Design and Implementation of Automated Estate Agent and Property Management System (E-Property)
Chapter One
AIM OF THE STUDY
The main aim is to develop software using a particular programming language known as Visual Basic 6.0 to the existing problem of my case study electronically and some of the way is to create this software.
Secondly, are to find, attract, and win new clients, nurture and retain those the agency already has, entice former clients back into the fold, and reduce the costs of managing the property market and client service.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURES
INTRODUCTION
In the course of writing this project work, Estate agent and property management system, numerous relevant materials were consulted to x-ray the general, acceptability of this research work. In a research of this nature, the work extensive of other authors and researchers alike, especially those whose work are cited because of their elaborate work carried out in their study, was not left aside because this research intends to generate information from the existing knowledge that has so far been gathered proving that estate agent and property management is a business strategy to select and manage the most valuable customer relationships in real estate business.
APPLICATION AREAS OF PROPERTY MANAGEMENT IN REAL ESTATE
HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY
In the hospitality industry a property management system also known as a PMS is a comprehensive software application used to automate hotel functions like guest bookings, online reservations, point of sale, telephone, accounts receivable, property management and property management, banquets, food and beverage costing, materials management, HR and payroll, maintenance management, quality management and other amenities. Hotel property management systems may interface with central reservation systems and revenue or yield management systems, front office, back office and point of sale systems.
There are many different types of property management systems available like OPERA and IDS NEXT, Amadeus, but a user/business will want to work with the different companies to determine which property management system best fits their needs.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Property Management Systems are used in local government since authorities hold and manage large property estates ranging from schools, leisure centres, social housing and parks not to mention investment properties such as shops and industrial estates – even pubs. All of these are necessary income earners for a local authority, so the efficiency gained through an automated, computerized system is essential.
MANUFACTURING AND LOGISTICS INDUSTRIES
Property management systems are used to manage, control and account for personal property. Property is defined as the equipment, tooling and physical capital assets that are acquired and used to build, repair and maintain end item deliverables. Property Management involves the processes, systems and manpower required to manage the life cycle of all acquired property as defined above including Acquisition, Control, Accountability, Maintenance, Utilization, and disposition.
PROSPECTS AND OVERVIEW OF PROPERTY MANAGEMENT IN REAL ESTATES
With so many properties foreclosing, and so many people displaced, it seems that there are more and more properties coming up for rent. Investors have scooped in and bought many of these homes with the goal of resale. But investors know that they will need to hold for a little while if they want to turn the property for a profit. In the interim time, many of these are becoming rental properties. Therefore the need has recently increased for good property management.
Many properties are being bought right now, but in many cases it is by buyers who do not necessarily live in the immediate area. Many buyers of the foreclosures and other investment properties need good property management because they cannot be near by to check on and properly service their rental properties. For many of the buyers, this is a buy and hold plan. Many bought the property because they knew it was a great deal, and they were able to take advantage of the low purchase prices. However, being a good business investor, it is plainly evident that it is not the time to sell, at all. So if the property is assigned to a good property management company then the investment can be properly maintained and the upkeep at a level that the property will be ready for the market when it bounces and back and becomes a seller’s market again.
Real estate management companies handle the calls about the different things that can go wrong with the property. This is great news since the seller is many times out of touch. If the client has a dishwasher, or toilet that overflows and causes an excess of water on the floor, many times the seller would not be able to race to the home. What could be a small problem with the property management company taking care of things immediately, could end up being devastating to the property and could lead to damages that went from a few hundreds of dollars to a few thousand dollars.
CHAPTER THREE
SYSTEM ANALYSIS AND DESIGN
INTRODUCTION
The analysis phase involves gathering requirements for the system. At this stage, business needs are studied with the intention of making business processes more efficient. The system analysis phase focuses on what the system will do in an effort that views all stakeholders, as viable sources of information. In the analysis phase, a significant amount of time is spent talking with stakeholders and reviewing the Estate agent and property management methods. Common stakeholders for property management projects are:
Once stakeholders have been recognized, the gathering and analysis of the requirements can begin. Requirement gathering must be related to business needs or opportunities. Requirement analysis involves capturing requirements and analyzing requirements. Capturing requirements is communicating with stakeholders to agree on what the requirements are. Analyzing requirements is using standard tools to produce a baseline of the requirements. Once the stakeholders concur on the requirements to aid Estate agent and property management methods, the baseline is created and becomes the formal requirement source.
Within this analysis phase, the analyst is discovering and finding facts along with meeting with stakeholders, the analyst must meet with end users to understand what the user’s needs are and to learn about problems that affect the current system in order to assist with designing a new and more efficient system. There are several activities that must occur within the analysis phase:
- Gather Information
- Define the new system’s requirements
- Build prototypes for the new system
- Prioritize requirements
- Evaluate alternatives
Meet with management to discuss new options
SYSTEM ANALYSIS
This is an important stage in the system development lifecycle. According to McNab (2004), system development with the identification and specification of both functional and non-functional requirements of the system. He said to achieve this objective, that there is need for analyst or researcher to use systematic approach to ensure that specification derived are accurate and the analysis process is carried out in a controlled manner.Analysis is the breaking down of a complex structure into smaller units so that an intensive detailed cross-examination can be effectively carried out on it.
Effiong E. E (2001) defined System analysis as the process of breaking down system (problems) into subsystem and their component parts so as to analyze on details the information needs of a user and thereafter develop the system requirements.”
System analysis therefore is the study of a business problem domain to recommend improvements and specify the business requirements for a solution. It is also the dissection of a system into pieces to study how they interact and work.
FEASIBILITY STUDY
Feasibility study aims to objectively and rationally uncover the strengths and weaknesses of the existing system, opportunities and threats as presented by the existing system, the resources required to carry through, and ultimately the prospects for success. In its simplest terms, the two criteria to judge feasibility are cost required and value to be attained. As such, a well-designed feasibility study should provide a historical background of the project, description of the product or service, accounting statements, details of the operations and management, Estate agent and property management research and policies, financial data, legal requirements and tax obligations. Generally, feasibility studies precede technical development and project implementation.
METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION
The researcher employed the following methods of data collection in writing this project:
- Interview
- Observation
- Questionnaire
- Record Inspection
Interview Method: In this type of data collection, a conversation is carried out with definite aim of obtaining certain information. It is designed to gather valid and reliable information through the response of the interview to planned sequence of question. This type of data collection method is a confrontation between two people either face to face or through a medium such as telephone. This method provides the research on-the-spot assessment of the interviewee and the chance of probing the respondents further so as to elicit further information.
Observation Method: This gives the privilege of witnessing the activities as it occurs in the natural setting. The system analyst watches the activity in progress under as study, documents the action observed and possibly participates in the work. It is used when the validity of data collection through other methods is in question or the complexity practices at sources are obtained in a fast and immediate mood. Hence, it was very difficult to follow complex processes or sit through long procedures
Questionnaire Methods: This is a method in which a form containing questions is sent to every member of the sample population to complete. Here, a questionnaire consists of a list of questions relating to the aims of studying and the hypothesis to be verified in his response. This type of data collection is used when the population is too large and the area to be covered is also very large.
CHAPTER FOUR
SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION
INTRODUCTION
System implementation covers a broad spectrum of activities from a detailed workflow analysis to the formal go-live of the new system. During system implementation Real Estate Organizations may refine the initial workflow analysis that had been completed as part of the requirements analysis phase. With the aid of the vendor, educational centers may also start mapping out the new proposed workflow.
The system implementation phase requires the vendor to play a very prominent role. In addition to the workflow analysis, full system testing is completed during this phase. Other key activities that would occur include piloting of the new system, the formal go-live, and the resolution of application issues during the post implementation period.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
SUMMARY
This project work has described the design and implementation of Estate agent and property management system that has applications in the Real Estate administration of the Organization. In theory, a context-based anomaly on Estate agent and property management system constructed as described in this research could offer a number of benefits to Real Estate Organizations whose property management methods are still not effective as it should be. Unfortunately, at this time, the system is far too underdeveloped to adequately judge. Several unexplored research topics remain, while other areas require further elaboration.
The biggest question, however, is determining what roles this system would play in the Estate agent and property management process. The most basic role would be discovering the methods of information processes within the Real Estate Organizations base. Deployed within Real Estate Organizations concerned with sensitive data, given a number of sensitive keywords this system could help store and capture Estate agent and property management information and monitor the reoccurring processes and detect when property levies are paid or not and also how the information entered into the system is managed for report generation.
CONCLUSION
Estate agent and property management software can benefit both the Real Estate Organization and her customers. They can improve customer and staff performance and suitability for promotion while at the same time helping to use technology more effectively. In addition, they can improve communications and the quality of working life of the estate personnel’s.
The following will help to ensure that Estate agent and property management system is both effective and successful:
- Real Estate process needs the commitment and support of all levels of management.
- Administrative Staff and representatives should be consulted before new Estate agent and property management methods are introduced.
- Estate agent and property management software should not be seen in isolation but should be closely linked with policies and practices in other areas, such as human resource planning, equal opportunities and training.
- Those responsible for manipulating the Estate agent and property management schemes should receive adequate training to enable them make objective assessments and to give them confidence in carrying out effective Real Estate activities.
Paperwork should be kept to a minimum and property management forms should be simply and clearly designed. Estate agent and property management system should be reviewed periodically to ensure they meet changing needs.
The introduction of a formal Real Estate system does not remove agent’s responsibilities for reviewing performance on a day-to-day basis.
RECOMMENDATION
There is need for a better understanding of Estate agent and property management methods so as to evaluate the significance of the impacts generated by property management challenges.
The proposed Estate agent and property management system could be used to identify customer respondents and provide information about the closest resources of Estate agent and property management response for customers and Real Estate personnel.
More funds should be provided by all stakeholders in the development and use of Estate agent and property management system models in the country. The adoption of the model developed in this research work and procurement of other Real Estate management models would serve as a basis for carrying out more research in the area of Estate agent and property management processes.
Real Estate Organizations should take adequate care during the implementation and maintenance of the system. This should be given proper consideration due to its importance for effective and efficient deployment and operation of the system by adopting parallel change-over procedure and applying the technique of preventive after the implementation, corrective maintenance should be done to fix it up.
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