Final Project Report
A Qualitative Study of Technology Use, Work Design, and Adaptation by Real Estate Professionals in Seattle

IMT 581 – Change Management
Fall Quarter, 2008
Professor Kevin Desouza

1. Introduction
1.1 Goals and Motivations
1.2 Residential Real Estate Basics
2. Review of Literature
2.1 Information and Communications Technologies (ICT)
2.2 Sociotechnical and Coordination Theory
2.3 Disintermediation
2.4 Social Informatics
2.5 Relationships, Interaction, and Technology
3. Method
3.1 Sampling and Logistics
3.2 Structure and Design
3.3 Livescribe PulsePen
3.4 Coding and Analysis
4. Findings and Discussion
4.1 Technophilia
4.2 Opportunity and Identity
4.3 Information Management and Facilitation
5. Conclusion
6. Appendix
6.1 Interview Guide
6.2 Consent Form
6.3 Protection of Human Subjects Certification
7. References

 

 

I. Introduction

            Real estate has been viewed as a “friendly profession” where close relationships affect the discourse of what is otherwise a market-driven brokerage transaction [16].  Technology is an important aspect of modern real estate marketing and, as a major professional category, the residential real estate sector relies heavily upon lead generation, client relationship management, and personal information management (PIM) in routine daily tasks [17].   Technology in business professions typically are related to standardized cycles of economic upturns and downturns and can broadly relate to the level of spending or saving for new inventory purchases.  [21]  Technological progress in the residential real estate field has been impressive over 75 years but still remains a client-oriented business with brokerages leveraging technological change [18].
            Given the economic turmoil experienced within subprime markets due in part to over-speculation and valuation [2], Seattle is an unusual case as it has not seen many of the drastic market corrections experienced in other markets [1].   Signs of economic downturn may include increased time of housing on the market, decreased offering prices from buyers, lessened inventory, and a general increase in entry costs to new agents [2, 9].  Real estate has generally been a very profitable business for brokers and salespersons in the United States with more than $65 billion in commissions for 2005 alone [9].  In Seattle, prices have leveled to rates found in 2006, which still are a profitable boon to most sellers [10].  
            Seattle is known as a “superstar city” in terms of property valuation and stability due in part to a combination of housing regulation, lack of available housing, and a tradition of liberalism in certain West Coast cities [5].  Seattle’s temperate housing slump is very mild when compared to rates experienced in other parts of the United States, and Seattle is now experiencing a mild rental boom [1].  Generally, real estate markets in urban areas tend to be more technological [4, 14], and as such, Seattle is a tech-savvy market that reflects the large number of tech-oriented companies in the area (e.g., Microsoft, Boeing). 

Goals and Motivations

            Little qualitative research has been performed with the aim of uncovering qualitative trends and emergent themes from agents in the field, especially with respect to technology use, adaptation, and work design [4, 16].  Technology use and adaptation have been of considerable interest to researchers within small-to-medium-enterprises (SMEs) who posit that social factors and peer-to-peer engagement is a key to adoption;  because more than 80% of real estate brokerages reside in the SME category, lessons can be learned from practices understood for SMEs  [9, 14].  Moreover, technology use is a very personal expression of one’s organization and beliefs of how information should be structured [19, 17].  Design of work practices within the daily distribution and management of information, then, should also be of particular interest to researchers when considering the social shaping of technology, especially in the real estate field [4].  Sociotechnical and coordination theories of work practice have a direct bearing on research into the design of real estate work flows and practices [3, 11, 17].
             Several questions that highlight technology use, adaptation, and work design during changing economic times might be worth of study—specifically, what are some factors that might indicate to a Seattle residential real estate agent that the “market is not doing well” and, more importantly, when is it time to begin looking at reducing new technology purchases and cutting other technology inventory costs?   Moreover, how well are agents able to grasp the reality of their own market in relation to perceived market corrections outside their own domain of experience, and what factors affect how long an agent perceives the “lag” between technology acquisitions and a perceived upswing of economic conditions?  
            With these questions in mind, the author recruited licensed real estate professionals in Seattle to address three main research strands:  

Residential Real Estate Basics

             The public real estate market can be viewed as a negotiation between a seller of a home and a buyer of the home.  Licensed brokers or salespersons are employed by either sellers or buyers to act as a representative in the transaction and accept liability for ensuring that the fiduciary trust among parties is fair and in accordance with legal standards.  Though residential real estate agents are not lawyers in the plain sense of the word, they still are charged with performing services that use “boilerplate” language to ensure that contracts are in accordance with the law, and in a sense, they are allowed limited practice under the Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 2.48.180. 
            Brokers or salespersons must be registered with a brokerage, but are not required to perform any particular type of practice.  Most brokerages are “Full Service Brokerages” (FSBs) that adhere to standard commissionable rates for sales and purchases, but changes in the real estate law have allowed brokerages to perform less service to the client as “limited service brokerages” (LSBs) [9].   All brokerages have access to a database of available homes on the open market, which is called commonly called a “Multiple Listing Service” (MLS).   With the combination of MLS information and the ability to practice real estate, brokers and salespersons offer a service to clients that is coming under fire from all directions, especially from discount brokerages and flat-fee listing companies [16].  A home that appears on the MLS is called a “listed home” or simply a “listing”.  Commissions are paid for by the seller after a successful transaction is “closed” or completed via an escrow officer, limited practice officer (LPO), or attorney.  The title for a home is transferred to the new owner upon a successful closing and recorded with the county assessor. Further information about particular transactional process in the completion of a real estate transaction is beyond the scope of this paper, but is available from several places [9, 14, 17, 22].

II. Review of Literature

The following is a brief review of some central themes and definitions found in the real estate technology literature related to use, adaptation, and work design.   An effort was made to concentrate on information science approaches [15] as opposed to political economic theories due to the lack of sophistication of the qualitative methods employed in this study.  [16]

Information and Communications Technologies (ICT)

            Information and communications technologies (ICTs) are a broad set of objects that have been viewed as either a disruption in otherwise stable residential real estate markets (and in this way lends itself to evolutionary change), or as a means of perpetuating the existing institutional governance structure of traditional real estate brokerages (wherein norms of practice are kept in place) [18].  ICTs are borne from a variety of socially-enforced beliefs as to the adequacy of automation within a particular work-task environment [21], and they are part of a broader sociotechnical program that has become more computerized with the rise of MLS databases [13].
            ICTs cause agents to behave differently than non-ICT users, and there is an expectation of performance. [18]   For example, Thomas Guide map books were commonly expected to be a part of a broker or salesperson’s arsenal before the advent of GPS-satellite navigation, and now, map books serve as a quaint (but useful) “back-up” to talking menus and point-to-point driving directions.  ICTs are also a “buffer” to remove a broker or salesperson from client consternation [16]—one example is the ubiquitous voicemail coupled with “caller ID” functionality.  

Sociotechnical and Coordination Theory

Socio-technical systems (STS) theory is a type of systems approach to the central problem of integrating and optimizing two separate, but conjoined and mediated, domains within an organization:  social systems and technical systems.   Social systems are rooted in the experience of the worker, while technical systems typically reside with the implements of work processes, functions, and flows.   ICT and sociotechnical approaches should be understood from a common place within a larger framework of information science and systems [15].
            Coordination theory begins with the notion that work processes are similar in production of work, but differ in the manner in which workers implement particularized coordination to execute functionally equivalent work tasks [3].  Thus, all work processes can be categorized and understood from an organizational perspective where some work will entail more specialized task functions than similarly related task functions.   In real estate, it is a common belief among some clients that they can perform the tasks of a residential real estate [14, 16].  While this may be true—for example, websites for listings (e.g. www.estately.com), reduced priced brokerages (e.g., www.redfin.com), and discount escrow (e.g., www.mls4owners.com)—the coordination involved in understanding the intricacies of real estate negotiation and sheer “business smarts” is too often left aside.  Indeed, merely decomposing interrelated functional dependencies might seem easy in theory [14], but will present the client a formidable challenge and perhaps lead to a differential pricing disadvantage [9, 18].

Disintermediation

Disintermediation refers to the practice within economic markets to choose automated agents or other proxies, instead of broker agents, due to shifts in the beliefs as to the utility of broker representation or in shifts in technology—the classic case being the rise of Expedia, Orbitz, and Priceline within the travel agent industry [7].  There are two reasons why disintermediation is not amenable to the real estate industry where brokers and agents act as “companies of one” [17]:

The open exchange of social resources yields new types of real estate innovation that allow for a more stable and efficient management of the residential housing market [21, 22].

Social Informatics

Social informatics posits that “computerization is quintessentially socio-technical: it is complex, large scale and situated in particular activities” such that ICTs are used in a variety of settings that often yield paradoxical solutions at varying rates to groups and that vary based on granularity of analysis and design [13].  Social informatics is broader in scope than other types of domains where ICTs reside, such as in factories or production facilities; moreover, social informatics is a vibrant aspect of our everyday use of technology in a variety of settings, including real estate and the internet [12, 22].  Social informatics has a place in future debates about technology, information management, and social organization [13].

Relationships, Interaction, and Technology

The notion of social capital has been used to explain how social actors can benefit from an accumulation of associations within a distributed technological environment where three main types of linkages reside [21]: 

The embedded nature of work within the real estate sector [17] necessitates the management of structural and relational ties which are lost within industries where disintermediation has occurred (e.g., travel agents [7] or insurance agents [21]).
            Some scholars are weary of the notion that real estate “doesn’t need a smile” from a human agent and have argued for the continued presence of brokers and salespersons [4, 17].   Technology has served to keep clients and brokers closely tied together through a host of media technologies:  SMS texting, blogging, social networking, and most prominently, email [23].  Business relationships in real estate still hinge on trust and a sense of belief in the abilities of the salesperson or broker to perform a job that is superior to others [16].

III. Method

A voluntary sample of three (3) residential real estate agents/salespersons or owners of licensed brokerages in the greater Seattle area were gathered using a convenience sampling method. The author, a licensed real estate salesperson, previously worked with interviewees in transaction prior to 2007 and was very clear that he was no longer “in the business.”    The author is familiar with ethical requirements for field interviews and protection of human subjects; a copy the “Protection of Human Subjects” certificate is included.  (See Appendix).  The author is in possession of recorded conversations and work product notations.

Sampling and Logistics

            An email correspondence was twice mailed to five potential candidates asking for help in a confidential one-hour tape-recorded interview. One criterion for selection was being an active license holder working a commercial residential real estate firm.  Private brokers or escrow agents/attorneys were not included in this criterion.  Two interviewees declined to participate citing timing constraints. In total, three men—one in their late 20s, and two in their early to late 40s—were interviewed in a semi-structured format during the week before Thanksgiving at a coffee shop or other designated meeting space. No designated location was preferred, other than it allow for privacy.   
            For all interviewees, the author initially offered to purchase food items (e.g., bottled water, coffee).  Interviewer and interviewee sat directly opposite one another.  The author spoke in a calm, interested voice, but would make expressive gestures if he believed a response deserved some elaboration or for extension of the expression. A brief informal conversation was initiated to “break the ice” [6].   This conversation initially focused on past history shared between the author and interviewees, and eventually moved into a structured conversation about the purposes of the study.   The author asked that all interviewees sign a “consent form” (See Appendix) and has copies on file. 

Structure and Design

            The author employed a “longitudinal” biographical method, where a brief background inventory is taken followed directly by more purposive, focused questioning. Open-ended questions and “question clusters” were used.     The study is framed as a “basic or generic qualitative study,” [6] which shares a particular set of characteristics:

For all interviews, the author used the Livescribe Pulse Pen to capture and annotate notes during interviews.   The author has previously described the Pulse Pen [27].

Livescribe PulsePen

            The Livescribe PulsePen is an example of a new commercially available pen and voice multimodal tool that became available in summer of 2008. It is a digital pen with audio recording capabilities, can write on digital Anoto paper, and synchronizes with Livescribe applications and tools. The PulsePen has the form factor of a large Montblanc pen, and provides visual feedback on its LED display. A camera below the pen tip captures inked handwriting in the context of a digital paper interface, which is time synchronized with audio recording. Users can control starting, pausing, stopping, and other aspects of audio recording. The 2GB PulsePen offers memory storage for more than 100 hours of handwriting and audio recording.
livescribe_8.jpg
Figure 1.  Lifescribe PulsePen Platform
            After completing a session, data is uploaded to a host computer via a docking station onto the Livescribe Desktop, which supports organization, search of recordings, and dissemination via the Livescribe website. Researchers can search through their inked words, create bookmarks, play back audio segments associated with notes, and share files.  

     Coding and Analysis

Preemptive coding categories were selected from four main categories: Technology Motivations (MT), Experiences in Real Estate (ET), Technology Usage Behaviors (UT), and Miscellaneous Technology (TM).  This aggregation was done according to Barney Glaser’s methodology for grounded theory research [6] and is different from other qualitative methods used in the ICT/real estate literature [14, 16].   These symbols, each signifying a major research orientation or theme from the literature, were roughly correlated to post-emptive codes that emerged from interview analysis and distilled into several larger themes. Precision is difficult when utilizing a small number of qualitative interviewees, and may be best viewed with and “exploratory lens” in order to apprehend the broad strokes of presented findings [6].

IV. Findings and Discussion

            In the following section, we summarize our qualitative findings in several themes that follow from our original pre-emptive coding scheme of motivations, use, and experiences.

Technophilia

            All interviewees believed that technology was “manageable” and complimented their work practice.  One agent thought that technology was not complicated enough:
            Q:  Would you consider yourself a technological person?
A: Absolutely. I’m always looking to take something I’ve seen or what someone’s done and turn it into something easier to use … using mostly computers, but I don’t think of widgets, since I’m an internet guy …
            Q:  What do you mean?  Can you give an example?
            A:  I’d like to make it more complicated with information.
            Q:  More information?  […]
            A:  There are so many hardware devices that make software complicated …

(Interview #2 at 5’24”).
            In the case of this particular instance, the joy of innovation is itself one characteristic of the practice of ICT in real estate, which is consistent with research indicating that extensive use of resources and exchange of information effects product innovation [21].   As an “internet guy” the interviewee believed that innovation was at the heart of value creation, and in turn, wished for more information to be available to “relational ties” that participate in transactions, such as prospective clients for future business [16].   
            Unfortunately, the use of technology is also a problem in building relationships wherein the subtleties of being a negotiator are muted by a “quick and dirty” ICT like text messaging.  
Q:  What are some of the worst things in working with tech as a realtor or web designer?
            A: Those who don’t …
            Q: Could you elaborate? 
A:  Yeah … the guy I work with just got text messaging.  He keeps on fight it by calling it “ so high school” […] 
Q:  So your biggest problem is people that just don’t use technology… Is it about age?
A: No … take for example that guy with the text messaging.  I’m just not able to build a more non-verbal relationship with him … So it’s just face-to-face, hard core, and you’re in front of them… You can’t give them those little “love bites” or “hate pokes” […]

(Interview #2 at 10’16”).
The agent felt frustrated that the “social context” of providing service [18] as a professional was less effective with someone who did not advocate text messaging and was actively “fighting it”. 

Opportunity and Identity

One agent commented on how he was able to instill values that were to the advantage of the professional opportunity of agents working for him, and in turn, create an identity that was congruent with values he believed should be taught:
Q:What are some of the advantages about [your brokerage] … personally and in business?
A: I’m able to empower agents to passionate about their business … by not charging minimum commission rates …
Q: Is their business important to you?
A:  That might sound odd … but my drive is market share is my goal, my key … branding and exposure.  But agents aren’t leaving … they aren’t leaving for other brokerages in a down market.  
Q:  Really? 
A:  […] My goal is to reach 125 agents … and it doesn’t have to be about earning money on those agents …
Q:  So the market affects where agents go?
A: Yes … absolutely.
(Interview #1 at 6’26”).
Identity and market exposure are components of every brokerage, especially in local markets with many competing niche opportunities [14].   The downturn in the Seattle market affected the strategy that this broker used to structure “success,” and in this way, he is able to refocus his attention on longer term considerations like brand name and investment in infrastructure. 
The identity of one agent was inextricably tied to “balance” between managing the appearance of technology use and its use in work:
Q: Do you feel the need to keep up with your competitor with technology … is there a sense of “keeping up?”
A: I want a new Mac, but not the new Mac … I don’t see the need for more “gigs”  I won’t spend more money on a computer… I can’t think of any cool new feature that already isn’t available..
Q:  Do you think that clients look at real estate as a technological field?
A:  They see it as a standard part … if you have nothing to show off … really what they want is to think that you are knowledgeable … you need to have a piece of technology to be part of the knowledge … to be knowledgeable …
Q: You won’t get noticed by the average Joe Schmoe?
A:  Yeah …  but at the same time you don’t want to have too much… […]
Q: Balance?
A; […] yeah.

(Interview #2 at 17’23”).
The point is that there’s a right technology for the right person [23], and it comes from experience and knowledge of the industry [14], or just “being a better shopper” (Interview #3 at 23’58”)  

Information Management and Facilitation

            According to one agent cogently put it, “technology is communication, and I spend a lot more time thinking about what I will type, rather than what I will think…” (Interview #3 at 8’23”)  This reaffirms the role of ICTs as a modality to express relationships and “social context” [21].  Real estate is a technological business that involves technology as a place for transaction:
A: Real estate is miles ahead of other industries … because the business is driven by the ability to network with the average American… 
Q:  What do you mean “driven”? 
A: […] Without the ability to network, it would not be recognized as a place for information [about real estate].  The ability to communicate … is about a transaction. It’s more than about listings … it’s about management.
(Interview #3 at 20’10”).
            This finding confirms the literature about ICT’s role in “active management of weak ties and an agent’s social capital” [16].  Networking is essential to the creation of value and, by extension, the creation of service facilitation in real estate transactions—viz., the raison d'être that justifies a commissionable transaction, much as in the mortgage industry where collective norms shape how ICTs are interpreted, used, and paid for business transactions [8].  The creation of a technological space where real estate can be performed serves both the interests of real estate agents and the public (who gain the benefit of reduced transaction costs [17]). 

V. Conclusion

        
            The Seattle real estate market is in a state of economic distress that has had a significant effect on the technology use, adaptation, and work design in the professional lives of agents interviewed for this study.   Three main behaviors were reported, all in line with literature in ICT and real estate markets [4, 14, 16, 18, 19, 22]:  (1) reuse of old technology for innovative purposes; (2) increase in adaptation of non-technological modes of interactions (such as telephone use) and text messaging; and (3) reexamination of distributed (disambiguated) work settings in favor of more traditional brokerage relations.  The most surprising finding of the study was that all interviewees regarded traditional modes of real estate as an acceptable strategy, even though all were considerably technological in comparison to the vast majority of potential competitors at other brokerages.  All interviewees did not like that clients could not stay in touch in the same high-tech manner preferred but understood the value of voice. “You know what I could have done instead of more spam?  More phone calls” (Interview #1 at 56’23”).   “You can’t just pull up technology and make it the all-time ‘win.’” (Interview #3 at 31’10”).  

            Technology is a pervasive characteristic of the real estate profession, but more importantly, a willingness to bridge the novelty of technological artifacts with “old-fashioned” modes of interaction, such as telephone conversation, seem to be the distinguishing feature of competitive, technologically-savvy salespersons in Seattle.  At the core of using technology in real estate is the notion that real estate is a transaction-based discourse with an expert (who provides skilled knowledge for a portion of commission sales) and a client (who makes a conscious decision to employ the services of a broker).   Relationship management involves the management of technology to ensure that client services are exceptional, and this is the “bread-and-butter” of any technological business. Real estate is no exception. 


            This study should be viewed as a snapshot of one group of technologically-attuned real estate agents, and should not imply conclusions outside of its very narrow design parameters.  Notwithstanding the fact that interviewees were experienced in both commercial and residential real estate domains, more purely residential agents should be recruited from areas outside of the Seattle metropolitan area for future studies.  Commercial agents tend to be less technological than their residential counterparts.  [19, 23]  Like other professions which depend on technology in transactional broker-client relationships, real estate depends on trust and a sense of information organization and management that separates successful, contented workers from those who may feel that technology is too-burdensome and stressful.  Relationship building works for brokers looking to recruit new sources of talent, but also in the traditional tasks of marketing, branding, and production. 


            One conclusion from the study stems from agents' reliance on medicated technologies to convey meaning in negotiation.  This is a difficult task due to the limitations of social ICTs, so persistence is part of a “strong social aspect to being a real estate agent” [16].  “Most business, like in the real world, is done by phone and fax … talking to people is how business is done.” (Interview #1 at 22’25”).   Thus, maintenance of social relations is essential to creating value within transactional spaces like residential real estate, regardless of the market forces that might change long-term strategy or alignment of goals. Technology is an important aspect, but not the sole factor, when considering adaptation to market changes.

VI. Appendix

Interview Guide

  1. Background
  2. What is your education?
  3. How did you join your company? How does it compare (positively and negatively) to previous companies you have worked with (or in another career)?
  4. What are the best and worst aspects of working here? In your specialization?
  5. How long have you been a real estate agent?
  6. Motivations and Technology
  7. Why did you decide to pursue a career in real estate?
  8. Do you have any special role model or mentor whose advice and/or direction is very important to you? How so and to what extent?
  9. What will has this profession given you? Money, status, power, happiness?
  10. Earlier in your career (before arriving here) did you feel pressure to use technology? If so, from where, how much and to what extent?
  11. Do you speak regularly with your broker? What does your broker think of your strategies? Do you agree?
  12. What are the advantages and disadvantages of being technological in the residential real estate field?
  13. Experiences
  14. (Economic Crisis) Did you believe that we are experiencing an economic crisis? What kind of market are we in?   What you tell your clients?  What do you tell yourself?
  15. Have most of your deals closed in relation to one year ago?  5 years ago?
  16.  What is going on in the economic markets?
  17. (Seattle Market) What do most of your clients believe is going on in the markets?  What happened? How did you react to this?   Can you give an example of a client?
  18. Technology Use and Beliefs
  19. Describe any specific expectations by clients. Did you feel they treated you “differently” due to their perception of your technology use? If so, why would they you differently than someone else?
  20. Do you feel that some people view real estate as a technological field If so, why do you think that this is so?
  21. Do you feel competitive when involved in the use of technology? If so, is this feeling greater towards non technology users?
  22. Do you feel that technology has helped you in your profession?  How?  
  23. Do you feel you can maintain a level of competency that is “expected” of you during your real estate and individual life projects?
  24. Is technology too burdensome for you?
  25. Have you made “sacrifices” to “fit in” with your  real estate partners to be on top of technology? If so, what?
  26. Concluding Questions
  27. How would you improve the use of technology in the residential real estate field?
  28. If given the opportunity what changes would you make?
  29. What advice do you have for future real estate agents about their technology use?

 

Consent Form

You are invited to participate in a study of residential real estate agents in the Seattle area. I am a graduate student at the UW Information School working on a final research project for a Change Management course (IMT 581). You will be one of 3 residential real estate agents chosen to participate. During the course of this study, I may ask you questions about your experiences, motivations, and feelings related to, for example, your technology use, motivations to use technology, financial considerations, mentors/role models, and work habits.
Should you decide to participate in this study, you will take part in an in-depth interview with me. The interview will be conducted in a nearby restaurant, coffee shop, or another suitable location that we choose and will be tape-recorded. The interview should take no more than one hour of your time. Though I do not anticipate any risk as part of your involvement in this study, some questions may create discomfort, such as describing/re-living past events, situations, and interactions that may have been negative and/or damaging. At the end of the interview, should you need assistance, I can give you a list of agencies providing services you may need.
Any information obtained in this study that may specifically identify you will remain confidential.  Audio recordings will be coded in an anonymous fashion and will only be heard only by me, the interviewer. When I describe the information obtained in my study, an alias or false name will be used in place of your true name or identity.
If you decide to take part in the interview, you are free to stop the interview at any time. You don’t have to answer any question that makes you uncomfortable. If you have any questions, please ask me. If you have any additional questions, feel free to contact Professor Kevin Desouza at 206-616-0880. You are provided a copy of this form to keep.
You are making a decision on whether or not to participate in this study. Your signature indicates that you have read the information provided above and have decided to participate. Should you choose to do so, you may withdraw your participation at any time after signing this form.
__________________________________
Signature of Participant - Date
__________________________________
Signature of Investigator - Date

Protection of Human Subjects Certification

research-certificate.jpg

VII. References

[1] Burton, B. (2008). “Demand From Puget Sound Area Renters Sustains Landlord’s Market.”  Puget Sound Business Journal Online.  Retrieved October 14, 2008 from http://seattle.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2008/09/15/focus2.html
 
[2] Coleman, M., La-Cour, L., and Vendell, K. (2008). Subprime Lending and the Housing Bubble:  Tail That Wags the Dog?  Working paper presented at the American Economic Meeting. New Orleans, Louisiana. January 2008.  Retrieved October 14, 2008 from http://today.uci.edu/pdf/subprime_lending_08.pdf

[3] Crowston, K. (1997). A Coordination Theory Approach to Organizational Process Design. Organization Science: Journal of the Institute of Management Sciences. 8 (2), 157-175.

[4] Crowston, K., Sawyer, S., Wigand, R., and Allbritton, M. (2000).  How do information and communication technologies reshape work? Evidence from the residential real estate industry. In Proc. ICIS. New York: ACM Press. 612-617.

[5] Gyouko, J, Mayer, C., and Sinai, T. (2006).   Superstar Cities. Working Paper from National Bureau of Economic Research.  Retrieved October 14, 2008 from http://real.wharton.upenn.edu/~sinai/papers/superstar_cities_06-16-06-final.pdf
 
[6] Krathwohl, D. (1998).  Methods of Educational and Social Science Research.  Waveland Press: Long Grove, IL.  2nd Ed. 

[7] Lewis, I., Semeijn, J. J., and Talalayevsky, A. (1998). The Impact of Information Technology on Travel Agents. Transportation Journal. 37 (4), 20-25.

[8] Markus, M. L., Steinfield, C. W., Wigand, R. T., & Minton, G. (2006). Industry-Wide Information Systems Standardization as Collective Action: The Case of the U.S. Residential Mortgage Industry. Management Information Systems Quarterly. 30, 439-466.

[9] Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (February 2007). Improving Competition in Real Estate Transactions in the United States (Working Document 2). Paris, France: Directorate for Financial and Enterprise Affairs.

[10] Rhodes, E. (2008) “King County Prices Slide Below December ’06.” Seattle Times.  Jan 12, 2008. E-1.

[11] Salazar, A. J. (2005). Mapping the scope of information technology enabled transformation: A multi-theoretical framework and review. Manchester: Manchester Metropolitan University, Business School.

[12] Sawyer, S. (2001). The Social Shaping of Technology. The Information Society. 17 (4), 303-304.
 
[13] Sawyer, S. (2005). Social Informatics: Overview, Principles and Opportunities. Bulletin: American Society for Information Science and Technology. 31(5), 9-12.

[14] Sawyer, S. (2005) “Local Real Estate Market Competition: Evidence and Insight from an Analysis of 12 Local Markets," White Paper. Report for National Center for Real Estate Research, Washington, DC.
 
[15] Sawyer, S. and Huang, H. (2007) “Conceptualizing Information, Technology and People: Comparing Information Science and Information Systems Literatures,” Journal of the
American Society of Information Science and Technology. 58:10, 1436-1447.
 
[16] Sawyer, S., Wigand, R. T., & Crowston, K. (2001). Information and Communication Technologies in the Real Estate Industry:  Results from a Pilot Study.  In Proc. Global Co-Operation in the New Millennium: 9thEuropean Conference on Information Systems.  Bled, Slovenia. June 27-29, 2001.
 
[17] Sawyer, S., Crowston, K., Wigand, R. T., & Allbritton, M. (2003). The Social Embeddedness of Transactions: Evidence from the Residential Real-Estate Industry. The Information Society. 19 (2), 135-154.

[18] Sawyer, S., Wigand, R. T., & Crowston, K. (2005). Redefining access: uses and roles of information and communication technologies in the US residential real estate industry from 1995 to 2005.  Journal of Information Technology. 20 (4), 213-223.

[19] Setser, B. (2008). Technology in Real Estate:  A 75-Year March of Progress. Journal of Property Management. 73 (5), 82-85.

[20] Smart, B.A., and Desouza, K.C. (2007). Overcoming Technology Resistance. Business Strategy Review, 18(4). 25-28.

[21] Tsai, W., & Ghoshal, S. (1998). Social Capital and Value Creation: The Role of Intrafirm Networks. Academy of Management Journal. 41 (4), 464-476.

[22]  Tuccillo, J. (1997, July). Technology and the housing markets. Business Economics, 32(3), 17. Retrieved November 24, 2008, from MasterFILE Premier database.

[23] Yardi, A. (2008). The Big Picture: Technology-What's ahead for real estate? Journal of Property Management. 73 (3), 36-38.

[24] Youngblood, A. and Oviatt S.L. (2008) Multimodal Pen/Voice Infrastructure for Rich Qualitative Field Research with Diverse Student Users. In the Proc. CHI '09, New York: ACM Press, in submission.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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