Guest contributor Bill Thomson of REALTOR®Mag says:

Real estate pros are definitely not nine-to-fivers. They spend the bulk of their time on the road, doing everything from meeting with listing clients to logging hours at open houses. As a result, practitioners have unique technology needs that usually revolve around communicating and accessing information while out and about. Today, most real estate agents use their personal phones — the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) phenomenon — for daily business.

BYOD has, however, been a double-edged sword for the real estate industry. There are benefits and complications inherent for both agents and their broker partners. Should you BYOD or explore some of the new technology options available?

BYOD Benefits: Always in Touch

Mobility is critical to ensuring that agents have the resources they need at hand. As such, most firms support BYOD policies. A personal smartphone acts as an office in hand to keep agents in touch with clients, colleagues, and the home office, as well as to access listing and contract data. Allowing agents to use their own mobile devices helps save on hardware costs. Further, agents who are comfortable with the features and applications on their personal smartphones use them more effectively on the job.