North Ogden, Utah  July 15, 2010

Realtor® Road Warrior is 100% Virtual 
 
His name is Robert Bolar.  He is a Realtor® for Coldwell Banker in Ogden, Utah.  Robert’s been a regular top producer, working the upscale part of town.  In 2009, he is in the top 4% of all Coldwell Banker agents nationwide. He was Realtor® of the Year in 2005 for his brokerage and has a CRS designation. Yeah, big deal, Joe, so what? 

Robert does this without an office.  Well, not a traditional office.  His office is his car!  Yep.  He has a Toyota Prius tricked out, not with fat tires and fuzzy dice, but with technology that lets him do business as a real estate agent faster than the competition. 
 
He can search, send information to his clients and even get contracts signed and delivered, all without leaving his car.  Heck, he can do the local drive-thru for a burger and fries while his client gets a whopper of a deal.  (No word on what else Bob can do in his rolling office).
 
Robert has taken the traditional brick and mortar real estate model and converted it into a high-tech, ultra-portable, office on wheels. Talk about mobile real estate.  How does he do it?
 
Let’s say Robert is representing an out-of-town buyer.  He’ll use his laptop with WiFi card to search the home listings for a property he thinks might fit his client’s needs. He’ll email or fax them to his client and call the client using his cell phone.  He’ll get permission to view a home the client likes, power up his GPS to locate the home, whip out his camera to shoot some video or still photographs as he walks the property, and stream the video to his client or the web (YouTube). Client offers and contracts can be faxed, printed, signed, sealed and delivered from the car.  He loves having the ability to quickly close a deal when a client falls in love with a home from the front seat.  

I asked Robert what his clients say when they experience his Robo-office.  The reaction is usually “Wow!” They are amazed at Robert’s high tech skills and ability to get things done on the fly.  He told me a story about a client he picked up at the airport. They viewed homes, found a winner, faxed an offer, and signed a contract before driving the client back to the airport. Zowie!
 
You might think this remarkable way to do business is cutting edge.  What’s remarkable is that Robert has had his mobile office for 6 years!  When I asked him where he got the idea, Robert told me it was when he saw a State Trooper’s computer mounted to the dash.  He poked his head in to read the mount maker’s name and contacted the company for a one of his own.  He was on his way. 

I asked Robert for a list of his essential mobile tech tools:
 
1. Laptop computer: MacBook Pro.
2. Wireless Internet Access: High speed 3G Verizon MiFi air card.
3. Printer: Battery operated HP Deskjet 450 wbt Mobile Printer with Bluetooth and WiFi.
4. Scanner: Fujitsu ScanSnap scanner.  He can scan any documents (flyers, offers, contracts) and send them to the client via email or FAX. 
 
5. FAX: Toll Free Fax number from MyFax.com turns all of his faxes into PDFs
 
6. Desk Mount: Jotto Desk is a computer car mount (just like the State Troopers use). It allows easy access to his laptop and Real Estate Listings from the front seat.  It’s mounted between the driver and passenger seat on a swivel that lets either party surf the net.
 
7.  GPS: A portable Garvin Nuvi 260 GPS, with a battery life of 4+ hours.
 
8. Smart Phone: Blackberry 8830 and the new iPhone 3GS.  He also keeps a cell phone available for client use, even though they may have one.  It just shows he’s got everything covered.
 
9. Power: Car outlets and a solar powered battery back (Xantrex XPower Powerpack) that charges a main battery for an extended period of time: 6 hours.  He also carries a spare battery.  
 
10. Camera/Vide Sony Hybrid HDR-SR11.  It also functions as an HD video camera.
 
Oh, there are a few other things on Robert’s list:  A Cooler.  No, it’s not some high tech gizmo.  It’s an old-fashioned insulated cooler to hold cold drinks and snacks for any client he’s rolling with.  (Robert tries to find out what his client likes to drink or eat).
 
He also carries an air compressor and JNC 660 jump starter to help folks he finds stranded on the road.  He says the jump starter also makes a great back up power source if he need it for any of his devices. 
 
Wonder how Robert advertises when he’s traveling?  Yep, the car again.  His rear windshield and his license plate advertise his website URL. 

When I asked Robert what he wanted for the future, he replied, “Cars with all this technology already built in, especially a WAN/LAN antenna.”
 
Robert teaches his skills to local agents but surprisingly none have picked up his high- tech torch yet.  If you want to learn how to use the Force, Luke, give Robert a call at (801) 920.4620 or visit him at his website www.SellUtah.com.

SOUTH OGDEN, Utah – April 20, 2009 – Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, one of Utah’s leading providers of real estate services, announced today that top local Realtor Robert Bolar has earned the prestigious Council of Residential Specialists (CRS) designation.  Less than 4 percent of all Realtors hold the CRS designation.

The CRS designation recognizes professional accomplishments in both experience and education and is the highest designation awarded to sales associates in the residential sales field.  Honorees must complete 75 transactions within any five-year period.  Bolar exceeded these requirements by having more than 100 transactions and became the only Realtor in the state of Utah to recently earn the designation.

“It’s an honor for me to congratulate Robert on earning the CRS designation,” said Chris Jensen, manager of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in South Ogden.  “With his unsurpassed customer service and real estate expertise, Robert is the consummate professional and is truly deserving of this prestigious accomplishment.” 

Bolar, who also holds the Graduate Realtor Institute (GRI) and e-PRO designations, has consistently been a top producer throughout his real estate career.  Among his recognitions, he has received the “Professional Achievement Award” for four straight years and “Realtor of the Year Award” for 2005 from his brokerage.  He also has been ranked among the top 8 percent of all Coldwell Banker agents nationwide.

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage is located at 6033 S Fashion Pt., South Ogden.  Bolar can be reached at 801.920.4620 or via email at Robert@sellutah.com.

North Ogden, Utah – December 10, 2008 – Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, one of Utah’s leading providers of real estate services, announced today that top local Realtor Robert Bolar has returned to the company’s South Ogden office.  In his new position, Bolar will continue to provide full-service real estate expertise to buyers and sellers throughout Weber and Davis counties.   

“We are thrilled to have Robert return to the Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage team,” said John Brown, manager of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in South Ogden.  “Robert is widely regarded as being one the best agents in this area.  He has earned a strong client following because of his unsurpassed customer service, real estate expertise and Internet marketing capabilities. He will be a great addition to our outstanding team of sales professionals.”   

“I’m truly excited to rejoin Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage,” Bolar said.  “The main reason for my decision to return is the company’s stability and its focus on customer service. I’m extremely customer-service oriented and Coldwell Banker is as well, so this is a very good combination for me and for my clients.” 

Bolar, who most recently worked for Exit Realty in North Ogden, has consistently been a top producer throughout his real estate career. Among his recognitions, he has received the “Professional Achievement Award” for four straight years and “Realtor of the Year Award” for 2005 from his brokerages. He also has been ranked among the top 8 percent of all Coldwell Banker agents nationwide. 

A graduate of Weber High School, Bolar attended Weber State University where he majored in business and pre-law. He has completed his Graduate Real Estate Institute credential and his e-Pro certification for real estate technology.  Bolar was recently elected to serve on the executive board of the Northern Wasatch Association of Realtors, 

Prior to entering real estate, Bolar was in the Internet industry, working for AOL-Time Warner, one of the pioneers of the Internet. As executive escalation manager, he worked with the company’s senior executive team to help grow AOL’s market share to more than 30 million members.  

Bolar’s strong background in Internet marketing, his extensive presence on the Web, and his expertise in real estate have combined to make him an expert on the use of technology in buying and selling real estate.  He maintains and owns a highly used Utah Real Estate web site www.SellUtah.com. 

In addition, Bolar’s clients have come to appreciate that he maintains mobile offices in both of his cars – technologically equipped vehicles that enable him to work on the computer, fax, scan, search listings and complete any real estate documents anywhere and anytime without having to go back to a traditional office. 

“Things happen at such a fast pace in real estate these days,” he said. “Being able to do most anything from my car rather than taking the time to drive back to a brick and mortar office really saves time for my clients and gives them an edge when it comes to buying and selling real estate.” 

Bolar resides in North Ogden with his wife and two children. Bolar considers his family to be the most important factor in his success.  "No success can compensate for failure in the home,” he said. 

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage is located at 6033 S Fashion Pt., South Ogden.  Bolar can be reached at 801.737.3333 or via email at Robert@OwnUtah.com.

Joseph G. Ferrara Publisher Inman News 

North Ogden Real Estate Office on Wheels Robert Bolar Coldwell Banker Utah