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Luzerne County leaders: History, geography, work ethic are core building blocks

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For Diamond Manufacturing Co., it’s Made in America

<p>PLAINS TWP. &#8212; Technology has drastically changed the way people buy and sell homes.</p><p>Just ask Charlie Adonizio, broker at Atlas Realty on Route 315. An industry veteran of more than 40 years, Adonizio laughs when he reflects on the notion of what was considered quick service decades ago.</p><p>&#8220;When I first started in the business, people bragged in their advertising, &#8216;We will call you back in 24 hours,&#8217;&#8221; Adonizio said. &#8220;That was a big promise &#8230; Now, if you don&#8217;t call somebody back in five minutes, they&#8217;re moving on.&#8221;</p><p>Social media, apps, electronic signatures and drones are among the technological advances that have made a huge impact on the way real estate agents conduct business.</p><p>Adonizio said one of the biggest changes in the industry has been the way agents and buyers receive the listing information. The Multiple Listing Service (MLS) data, specifying homes available for sale, was once listed in a hefty bound book made available only twice a month.</p><p>&#8220;When I first started, we didn&#8217;t use computers at all,&#8221; Adonizio said. &#8220;There were the MLS books that used to come out every two weeks, and that was as fast as you got an update &#8212; every two weeks.&#8221;</p><p>Adonizio said his agents now use the MLS app on their smartphones to get listing updates almost as soon as they happen.</p><p>Carmen Winters, an agent with Atlas Realty and the company&#8217;s vice president of marketing and sales, said the change in how quickly agents have access to information and their clients allows agents to sell more homes in a shorter amount of time. And in the real estate industry, the phrase &#8220;time is money&#8221; couldn&#8217;t be more true.</p><p>&#8220;In this business now, a week is a long time &#8212; a day is a long time,&#8221; Adonizio said.</p><p>In addition to shortening the process of buying and selling homes, the contract process has benefited from technological improvements. Using a program called DocuSign, agents can send contracts quickly to clients no matter where they are, and clients can sign those papers electronically and return them just as fast.</p><p>Adonizio recalls a local client who recently took a trip to Zion National Park in Utah while selling her house. Surrounded by wilderness, the client didn&#8217;t have cellphone service, but was able to conduct business via her iPad.</p><p>&#8220;She didn&#8217;t have phone service, but she had data service, and I sent her the contract on this app, zipForm, and she was able to electronically sign the contract while hiking in the mountains in Zion Park,&#8221; he said. &#8221; I wouldn&#8217;t have gotten that deal done without that technology.&#8221;</p><p>Winters said in addition to technology making the business faster and more reliable, new services such as using professional photographers and drones allow clients to see high-definition images of a potential new home from the comfort of their own homes.</p><p>&#8220;I have used (drones) twice,&#8221; Winters said. &#8220;It&#8217;s great; it brings a whole new perspective to the property &#8230; It&#8217;s great for large parcels of land to give someone an idea of really what the scale is and what they&#8217;re buying.&#8221;</p><p>Winter said he&#8217;s noticed a decrease in open-house attendance because photography available on real estate websites gives clients the feeling they actually are there.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s changed the way people see if the property meets the &#8216;smell test&#8217; or not,&#8221; he said.</p><p>Social media is another important tool for real estate agents when helping their business and clients. Winters credits &#8220;the power of sharing&#8221; as a huge influence on not only the ability to get out information about an available home, but to attract interest in an agent&#8217;s business.</p><p>Despite the advances in technology, Adonizio said he still prefers to sit in person with clients when he can. He said there is no replacement for personal service and industry knowledge.</p><p>&#8220;They don&#8217;t have an app for that,&#8221; he said.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">At Atlas Realty in Plains Township, Carmen Winters (left), vice president of marketing and sales, and broker Charlie Adonizio discuss how technology has changed the real estate industry over the years. Despite the advances, Adonizio says he still prefers to sit in person with clients. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_TTL043017homebuying3.jpg</photo0><caption0>At Atlas Realty in Plains Township, Carmen Winters (left), vice president of marketing and sales, and broker Charlie Adonizio discuss how technology has changed the real estate industry over the years. Despite the advances, Adonizio says he still prefers to sit in person with clients. </caption0><photoCredit0>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_TTL043017homebuying2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Carmen Winters displays a home-buying app he uses frequently as an agent. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_TTL043017homebuying2.jpg</photo1><caption1>Carmen Winters displays a home-buying app he uses frequently as an agent. </caption1><photoCredit1>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_Drone-cmyk.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Carmen Winters says pictures taken from drones are one way that clients can see high-definition images of a potential new home from the comfort of their own homes. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_Drone-cmyk.jpg</photo2><caption2>Carmen Winters says pictures taken from drones are one way that clients can see high-definition images of a potential new home from the comfort of their own homes. </caption2><photoCredit2>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_TTL043017homebuying1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Carmen Winters, an executive with Atlas Realty in Plains Township, accesses digital real estate files on his computer. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_TTL043017homebuying1.jpg</photo3><caption3>Carmen Winters, an executive with Atlas Realty in Plains Township, accesses digital real estate files on his computer. </caption3><photoCredit3>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit3></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Sarah Hite Hando</p><p>shando@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Sarah Hite Hando at 570-704-3945.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Advancing technology is newest amenity in home selling and buying