The Best 2012 Tech Tips for Realtors
Thursday, November 15th, 2012
By Bryon Howard
Image courtesy of jannoon028 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
As a break from my usual blog posts, I thought I’d have a little fun and share with you a few tech tips for realtors that have worked for me.
Tech gadgets like smartphones, laptops, and tablets are fairly common nowadays, and I find these devices a big help in decluttering and organizing. Among the electronic solutions that I have at my fingertips, I consider Dropbox, Skitch, and Wunderlist the most indispensable.
1. Dropbox – Get yourself a Dropbox account. That’s probably one of the best tech tips for realtors I can give you. Realtors are always sharing PDF files, photos, and videos of the properties they represent, so having a Dropbox account—where you can save your files online and access them from anywhere and any device—is a real convenience. Just download the Dropbox software to your smartphone, tablet, or laptop, and move your files there, and the program takes care of backing up your files online. If your needs are simple, you can do with a 2-gigabyte Dropbox account, which is free, but you’ll have to pay a monthly fee for anything more than 100 gigabytes.
2. Skitch – A recent discovery of mine is a screen capture app called Skitch. It’s one of my secret tech tips for realtors. Skitch lets you insert text and additional images to a picture. It usually comes in handy when I need to give map directions to a client or point out certain features of a property. With Skitch, I can insert arrows, encircle areas, and annotate on a photo. What’s more, it’s free and lets you sync to different devices.
3. Wunderlist – While I still carry around a little notepad for my to-dos and reminders, I’ve found a good alternative for when I run out of paper: Wunderlist. Probably one of the best tech tips for realtors is to get the Wunderlist on their phones. This free app lets you jot down lists and set schedules and reminders, and the best part about it is, you can mark off the tasks you complete, the way you would on paper. I like how I can customize the app’s appearance and sync my tasks to other devices like a laptop or a tablet. This way, I’m always on top of everything that needs to be done.
The great thing about devices and tech in general is that it is a fun way to stay organized. I’m the sort, however, who enjoys fiddling with devices and apps so our mileage can differ. Still, it’s great to maximize and explore your devices and I tend to discover something useful that I can apply in real estate. In any case, I hope you enjoyed these tech tips for realtors, and I hope this little post encouraged you to take a second look at those apps and devices you have with you.
Know someone who is looking to make a decision in real estate? If you know any friends, family, or co-workers who are looking to buy, sell, or invest in real estate within the next six months, would you forward this email to them or reply with their contact information? I’ll send them important information about the Calgary, AB surrounding area real estate market and politely ask for their business. I greatly appreciate your valued referrals; it’s the only way I build my business.
Free Market Report on value of your home: www.CalgaryMarketSnapShot.com
Bryon Howard is a top producing real estate agent with Re-Max House of Real Estate in Calgary, Alberta. He is in love with his high school sweetheart, an enthusiastic Dad & is crazy about endurance sports. To learn more about Bryon and his real estate tips, head on over to his website
