Brian Goodheim's GoodTimes Perspective

A Professional Perspective

As a 1970s pioneer in computer applications for the real estate industry, I have benefitted from careers in both real estate and computer software. My first real estate software application was a series of Fortran simulation models to assist in the analysis and planning of large scale land development projects. In 1978 I developed the first microcomputer-based electronic appraisal system, and proceeded to form RealSoft Systems, Inc. to market and support computer software and hardware to real estate practitioners worldwide.

Since then, the microcomputer and real estate industries have changed dramatically. The PC has matured as an increasingly powerful, reliable, and standardized computer application platform. At the same time, the breadth and complexity of PC technology has expanded beyond the cognitive capacity of any single individual, and technologists are becoming increasingly specialized with expertise often limited to a single software or hardware platform.

The real estate industry and its information technology needs have also changed. The renegade entrepreneurial spirit which once permeated the real estate development industry is less appropriate in today's environment of land use regulation, and consumer and community activism. Today's real estate and financial markets are more sophisticated, information-sensitive, and less risk tolerant than before the RTC bailout of the S+L industry.

Future real estate markets will be increasingly based upon information technology. Buyers, sellers, and industry practitioners will enjoy unprecedented public access to real estate market data which was historically unavailable, unassembled, or privately guarded in propreietary data formats. Satellite imagery, data warehousing, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality are emerging technologies with great real estate industry potential and the Internet and other electronic networks are the key distribution media.

My recent MS in Interdisciplinary Telecommunications at the University of Colorado focused upon the potential application of leading-edge technologies with special emphasis to the real estate industry. Current projects include both consulting and product development services.