New tools for an old trade: Realtors learn to use technology to make sales. (REAL ESTATE).(Brief Article)

The fundamentals of selling real estate have not changed, say the people who do it for a living. It is still a personal business. But the right technology can speed up the process.

Computers, cell phones, Palm Pilots and the Internet will not replace the human touch, said Miguel Berger, owner of TechValley Homes Real Estate LLC in Loudonville. "It's just going to make it more efficient," Berger said. "The question is how you get from point A to point B faster."

Take home inspections, a required step in the long process of closing a deal. The typical inspection lasts two to three hours. The inspector takes detailed notes and returns to the office. After a few days the buyer receives a written report.

Wynn Englisbe, a structural engineer from Slingerlands, takes a laptop computer to his jobs. He sets it down on the kitchen counter. As he inspects the house, he returns repeatedly to the laptop to enter …