Old habits die hard.

If there’s one thing that is holding society back from progression into better ways of doing things, it’s ourselves.

The ‘what ifs’ that hound the early stages of any sort of advancement can be annoying to those who realise the potential, but this questioning of new technology is an important step in the adoption of new methods.

This is certainly the case when it comes to digital and electronic signatures. You may hear a lot about the drawbacks of completing real estate agreeements online, without hearing much about the advantages. But there are ways and means to avoid all of these drawbacks and reap the benefits that electronic signatures offer: efficiency, security, authenticity and more.

There are usually three main aspects of using electronic signatures that are cited as disadvantages: the security, the technical complexity, and the cost.

Security

‘I don’t want my information just floating around the internet’ is a common concern. For many people, the risk involved in sending a confidential document off into the internet ether as a set of 0s and 1s seems just too great. They also may deem that an electronic signature is too easy to copy or forge.

Technical Complexity

For those who still play solitaire with real-life cards, or go to the library to research a subject, the processes involved in successfully completing and dispatching a digitally signed form will seem overwhelming. There is often the need to use a particular application or piece of software that would test the less computer literate of us.

Cost

Technology is constantly evolving. Online security probably evolves quicker than most other technologies, due to the constant fight against very talented and very motivated hackers. This means that if your business invests in converting to an electronic signature system, it will have to keep investing in updating said system.

Thankfully, all of these shortcomings are easily avoidable. With a service such as realforms, each of these concerns is taken care of, without you, the user, needing to do anything.

Security

realforms uses tamper proof systems that utilise encryption and digital certificate technologies, ensuring your documents never get into the wrong hands. In reality, with the help of realforms, electronic signatures are far more secure than traditional signatures.

Technical Complexity

realforms uses a simple and intuitive user interface that makes dealing with electronic signatures a breeze. The straightforward and effortless look and feel will have you forgetting about the cutting-edge technology used in the background that makes the system so impenetrable. Essentially, if you’re able to use a computer or smartphone, you’re able to use realforms.

Cost

realforms is a web-based application that will update itself to adapt to changing technologies. There’s no need to continually invest to keep up yourself – you can just leave it to realforms. What’s more, signing up is free for the first 30 days.

As you can see, perceived pitfalls and actual pitfalls can be two entirely different things. If you’re open to doing things a better way, there should be nothing stopping you from utilising electronic signatures.

And if you are looking to get on board, realforms have you covered.

Get early access to New Zealand’s 1st online real estate agreements. Coming soon in late 2017!