Polley Associates, Pennsylvania Real Estate School

Real Estate License, Broker Education and Online Real Estate Courses, Appraisal Certification and Home Inspection Courses in PA, NJ and DE.

CE Course Descriptions

Using Internet Resources
To Serve Consumers

About the Course

What students say about this course

National Association of REALTORS' statistics indicate that more than 70 percent of home buyers look to the Internet FIRST in researching information on the home they eventually purchase. In addition, a majority of them find the agent they will work with through Internet research as well.

Just as the Internet has clearly changed the business world, real estate licensees must recognize they need new skills and knowledge to serve “wired” consumers. As a result, most agents use technology not because they want to, but because they have to.

There are so many different aspects to the technology of real estate that it's difficult to get a solid overview. This course will help to tie together many things licensees have “some” knowledge of, and introduce them to the latest concerns, issues, and tools.

This course covers:

E-mail is not just e-mail any more!

Incoming & Outgoing Mail Servers (POP3 & SMTP) - The journey of an e-mail

E-mail Clients

Check your e-mail from anywhere, online

Web based e-mail - what are the pros and cons?

IMAP - It's been around forever, but teams are just beginning to understand it's power to help them manage a complicated task

Setting up e-mail accounts in Outlook & Outlook Express

Spam - several ways to minimize it; filters and the dangers of the easy ways out, the CAN-SPAM Act.

Scraping - spammers are stealing your e-mail address from all over the Internet. Learn how to control it.

Phishing - don’t be fooled by that e-mail professing to be from legitimate institutions or businesses, such as PayPal; your bank; your credit card.

Malware in it's many forms -Viruses, Worms, Trojans, Hoaxes, Spoofing

Permanent and unlimited e-mail addresses - how, exactly, to get one

Backing up - step by step - what to back up, and what software to do it with

Annoyances - and what to do about them.

Pop-ups, spyware/adware

Viruses - Trojans, hoaxes, spoofing. What's the best Virus software?

Firewalls - What do they do? Fix it with hardware, or software?

Reciprocity/IDX - What it is, and how to add it to your Web site.

Transaction Management Platforms - Take a detailed look inside Settlement Room

Agent Productivity Software - Compare them, and take a detailed look at Agent Office

Freeware - Some handy free utilities to make your life easier

Virtual Tours - What's out there besides IPIX?

Importing and exporting database files, mapping

Online auctions

Buying on Ebay – It's much easier than you may think. How to save money on Ebay, click by click

PayPal – An easy and safer way to pay for purchases online - click by click

Virtual Assistants

What are they; what are the advantages of using one; how much do they cost; what can they do for you.

Palm vs. Windows CE vs. Blackberry

Special Note:
This course, "Using Internet Resources to Serve Consumers," is a 7-hour MCE Elective. It also is the first half of a longer, 15-hour and two-day Broker Elective titled "Using the Internet to Serve Consumers." The longer course, and not this MCE portion alone, is required to earn the Real Estate CyberSpace Specialist designation from the Real Estate CyberSpace Society. Students who take “Using Internet Resources to Serve Real Estate Consumers” and then take the second day separately to complete "Using the Internet to Serve Consumers" will fulfill both their 7 hours of elective MCE and the educational portion for the RECS designation, but will NOT be entitled to broker elective credit.
This is a full-day course. It fulfills 7 hours of the 14 hours of mandatory continuing education (MCE) required by the Pennsylvania State Real Estate Commission for salesperson's or broker's license renewal.