX feeds, the brokers and agents that sign up for our branded application, the real estate buyers downloading Homes for Sale on their cell phone, the Blumberg brothers who operate Smarter Agent, my department superiors Alison and Tom, and all of the other wonderful people I work with:
Thanks.

Sincerely,

The Eccentric Intern with the Most Questionable Cubicle Decorations in the Entire Office.

We at Smarter Agent believe everyone should have access to our superior mobile real estate search. Have you checked out our downloader tool on our homepage recently? Take a look below. You'll see Smarter Agent's Homes for Sale is now available on even more carriers and devices.



Plus, if you don't see your device listed, you can select "[Other] Not Listed" to download our mobile web (WAP) version of Homes for Sale. With our fully downloadable application and our mobile web version, we can reach just about every mobile user! And we won't stop until Smarter Agent can provide the best mobile experience for everyone.