Jacqueline Kyo Thomas
As a new real estate agent, your first year is all about learning how to run a successful business. Fortunately, you don’t have to do it all alone— there’s an app for that. Multiple apps, actually.
In this post, we’ll share which tools you need to grow your real estate business, manage your clients, and become more productive.
Biteable
People prefer watching videos when given the choice, which makes video the future of real estate marketing. From property walkthroughs to client testimonials, video is a great way to connect. But if you’re not particularly gifted in video creation, use Biteable to create professional looking videos. Add your own text overlays, animations, color schemes, and b-roll footage with Biteable. Publish your HD TV quality videos directly to YouTube or Facebook.
Buffer
To stay top of mind as a real estate agent, you need to use social media. All the cool kids are doing it! But with all of the other tasks on your plate, finding time to post on social media can be a challenge.
Enter Buffer.
Buffer is a social media management tool that will help you stay active on social media (without being tethered to your computer or phone). Buffer allows you to schedule posts for Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and more. You can schedule posts ahead of time. For example, take one hour to create one week's worth of social media posts. Then queue up those posts in Buffer and they'll get sent out automatically at times that you've preset without you having to lift a finger.
CamScanner
With CamScanner, you can turn your smartphone into a scanner. Then, you can scan your real estate documents with this app and save them in the cloud. CamScanner allows you to share these scanned documents with your team, print them wirelessly, or fax to the appropriate destination. CamScanner also auto enhances the image quality of the scans for a high resolution, professional look.
Another benefit to using CamScanner is that your images can be converted to text files, thanks to OCR (optical character recognition) technology. You'll be able to search your scanned documents with keywords found from the text. How cool is that?
Canva
Because a big part of your job is marketing, you’ll spend a lot of your time creating postcards, flyers, brochures, and more. But you’re not a graphic designer, you’re a real estate agent.
Let Canva come to the rescue. Canva is an easy-to-use, drag-and-drop graphic design tool that enables you to create professional assets without a sweat.
DocuSign
With DocuSign, you can capture your clients' signatures electronically. This means faster deals, less paper, and no lost paperwork— because the signed documents are saved securely in the cloud.
Your clients can sign from anywhere (not just your office), which means that you can submit offers on the spot (from the property, from your car, etc.) You can also upload these documents directly to Google Drive or Dropbox (among others). All DocuSign electronic signatures are legally binding and as good as ink in any real estate transaction.
G Suite
G Suite is a no-brainer for any small business, and that includes yours. G Suite is Google's collection of cloud computing tools that includes Gmail, Google Docs, and Google Drive.
You're probably familiar with Gmail already. It's one of the most used email services available. This is important because Gmail seamlessly integrates with a lot of the other tools on this list, such as CRM tool Wise Agent.
By the way, you can also access a personalized email address (i.e. YourName@YourCompanyNameHere.com) through G Suite, too.
Google Docs allows you to create documents. Those documents are automatically saved in the cloud on Google Drive for easy access from anywhere with an internet connection.
Hootsuite
Hootsuite is similar to another social media management tool we’ve listed above. Like Buffer, you can use Hootsuite to schedule social media posts to Facebook, Twitter, et al. Hootsuite also allows you to track conversations and follow key influencers on social media. Without leaving Hootsuite, you can see what others are saying about you, your competitors, the real estate industry in general, and your local market specifically.
Which should you choose— Hootsuite or Buffer? Buffer is cheaper (the starter plan is free), but Hootsuite is more robust.
Hours Time Tracking
When you work for yourself, every second matters. If you want to see where you spend your time, use Hours. Hours allows you to time block (and color code) your day with an easy to use drag and drop tool. Be more productive by mapping out your daily schedule with this time tracking app.
MileIQ
When tax time comes, you want to take every deduction that’s due to you. Here’s where MileIQ shines. It’s a simple app that allows you to log your mileage.
It automatically tracks your driving in the background without you having to manually record it. You can also switch between personal and business drives with a swipe to keep tracking simple.
Even better, your MileIQ subscription is tax deductible.
Open Home Pro
If you plan on hosting an open house at any point during your career, you need Open Home Pro. This tool allows you to collect lead information without having to write it down yourself. Simply open up your tablet and invite a house hunter to enter their own contact details. (No need for you to put in any extra work). That's one less paper to keep up with.
Trello
Trello is the go-to app for task management. Use this tool to keep yourself (and your team) on track.
Trello allows you to create lists and visualize your tasks. Use these lists to manage your transactions and assign jobs (for example, create a checklist for your virtual assistant). As you complete each task, you’ll drag it from one list to the next (for example, from offer made to sold).
You can also upload images, add due dates, leave comments. Even better— Trello is all drag and drop, which makes it easy to update your lists.
Here's an example of Trello in action.
Waze
As a real estate agent, you’re always on the go. You need a good GPS tool. You need Waze.
Waze is a free GPS navigation app that you can download on your smartphone. It doesn’t just provide you with step-by-step driving directions. It also provides you with real-time traffic and road information.
For example, learn about traffic accidents as they happen. Users with Waze are constantly updating the app whenever there’s a traffic jam or road work— or police ahead. Because it’s updated in real time, this app will help you find the quickest route to your destination every time.
Wise Agent
CRM stands for customer relationship management. This tool allows you to manage your interactions with your clients so that you provide the best service possible. There are a lot of CRMs available, but Wise Agent is made specifically for real estate agents. For starters, Wise Agent is a powerful contact management tool and allows you to store a huge amount of client information, including addresses, birthdays, and even pet names.
In Wise Agent, you can create a call list to see who you need to contact each day. This CRM will also show you any notes that you've made about a client or prospect to refresh your memory so that you don't annoy the clients or waste your time with asking the same questions over again. Wise Agent's all-in-one solution also guides you through buyer or seller transactions with a pre-made checklist.
With any CRM that you choose, look for integrations with other tools on this list. Wise Agent integrates with Gmail, Revaluate, DocuSign, MailChimp, BoldLeads, Evernote, and more.
Additional Resources
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