Jeff
Bradford to Speak at NAMA South Central Texas Annual Conference
Jeff
Bradford, founder and president of Bradford Technologies, will
be presenting “New Technology” at the NAMA Conference on Saturday,
February 19th, at 1:15pm in New Braunfels, TX (near Austin).
In the presentation, Jeff will discuss various technologies
and their impact on the appraiser profession. Jeff will also
describe how appraisers can optimize their business with computer
hardware and software and how to decide when to purchase new
technology.
The
Conference will be held at the Holiday Inn located at 1051 IH-35
East in New Braunfels, TX 78130.
The hotel phone number is (830) 625-8017
All
are welcome. Note that if you want Texas Appraiser Continuing
Education (ACE) for the seminar, you will need to attend the
Friday (02/18) afternoon portion as well as the all-day Saturday
portion. Attendance for both days and ACE credit is $115. Attendance
to the New Technology session is free.
To
register or to get further information please contact Tom Shirley
President - South Central Texas Chapter, NAMA at (830) 609-3629
(c.), (830) 609-3629 (o.).
REMINDER:
ClickFORMS – Version 2.5.1 Released!
The
current version of ClickFORMS is 2.5.1. If you are on Software
Maintenance, you should have received an e-mail notification
with a link to special download site. If you did not get the
e-mail notification and feel you should have, please call your
account manager at 800-622-8727 so we can make sure you get
the proper software update notifications.
NEW
FANNIE MAE FORMS UPDATE
The
new Fannie Mae forms are scheduled to be released in the June
time frame and become mandatory later in the year. All ClickFORMS
users who are current on their ClickFORMS Software Maintenance
will receive all the new forms automatically at no additional
charge. If you are not on ClickFORMS Software Maintenance we
strongly recommend doing so. You can renew your ClickFORMS Software
Maintenance online and get AAdvantage Reward miles or you can
call your account manager and purchase the Software maintenance
membership by phone at 800-622-8727.
LOCATION
MAPS - UNDERSTANDING ALL YOUR MAPPING CHOICES
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One
of ClickFORMS’ powerful features is its ability to handle
location maps from different sources. But too many choices
can cause confusion, so here’s a quick overview of your
choices for creating location maps.
On-line
Location Maps. If you are on ClickFORMS Software
Maintenance, you are eligible to get free location maps.
These maps are generated by the Microsoft MapPoint web
service and you have to be on-line to get them. To generate
an on-line location map, go to the Services menu and select
Map Point.
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Integrated Mapping Applications.
There are two mapping products that we have integrated into ClickFORMS.
These products are developed by other companies and are sold separately.
You will find these mapping products under the Tools menu.
Tech
Tip - Saving Reports to the Reports Database
ClickFORMS version 2.5.1 has been enhanced with regard to remembering
reports you have worked on. Each time you create a new report
OR update an existing report, the new data will automatically
be updated to the Reports List (database) found under the Lists
menu.
The
information it saves can be found in the Report Properties which
you can see by clicking on File/Properties.
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By
default, ClickFORMS is set to automatically save all reports
to the Reports Database (checkbox A) each time
you save or modify a report. You can also elect to be
notified (checkbox B) before the 1st save so that
you can check over the information and ensure it is correct.
These settings can be modified by going to the pull-down
menu at the top of ClickFORMS and selecting Edit >
Preferences > Application then clicking on the
Saving tab.
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If
you select to be option “Asked before saving to the Reports
Database” (checkbox B), upon closing the report for
the 1st time you will be asked if you want to add the report
to the Reports List. If you select:
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YES,
the report properties will be added to the database.
From that point forward, you will not be prompted on that
specific report. Any time you open that report and make
changes, the changes will automatically be updated to
the Reports List (database).
NO,
the report will not be added to the Reports List. If you
open that specific report at a later date, you will be
prompted again asking if you wish to save the report to
the Reports Database.
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If
you normally save all your reports to the Reports Database,
the best choice might be to have checkbox A checked and
checkbox B UN-checked. Then ClickFORMS will automatically
add every report, along with future changes, to the Reports
Database.
–
Michael Grove, Technical Support Manager
The
Mobile Appraiser – Saving Time with Technology (Part 1)
Appraisers
are constantly on the go. And the best appraisers are the ones
who can optimize their time while they’re out of the office.
To do this, they use technology and tools to maximize their
productivity. In this and the next few ClickTALKS, we’ll discuss
those tools and how appraisers are becoming Mobile Appraisers
and increasing their productivity with the latest in mobile
technology.
Mobile
technology includes cell phones, digital cameras, GPS systems,
laptops, Tablet PCs, Pocket PCs also known as personal digital
assistants (PDAs), and the latest software to make them all
work. In this edition we’ll discuss laptops and tablet PCs,
along with a few key features that you *must* have in order
to be successful.
Mobile
PCs
There are two types of Mobile PCs, laptops and tablets. While
both perform fundamentally the same function, i.e., run PC software,
a tablet PC allows you to input information via a pen or stylus—but
they don’t always have built-in keyboards—so you can even do
handwriting. Of course, a tablet costs a bit more, but for an
appraiser on a job site, the extra cost may be well worth it.
Key
Considerations
There are several things to consider when buying a Mobile PC,
but for the appraiser, two of those items are critical. These
are screen design (is it viewable outdoors) and wireless capabilities.
Screen
Choice
If you are intending to use your Mobile PC outside, screen design
is paramount in the decision-making process today. Older Tablet
PCs and laptops had screens that would wash out in direct sunlight.
Today, technology has advanced to the point were screens are
being developed that can be read even in direct sunlight. If
you plan on using your Mobile PC outdoors, make sure that its
screen is readable outdoors.
A
couple of manufacturers have addressed this problem. Motion
Computing’s Tablet PCs, with their “ViewAnywhere” screen, and
Panasonic’s Toughbook screen work very well in even the brightest
sunlight. Hewlett-Packard just announced a new rugged laptop
(nr3600) and Tablet PC (tr3000), which have a screen that’s
supposed to be viewable in “indirect” (overcast) outdoor light.
Note that it also has a glow in the dark keyboard – so you can
do work at night if you like :-)
Accessories
Mobile PCs offer a plethora of accessories such as docking stations,
carrying cases, wireless (WiFi and Bluetooth), cordless mice
and keyboards, etc. Of all of these, the wireless (WiFi) option
is perhaps the most valuable. This allows you to send data from
your Mobile PC to your client or your office from a remote location,
such as a Starbucks or McDonalds. We’ll cover more about the
wireless options in the next edition of ClickTalk.
Next
issue: Wireless computing
demystified.
