Have you noticed something startling (and somewhat eerie) lately? Whether stopped at a red light or waiting in line at the bank, everyone seems to be staring at his or her smartphone. In what has felt like an overnight phenomenon, suddenly everyone and their grandmother is walking around with a handheld computer that no one seems to be able to take their eyes off of.

Smartphones and tablets (such as iPads) have drastically changed the way people get information and interact with each other. In a blink of an eye, nearly everything and anything we could ever need or want to know is now just a click away, regardless of whether you’re waiting for your coffee order or flying thousands of feet in the air.

Mobile is a big deal.There are now more than one billion smartphone users on the planet.

Already, more than half of local searches—the kind that matter to real estate professionals—are done on a mobile device. According to the National Association of Realtor, 90 percent of consumers now start their real estate journey on the internet.

Currently, only a third of advertisers have websites that are mobile optimized. That needs to change. Think responsive design. Think geo-fencing. Think small screens, big fingers, and failing eyesight.

Here are a few more statistics to consider:

• 64% of affluent app users say they view brands with mobile apps more favorably (Source: Luxury Institute, 2012).

• Mobile search will generate 27.8 billion more queries than desktop search by 2016 (Source: BIA/Kelsey report, 2012).

• According to the California Association of Realtor’s “2013 Survey of California Home Buyers,” more than 8 out of 10 homebuyers are accessing home information on their smartphones and computer tablets. That same survey found that 85 percent of buyers used a mobile device during the home buying process.

Expect over the next decade for the vast majority of the information on you, your services, your brokerage, your listing and your market to be consumed on a mobile device. Your emails, listings, websites, social media feeds, newsletters, and any other information you create, distribute, rely on, recommend or otherwise use as part of your business needs to be mobile-friendly.

Are you ready to say “goodbye desktop computer” and “hello mobile?”  Share your thoughts with us here.