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Rainmaker
994,079
Pete Xavier
Investments to Luxury - Pacific Palisades, CA
Outstanding Agent Referrals-Nationwide

Yes, I do kill trees, but I do so for the children of paper mill workers.  (Not concerned about a renewable resource)

Jan 23, 2019 06:40 AM
Rainmaker
2,580,945
Bob "RealMan" Timm
Ward County Notary Services - Minot, ND
Owner of Ward Co Notary Services retired RE Broker

Do you kill wheat, corn, or any other renewable resource? Damn right I kill trees! Besides my paper usage I love wood furniture and more.

Jan 23, 2019 06:47 AM
Rainmaker
5,585,089
Barbara Todaro
Retired...Mentoring Newbies - Franklin, MA
Previously Affiliated with The Todaro Team

I'm an old school murderer.... kill is using the word gently... I slaughter.... chop chop.... 

Jan 23, 2019 08:12 AM
Rainmaker
1,119,516
Candice A. Donofrio
Next Wave RE Investments LLC Bullhead City AZ Commercial RE Broker - Fort Mohave, AZ
928-201-4BHC (4242) call/text

While trees are not my favorite carbon-based life-form to kill . . . 😈

I do need to keep the occasional hard copy

Jan 23, 2019 07:01 AM
Ambassador
5,579,998
Debe Maxwell, CRS
Savvy + Company (704) 491-3310 - Charlotte, NC
The RIGHT CHARLOTTE REALTOR!

Paperless for the most part, Peter.

Jan 23, 2019 07:36 AM
Rainmaker
788,503
Peter Testa
Kiwi Homes - Danbury, CT
PETER TESTA

We've got so many trees in CT, I don't even think twice before hitting print or taking a saw to one. 

Jan 23, 2019 07:08 AM
Ambassador
2,379,670
Carol Williams
Although I'm retired, I love sharing my knowledge and learning from other real estate industry professionals. - Wenatchee, WA
Retired Agent / Broker / Prop. Mgr, Wenatchee, WA

I don't personally kill trees but I certainly do use paper and wood products.  A whole industry counts on us to do so.  My Grandfather owned and operated a lumber mill and many of my uncles and cousins were (and still are) in the logging industry.

Jan 23, 2019 06:52 AM
Rainmaker
1,287,357
Doug Dawes
Keller Williams Evolution - 447 Boston Street, Suite #5, Topsfield, MA - Topsfield, MA
Your Personal Realtor®

Looking forward to the revival of hemp-derived paper

Jan 23, 2019 08:40 AM
Ambassador
6,807,683
Bob Crane
Woodland Management Service / Woodland Real Estate, KW Diversified - Stevens Point, WI
Forestland Experts! 715-204-9671

Sorry Peter, you are repeating a fallacy with your premise, so I will have to share a bit of info in my response, here is a post I wrote a while ago pointing out how using trees is actually good for the health of the forest.

https://activerain.com/blogsview/4893105/using-renewable-forest-products-to-improve-the-environment

Btw, we are fairly paper free at our office, but not to save trees, rather to save time, file cabinets, and postage.

Jan 23, 2019 09:55 AM
Rainmaker
967,099
Bruce Walter
Keller Williams Realty Lafayette/West Lafayette, Indiana - West Lafayette, IN

Hopefully most brokerages haven't gone paperless concerning the restroom stalls . . . . . . 

Jan 23, 2019 08:52 AM
Ambassador
3,456,066
Kathleen Daniels, Probate & Trust Specialist
KD Realty - 408.972.1822 - San Jose, CA
Probate Real Estate Services

I've been paperless since January 2012.  That said, I still use paper.  My files are all electronic.

 

Jan 23, 2019 08:31 AM
Rainer
509,499
Susie Kay
Ultra Real Estate Dallas Fort Worth - Plano, TX
North Dallas Specialist

Not intentionally but we need to bring hard copies for clients to read.  They do better than reading from my laptop.  Otherwise most of the time is e-signature.

Jan 23, 2019 08:20 AM
Rainmaker
778,668
Lynnea Miller
Bend Premier Real Estate - Bend, OR
Premier Real Estate Service in Central Oregon

We use trees to build our homes and produce our non plastic straws!  But we do use the cloud for our document storage for the brokerage.

Jan 23, 2019 08:16 AM
Rainmaker
1,550,860
Ryan Huggins - Thousand Oaks, CA
https://HugginsHomes.com - Thousand Oaks, CA
Residential Real Estate and Investment Properties

There is no way NOT to kill trees.  Printed contracts (because internet and e-forms don't always work), printed flyers (because no one wants to text a number for a flyer), business cards, etc...

 

Like Bob "RealMan" Timm and Pete Xavier I don't concern myself with renewable resource usage.

 

Heck, on my Passageway listing, my investors spent over $10,000 removing trees to get that view!

Jan 23, 2019 08:13 AM
Rainmaker
5,774,217
Ron and Alexandra Seigel
Napa Consultants - Carpinteria, CA
Luxury Real Estate Branding, Marketing & Strategy

Peter,

I think that your question is extreme. To everything there is a balance, some of our biz is paperless and some is not.  A

Jan 23, 2019 07:19 AM
Rainmaker
4,815,617
Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
Pasadena And Southern California 818.516.4393

I wonder about a lot of things. Going/being totally "paperless" may be a "noteworthy" achievement but not so much in my life. I could write a book. I imagine. 

Jan 23, 2019 08:58 AM
Rainmaker
536,943
Rose Mary Justice
Synergy Realty Pros - Dandridge, TN
Synergy Realty Pros

I have to kill a few trees but for the most part paperless.

Jan 23, 2019 08:11 AM
Rainmaker
5,429,514
Nina Hollander, Broker
Coldwell Banker Realty - Charlotte, NC
Your Greater Charlotte Real Estate Broker

Sure, I kill trees...maybe less than in the past.... but there's no way I could be totally paperless.

Jan 23, 2019 07:55 AM
Rainmaker
2,885,122
Richard Alan Naggar
people first...then business Ran Right Realty - Riverside, CA
agent & author

Change for the better is always welcomed....richfuscious

Jan 23, 2019 06:43 AM
Rainmaker
809,308
Kasey & John Boles
Jon Gosche Real Estate, LLC - BoiseMeridianRealEstate.com - Boise, ID
Boise & Meridian, ID Ada/Canyon/Gem/Boise Counties

We keep our files electronically, but still printing is required for some things. -K

Jan 23, 2019 08:58 AM
Rainmaker
8,280,826
Roy Kelley
Retired - Gaithersburg, MD

Our office has been paperless for several years.

Jan 23, 2019 07:55 AM
Rainmaker
469,625
Dan & Laurie Pittsenbarger Team
Keller Williams Western Realty - Bellingham, WA
Lakeside & Coastal Single Family Homes

I'm using much less paper but still use some. I'm totally OK with using paper, many communities in our country rely on the lumber and paper industries.

Jan 23, 2019 08:50 AM
Rainmaker
1,496,833
John Juarez
The Medford Real Estate Team - Fremont, CA
ePRO, SRES, GRI, PMN

We are in Silicon Valley where we save the trees and use the Cloud or other virtual storage along with electronic signatures so that we use as little paper as possible.

We are not tree-huggers but we wonder why anyone would want all that paper taking up storage space.

Jan 23, 2019 09:51 AM
Rainmaker
939,888
Jeff Pearl
Realty One Group Capital / LIC in VA - Lovettsville, VA
Full Service Full Time Realtor

I use recycled paper as well as high grade photo printer paper. many trees are grown as a crop to be harvested. There is no such thing as being 100% paperless.

Jan 23, 2019 09:30 AM
Rainmaker
2,233,392
Anthony Acosta - ALLATLANTAcondos.com
Harry Norman, REALTORS® - Atlanta, GA
Associate Broker

My brokerage is 100% paperless.

Jan 23, 2019 02:06 PM
Rainmaker
548,047
Steven Nickens
Hawaii Life Real Estate Brokers - Wailea, HI
R(S)GRI ABR, Maui Real Estate Hawaii

Actually, I have been cutting down a number of trees in my yard lately. lol

Jan 23, 2019 01:43 PM
Rainmaker
564,544
Maria Sapio
Keller Williams of Central PA - Carlisle, PA
Real Estate Agent- Carlisle, PA. Mariasapio.com

I'm fairly paperless (Dotloop to the rescue) - but I do still use my fair share of paper too. 

Jan 23, 2019 12:22 PM
Rainmaker
1,713,581
Joe Pryor
The Virtual Real Estate Team - Oklahoma City, OK
REALTOR® - Oklahoma Investment Properties

Pretty close to paperless.

Jan 23, 2019 11:53 AM
Ambassador
2,634,030
Kat Palmiotti
eXp Commercial, Referral Divison - Kalispell, MT
Helping your Montana dreams take root

I definitely use paper, but less than I used to, and I do recycle for other purposes. So anytime I have non-confidential papers from work that I'm done with, I fold, tear in the middle, and voila - grocery shopping and to-do list paper!

Jan 23, 2019 10:46 AM
Rainmaker
544,716
Joseph Domino 480-390-6011
Inactive - Scottsdale, AZ
The Art of Storytelling

I am a lumberjack. I still write things down, still print contracts, still use maps. I use electronic also, but I find it much quicker to pick up a piece of paper than fumble around looking for something on my phone.

Jan 23, 2019 10:25 AM
Ambassador
3,227,282
Tammy Lankford,
Lane Realty Eatonton, GA Lake Sinclair, Milledgeville, 706-485-9668 - Eatonton, GA
Broker GA Lake Sinclair/Eatonton/Milledgeville

Trees grow jobs.  I use paper.  I don't waste paper, but I do give clients who want paper copies of listings and contracts paper copies.  About 25% of my client base are non participants of "digital" and serve them how they wish to be served.

Jan 23, 2019 01:06 PM
Rainmaker
554,600
Francine Viola
Coldwell Banker Evergreen Olympic Realty, Olympia WA - Olympia, WA
REALTOR®, In Tune with your Real Estate Needs

My transactional paperwork is all paperless.  My marketing is more paper than email.

Jan 23, 2019 01:01 PM
Rainer
175,886
Merv Edinger & Associates
Remax Nova - Halifax, NS

Many of our purchase & sale agreements are now done electronically however we are still required by our Commission & for tax purposes to keep hard copies for a minimum of 7 years. 

Jan 23, 2019 11:25 AM
Rainmaker
146,655
Damon Botticelli
Vegas Real Estate Photography - Las Vegas, NV
Real Estate Photographer

I would estimate 98% paperless and have been for many years. I still print listing sheets for buyers and every once in a while need to print a document for a client that prefers to see it on paper.

Jan 23, 2019 06:51 PM
Rainmaker
3,986,529
William Feela
WHISPERING PINES REALTY - North Branch, MN
Realtor, Whispering Pines Realty 651-674-5999 No.

I kill trees.  I have seen to many people go paperless and then have an issue and lose it all

Jan 23, 2019 06:28 PM
Rainer
131,513
Steve Penner
Royal LePage Dynamic RE / Pro Ledger Bookkeeping Software - Winnipeg, MB
REALTOR® / Pro Ledger Online (owner)

mainly paperless.. but not because of any tree concerns... lots of trees in my area... actually a few too many.. last year one fell onto the roof of my house!

Jan 23, 2019 05:47 PM
Rainmaker
5,598,329
Wayne Martin
Wayne M Martin - Oswego, IL
Real Estate Broker - Retired

I am still a tree killer!

Jan 23, 2019 05:39 PM
Rainmaker
1,650,075
Thomas J. Nelson, REALTOR ® CRS,ABR,PSA,RCS-D, CFSP
Big Block LPT Realty 858.232.8722 - La Jolla, CA
Coastal San Diego, Veteran's & Retirees Services

We're never truly paperless, but we are 92.5% paperless proudly.

Jan 23, 2019 05:23 PM
Rainmaker
837,487
Abby Stiller
TOP SELLING REALTY - Cape Coral, FL
SW Florida (239) 284-8637

Mostly paperless.

Jan 23, 2019 03:26 PM
Rainmaker
1,878,528
Lyn Sims
Schaumburg, IL
Real Estate Broker Retired

It's a total fallacy. My company switched to Transaction Room, etc & we are still filing away scads of paper.

Jan 23, 2019 02:13 PM
Rainmaker
988,643
Mel Ahrens, MBA, Kelly Right Real Estate
Kelly Right Real Estate - Hood River, OR
Customized Choices for your Real Estate Needs

The paperless office is an old concept, but one I have not seen implemented successfully to the elimination of paper.  Having a hard copy is still a preference or requirement by many people. I have seen reduced paper offices.

Jan 23, 2019 11:29 AM
Rainmaker
921,504
Annette Lawrence , Palm Harbor, FL 727-420-4041
ReMax Realtec Group - Palm Harbor, FL
Making FLORIDA Real Estate EZ

It will be about 11 months before the need to murder arises again.

Until then, I hire others to KILL while I enjoy the benefits or turning FAKE news into cat litter.

By the way, 'I'm doing it for the postal workers.'

Jan 23, 2019 11:17 AM
Rainmaker
882,457
Brenda Mayette
Miranda Real Estate Group, Inc. - Glenville, NY
Getting results w/ knowledge & know-how!

I do, and I don't worry about it, especially after a professional in the environmental sector advised me that trees are the world's most renewable resource. He laughs whenever he hears anyone pushing the world to be paperless.  Do what works for your system/organizational style.  The trees will be fine either way.  ;0

Jan 24, 2019 05:26 AM
Rainmaker
3,627,477
James Dray
Fathom Realty - Bentonville, AR

No trees killed in our agency.  

Jan 24, 2019 02:46 AM
Rainmaker
6,077,508
Joan Cox
House to Home, Inc. - Denver Real Estate - 720-231-6373 - Denver, CO
Denver Real Estate - Selling One Home at a Time

I have most things digital, but still have a folder for every transaction.

Jan 27, 2019 08:07 AM
Rainmaker
5,317,080
Will Hamm
Hamm Homes - Aurora, CO
"Where There's a Will, There's a Way!"

I will admit, I burn firewood in my fireplace.

 

Jan 25, 2019 04:54 PM
Rainmaker
4,434,277
Gita Bantwal
RE/MAX Centre Realtors - Warwick, PA
REALTOR,ABR,CRS,SRES,GRI - Bucks County & Philadel

Yes

Jan 24, 2019 08:36 AM
Rainmaker
720,597
Richard Bazinet /MBA, CRS, ABR
West USA Realty - Scottsdale, AZ
Phoenix Scottsdale. Sellers, Buyers & Relocations

I don't kill trees.... my business is mostly paperless now, and I recycle a ton of paper... but for some reason, we can't get away from paper.

But it takes more trees to build houses than it does to run a business at least multiple thousands to one. You can recycle paper at the office with a fast turnaround. You can't recycle house the same way - so I'm not worried at all about paper usage in the office. It's totally minimal to insignificant in the scheme of things.

Jan 24, 2019 07:35 AM
Rainmaker
3,417,759
Scott Godzyk
Godzyk Real Estate Services - Manchester, NH
One of the Manchester NH's area Leading Agents

It is still necessary to use some paper however i would say the amount of paper is down 90% from what it was even 5 years ago

Jan 24, 2019 05:08 AM
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