We are often asked why our real estate investment software, real estate investor software, and mortgage calculator are downloads rather then shipped on a CD. Fair enough question, let’s see if we can answer it.
Originally, back in 2000, when ProAPOD became a marketable real estate investment software program, it was shipped on a CD. Foremost, because that was the best way to deliver the software. Back then, most internet connections were on modem, which was painfully slow and not as reliable as it today, which meant that it took many excruciating minutes to download software programs prone to disconnects and other issues. Today, internet connections are lightning fast and very reliable. Today our real estate investment software can be downloaded in virtually seconds, in the twinkling of an eye, and almost always without incident. Moreover, the web has become more secure. Back then, you just hoped you could download software without getting a bug. Today, our software is digitally signed and certified, so you can trust that the real estate investment software you purchased from ProAPOD is, indeed, 100% safe.
Customers generally want the software now. It is true today, and it was true eight years ago. Most real estate investors and agents, once they decide to purchase, want to start using the software right away. Shipping the program on CDs via postal delivery takes at least 3-4 days, unless, of course, you want to pay for “special delivery”. Having the option to download software, without having to wait for delivery, means you can start using it in minutes and not have to pay any outrageous extra fees.
Customers want to get the most for their dollar. Unless a software company is the magnitude of Microsoft, capable of hiring hundreds of employees that do nothing but stuff CDs into boxes, the cost can easily add 10-20% to the software program. It is not just about the postage. Burning, labeling, and packaging CDs takes man hours that feed expenses and gets passed on to the customer. Without hundreds of thousands of customers to absorb that cost, making shipping and handling minimal and less noticeable, the cost for delivering typical real estate software on a CD becomes a big chunk that ultimately would be felt by the customer.
Then, there’s the dark side of CDs. In truth, CDs offer little protection to the software developer and unfortunately there are always some ready to exploit it. It is not an exaggeration to imagine our real estate investment software, real estate investor software, and mortgage calculator, on a CD, getting passed around the office like guacamole at a Super Bowl party. It happens. Whereas, most businesses help offset this loss simply by raising prices, here again, ProAPOD prefers to keep its real estate software solutions limited to the cost of development, without extra padding. It seems fair to everyone, and the bottom line is that you pay less for our software.
