Perhaps the most important software tool that enables the Internet is the one that\u2019s also taken for granted: your Internet browser. For years, real estate agents\u2019 favorite browser has been Internet Explorer from Microsoft. Unless you were a Mac user, when you bought your PC, Internet Explorer was automatically your browser and the vast majority of agents simply never switched. Additionally, many MLSs were only compatible with Internet Explorer, adding to many agents\u2019 reliance on IE.<\/p>\n Even with the sun setting of support for Internet Explorer\u2019s older versions and IE 11 being replaced by Edge as the Windows 10 default browser, agents have been tentative to switch to a different browser. According to the NAR REALTOR\u00a0Technology Survey, while the use of Internet Explorer dropped from 50 percent to 38 in the most recent survey, it was still the number one browser for agents, with Google\u2019s Chrome coming in at 32 percent, Firefox at 16 and Apple\u2019s Safari at 9 percent. However, among the American public, Chrome is the most popular browser, according to a 2015 Federal Government report<\/a>.<\/p>\n But the Internet is changing so fast that if you are still using Internet Explorer, especially an older version, you should ask yourself, \u201cis it time to switch?\u201d<\/p>\n What might be wrong with an outdated browser?<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s Riskier It\u2019s less stable It\u2019s slowing you down It\u2019s no longer supported New security requirements may lock you out A hacker could take control It\u2019s frustrating you How do you upgrade to a modern browser? A word of caution Do not fear the upgrade Discover a safer, faster, smarter and an overall more fulfilling web experience. With a modern browser, you\u2019ll wonder why you\u2019ve been waiting so long. You\u2019ll be happy, your company will be happy, and real estate software developers everywhere will be very happy as well!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The real estate industry today is Internet dependent. Agent and company websites, company intranets, MLS access, and back office systems all require agents and brokers to go online to manage these resources. So must the American homebuyer too, as more than 90% of all real estate home searches begin online. Perhaps the most important software […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1401,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_expiration-date-status":"","_expiration-date":0,"_expiration-date-type":"","_expiration-date-categories":[],"_expiration-date-options":[]},"categories":[9,59,61],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.myewm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37736"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.myewm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.myewm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.myewm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1401"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.myewm.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=37736"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.myewm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37736\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.myewm.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=37736"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.myewm.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=37736"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.myewm.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=37736"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Browser](\"http:\/\/www.formsimplicity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/Browser-Blog-5_3_161.jpg\")
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\nThe real estate industry today is Internet dependent. Agent and company websites, company intranets, MLS access, and back office systems all require agents and brokers to go online to manage these resources. So must the American homebuyer too, as more than 90% of all real estate home searches begin online.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>An old browser makes your computer more vulnerable. Internet Explorer versions 10 and older no longer receive security updates and that puts you at increased risk. An outdated browser can allow malicious websites to read your files and even damage them. Your passwords are more likely to be stolen with an old browser, and your computer is more likely to be infected by a virus. For example, if you are using Internet Explorer 6, you are exposed to more than 450 known vulnerabilities, according to Microsoft. IE 11, however, includes improved security features and will continue to receive security updates until 2023.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Did you know that a computer using an older browser is more likely to crash? Old browsers can be in conflict with new software programs you install, and they also may not be able to read and display a website properly. The result is you will have pages render improperly as an old browser can\u2019t display everything on certain webpages.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Old browsers simply are not as fast as modern browsers. One immediate benefit agents see when they update to a modern browser is faster loading web pages. Older browsers get bogged down trying to do too many things at once, as they were not designed to handle the new websites you need to access. Although IE 11 has received many improvements over its underperforming predecessors, IE11 still doesn\u2019t compare to the speed of Chrome or Firefox.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>As I mentioned earlier, Microsoft is no longer supporting Internet Explorer 8, 9, and 10. Microsoft is investing more of its time on their new browser, Edge. They even promote Edge on their \u201cEnd of Support for Internet Explorer\u201d page on their website. If you are using Internet Explorer 10 or an earlier version, no one will force you to upgrade, but you should because these browsers won\u2019t receive the newest security fixes.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Beginning July 1, if you are not using a modern browser, then your browser is not secure enough to access certain websites<\/a>. Essentially, your old browser may lock you out from accessing parts of the Internet<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Believe it or not, having an old browser could allow a hacker to gain access to your computer and take control, just by accidentally visiting the wrong website! An outdated browser also could allow a hacker to gain access to your personal information and make it public. Worse-case scenario: they can gain access to even your credit card information.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>You may not even realize it, because you have become so accustomed to your old browser, but it is giving you a pretty lousy Internet experience. Software developers try to make their software work on as many browsers and as many versions of these browsers as possible. But it is nearly impossible for any software developer to create a program that works on all versions of every browser. It\u2019s also a Catch-22 for developers: They want to give you the best real estate technology experience, but if you are using an old browser, they can\u2019t. Without a modern browser, you have a frustrating experience, as the new features these developers want you to use just don\u2019t work with an old browser.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The good news is that changing to a modern browser has never been easier. The best options for agents \u2013 the ones that are supported by the majority of software developers \u2013 are the latest versions of Chrome, Edge, Firefox, IE 11 and Safari. The installation process is fast and easy, and the problems that plagued upgrading in the past are no longer issues; the installation process is more intuitive than ever, looking to mirror what you like best about your old browser.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>One word of caution: even though there are many concerns about older browsers, I also must warn you about using one the newest browsers. Edge does not fully support extensions, but Microsoft is working on this. If you are an Edge user, and this affects you, watch for updates from Microsoft that will address this problem.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Some agents have been avoiding updating their browsers because they have their old browser \u201cbookmarked\u201d with shortcuts to their favorite websites. Years ago, when one upgraded to a new browser, moving their bookmarks could be a painstaking task \u2013 and for many users, the process was too complicated. That\u2019s no longer the case; \u00a0with modern browsers like the leading ones \u2013 Chrome and Edge and for Mac users, Safari from Apple \u2013 when you install your modern browser, it will often prompt you to automatically import your bookmarks and all other key settings into your new browser from your old one.<\/p>\n