REAL ESTATE MARKETING GOES HIGH TECH Whether buying or selling, look for an agent who uses all available marketing tools to make the sale - including legwork Ellen James Martin - Smart Moves Pliny Mier sells more than $10 million in real estate each year. But he says his annual sales would be half that were it not for the high-tech tools he uses. "I think you're cheating your sellers if you don't use every possible technology to market their homes," says Mier, a Century 21 agent. Real-estate specialists say many top-selling agents make skillful use of the Internet, digital cameras, computer databases and wireless phones to track leads and enhance their effectiveness in other ways. "The best agents are quick learners and adapt well to change," says Jim Cox, president of a Century 21 franchise. So-called "e-agents" are gaining market share faster than those who cling to traditional business practices, agrees Darline Dye, who sells homes through the Re/Max chain. Are you a home seller in search of a listing agent? Then these pointers could help: Find an agent who stays up to speed on technology. Dye and her business partner, Naomi Hamachi, left careers in school administration for real estate sales 11 years ago. But they remain committed to continuing their education. As an example, they hire computer experts for monthly tutorials on evolving software and hardware. "It's a computer world. You absolutely must stay on the cusp of change," Dye says. Remember that the Internet is where the buyers are. More than 60 percent of home-buying households now start their search for a property via the Internet, Mier notes. Consequently, it's in your interest as a seller to find an agent who will ensure that your home appears on multiple Web sites, which increases the likelihood of a quick sale at the right price. "The more Internet the merrier," says Cox, the Century 21 executive, who considers the Internet a good complement to print advertising. Cox oversees the work of more than 50 agents and says most of his top performers have quality Web sites of their own. The best sites offer a wide array of area home listings and popular links to related sites. Mier says, "The idea is to get buyers to bookmark your site and to keep coming back." His site, for instance, offers profiles of schools in 11 communities surrounding his office, as well as fresh data on mortgage rates. More than half the home listings on his site are accompanied by a "virtual tour" option. This interactive feature permits a 360-degree look at a property from several vantage points inside and outside the home. The number of agents using their own sites is swelling rapidly. But too few sites offer content rich enough to keep would-be home purchasers visiting them. "Many are just brag sheets to tout the agent," Mier says. Ask if your agent uses advanced technology to create brochures. Agents have traditionally relied on print shops to produce color leaflets that promote the homes they list - a process that can take a week or more. Nowadays, agents who are skillful in using digital cameras and simple desktop publishing software can do the job in an hour or two. This can hasten the marketing of your home and will allow your agent to make quick revisions to your brochure, if, for instance, you adjust your list price. Look for an agent who uses a cell phone. Though it remains a pricey, imperfect technology, top-selling agents believe that the cell phone is vital for keeping in close touch with clients and other important contacts. Mier spends more than 2,000 minutes a month on his cell phone, and has one-touch access to more than 200 clients. By using his mobile phone as "line No. 1," Mier finds he can catch more incoming calls and return most daytime phone messages in fewer than 60 minutes. Although virtually all real-estate agents now use a cell phone, Mier estimates that 30 percent fail to keep their phones on to receive incoming calls. He contends that an agent who makes continuous use of wireless telecommunications can provide superior service to a home seller who, for instance, is suddenly confronted with a knock on the door from a passerby who wants to see his property. "Usually I can be over there to show the place in five to 10 minutes," he says. Don't assume that older agents are less skilled with technology. Although the popular view is that those in their 20s and 30s are far more deft with technology than are older people, Cox says the generalization doesn't usually apply in the real-estate field. In searching for a techno-savvy agent, the key attribute to look for is flexibility, not youth. Seek a marketing guru, not a computer nerd, to sell your home. Dye, of Re/Max , has spent countless hours and thousands of dollars upgrading her computer skills and equipment. She uses technology to free herself for marketing activities that machines can't perform. These include at least three hours daily going door-to-door, or working the phones in search of leads for her buyers and sellers. Home sellers should avoid choosing an agent who depends too heavily on technology. "You don't want someone who spends all day sitting in the office behind a computer," Dye says.