So What's the Honest Truth About DaVinci?

Woody Fincham, Research Fellow

The June convention is behind us now, the curtain has been pulled aside, and the world knows about DaVinci. We are getting constant questions about when itï¿½ll be ready and thatï¿½s a really good sign that weï¿½ve done something right. We also get lots of feedback from the proactive appraisers out there, the network of beta testers, and the guys right here in the labs.

While I appreciate the pay check, and the real fun I have had this past six months, I will not shortchange my personal opinion about any project that I am asked about. Like most of you, I am good at appraising real estate because I have that slanted cynical viewpoint on most things I analyze. This article is a response to what many people have asked of me since the convention.

Field Testing DaVinci

Personally, I have taken DaVinci out in the field several times, and I like what I see so far. The direction that we are heading seems to accommodate what is best for both the platform and the appraisers who will be using it. That was my biggest problem with Pocket TOTAL: while being the best solution for then-present technology, it failed to offer any real functional use for the majority of appraisers. Drawing interior walls were a fiasco, and the screen really did present a problem, considering we are all used to letter sized paper checklists at a minimum.

I have to remind myself that DaVinci's checklist is pretty much customizable as you go. To me, the initial checklists and ways to notate property features are very rich, richer than most will need. I take more notes and draw more complete floor plans than most people in the business. I do this to be defendable in court, and to offer visual proof that I am a professional to be taken seriously. That means that I like lots of precise ways to define my propertyï¿½s salient features. The best part for you guys that think my way is over kill: you can take out what you donï¿½t want to use.

Once you get used to the interface and order of the checklist, you literally fly through it. The checklist may only save me a few minutes at best, but the ability to draw on site, and not redo it at the office, saves me a bunch of time. I have yet to tackle a large contemporary home, but I have complete confidence using it with town homes, small single family homes and the like.

At this point in time I think the program is right on track with how I hoped it would go. We still have several things to finish up, but the first non-beta version should be ready to go soon. For those of you out there waiting for it, keep reminding yourselves that we want this to go to market as a solid, dependable tool. If it takes longer than you like, itï¿½s only because we value you and want the best product for you that we can do.

What Else is in Store for Da Vinci?

Chris Low, the lead developer on the project, is constantly showing me stuff that makes me happy. Remember that I pretty much put the anal in analyze, but I have seen where they are able to put a photo in each individual room checklist, of the room. I have also seen the projected screen shots of the addendum of the checklist that will be put into the work file or the report itself. Nice work on that, and on the options with the sketching tool. Multi-color sketches and other just nice to have elements will be there.

That does bring up my biggest concern, and it revolves around the ï¿½throw the kitchen sink inï¿½ philosophy we all get caught in. We all have the tendency to over do things from time to time. Hell, thatï¿½s what makes us Americans so ï¿½popularï¿½ around the world. We go large or go home, and that is fine with me. I do think that with something as revolutionary as DaVinci is starting to become, we need to pace ourselves with what we actually put in the final version. I truly believe that the Armstrong-centered idea of build the best possible program before putting in the Italian sports engine, is the best of all worlds.

The typical appraiser out in the real world has been doing this their own way for years. In order for the general public to give up a clipboard for a Tablet, it has to work as seamlessly as possible. It needs to be accessible to everyone, not just technophiles, who happen to appraise real estate. Nintendo got that in the mid eighties, when the NES was released. Even if you missed the craze of ï¿½Super Mario Brothersï¿½ and the rest of the Nintendo family of games, you still know what I am talking about. People could pick it up and know what to do with it. In our world, it has to almost be a significant as a digital camera.

That's Nice, But What I Really Want To Know Is:

I was fortunate enough to get a nice Tablet PC from a la mode to test DaVinci with. I have no problems telling you how much I love using the program on the Motion tablet I have. It is a great solution for me, but itï¿½s hard for me, and a la mode for that matter, to tell you what is the best machine for you. After all, I think the greatest game in the world is soccer, but tell that to a baseball fan! The one thing we can tell you is that it will work on Tablets and UMPCs.

My suggestion is to take a good side by side comparison at both platforms. That can be a problem, since most computer stores donï¿½t carry these in stock. If you like sleek and sexy gadgets, then you are better suited for the smaller platform of the UMPC. If you prefer large text size and lots of room, then a Tablet is good for you. You also need to figure out if you prefer touch screens or active styluses. The Tablet will always be preferable to me over the UMPC, as I like the extra room, and I have a system that I can Bluetooth a keyboard to, and I have a basic laptop wherever I want.

We are all real careful to not try and steer any of you in any specific direction. The expense of these machines alone, make it a conversation that should be left in a pile with politics and religion: never discuss in public with your friends. That way your friends stay your friends. Whatever your choice in machines, I am rather sure the program will work better than any choice you will have.

All in all, I give the project a thumbs up. I am actually quite proud of what we are doing with it. I canï¿½t wait to see how it does grow and evolve, even after initial release. Where we start at is important as where we go, and it looks like we may just have done the first part right.

I canï¿½t wait to hear what you folks have to say, so as always, feel free to add your two cents. Not that any of you have held back before! See you next time.