Finding Realtor Tools can be a pain, but don’t worry, I have done the homework for you. In this post you will find a collection of the Best Tools specifically for Realtors…
The real estate profession is among the oldest and most traditional in America. The title “Realtor” is protected by law, and agents must pass a state licensing exam in order to practice. These agents (and their agents-in-training, the brokers) need the very best tools in order to make it all work. Over the past decade we’ve seen many promising options come and go, but we still wanted to compile a list of what we feel are the best tools for Realtors in 2016:
While Realtors are known to be great at what they do, being well-versed in the latest technology can be a struggle. Here are some of the best tools for realtors.
What are the best tools for Realtors? This is a question that I get from real estate brokers and agents all the time. The answer however, depends on your location, business model, and preferences. In this article, I’ll share my opinion of the tools that you should consider using post-haste.
You’ve probably heard that real estate agents are still doing their business the old-fashioned way. But this is not the case anymore. The internet has really changed things up for realtors, and it continues to improve day after day. Some of today’s best tools for realtors make the job much easier, and here’s why you should invest in them.
Here are the top 11 realtor tools successful real estate agents are using to make their work (and lives) easier in 2020:
1. HelloSign
Want to be able to close more real estate deals and in less time in 2020? Believe it or not, electronic signature tools can be a big help in achieving this goal. It can take a lot of time for a real estate agent to manually gather all the necessary signatures for closing documents. And if those real estate deals fall through, you’ve just wasted a lot of precious time. Using real estate agent tools like Hellosign will ensure this is not your problem in 2020. HelloSign is quickly becoming a favored electronic signature software among real estate agents in the business. It has built-in integration with DropBox and other useful apps as well as Sales Agreement templates.
2. Showing Suite
When planning for open houses, many agents struggle to organize notes, lockbox codes, and contacts. Showing Suite automates and integrates showing schedules as well as agent notes, feedback, videos, and pictures for each listing. This real estate agent tool syncs with Sentrilock and Supra eKey lockbox software. Having all the information in one place saves energy and time when preparing reports for sellers.
3. Mashvisor (Comparative Market Analysis Software)
Of course we were going to add Mashvisor on our list of the best real estate agent tools. That’s because Mashvisor is a unique comparative market analysis software (CMA) that automatically pulls real estate comps for any listing on the platform making CMA a breeze for real estate agents.
Related: Comparative Market Analysis: A Real Estate Agent’s Guide
Working with a real estate investor client? Well, this real estate agent tool also comes with an investment property calculator that will help you analyze property using metrics such as listing price, rental income, expenses, cash flow, cap rate, cash on cash return, and rental occupancy rate. You can then easily share the Property Analysis Report with your client to show them that you’ve found an investment property for sale with a high return on investment.
4. RealGeeks
RealGeeks is a customer relationship management (CRM) software that makes it easier to optimize follow up calls and emails for existing customers and online real estate leads. This CRM software comes in handy for effective engagement with customers, while helping you visualize their journey along the way.
5. RPR Mobile
Using RPR Mobile, real estate agents can access the Realtors Property Resource property database. This real estate agent tool provides data such as demographics, flood maps, and attendance zones. This makes it an easy and fast way to look up neighborhood and property information and submit branded reports to sellers and buyers on the go. You can even create ‘mini-reports’ for your new leads.
5. Free e-signature options
If you don’t want to pay for cloud-based e-signature services like Docusign and HelloSign, you may not know about the free versions for Mac or PC. It’s not as easy to figure out, but you can import your signature into Preview on Mac or Adobe Reader on PC and sign documents that way.
6. Doorsteps
Doorsteps allows you to nurture a buyer for months, answering their questions and more, since buyers take about 18 months to decide to buy a home or not.
7. Speaking Photo
Many real estate agents love using this app for presentations. You can easily take photos, then record audio on top of it. The possibilities are endless, but one application is to use it for a comparative marketing analysis. Use a photo from each comp and talk about why a new listing will be slightly more or less than the comp.
8. Google Drive
My personal favorite app for file storage, Google Drive seems to do it all. Use it to store and share photos of properties in the cloud. Since every Gmail user has a Google Drive account, it’s easy to share files with users since a lot of people have Gmail. You can also create documents, spreadsheets, and slides with it.
9. Dropbox
Use Dropbox’s convenient cloud storage to create shared folders between clients or other agents, send pictures, and more. You get 2GB of free storage but you can pay $9.99 a month for 100GB of storage.
10. Box
Similar to Dropbox and Google Drive, Box is another cloud storage option. 100GB of storage costs only $5 on Box, compared to $9.99 with Dropbox.
11. Evernote
Busy agent’s MUST stay organized in order to keep up with all of their client’s needs. Keep your tasks out of your mind and in endless amounts of notebooks. You could do one just for buyers, one just for sellers, and make a note for each client, for example. Evernote syncs between all of your devices that you have it installed on, so you’ll never leave a note behind.
12. Skitch
A free tool created by Evernote, Skitch allows you to mark up photos easily. For example, snap a quick photo of the sink you need fixed for a seller, draw circles and arrows to the problem areas, and shoot it over to a contractor.
13. Yesware
Use Yesware to track your emails. Instead of wondering if your client has received an email of yours or not, Yesware will let you know if they’ve opened it or clicked on a link you sent. You can track 100 emails a month for free. Use the paid version for sending mass marketing emails, so you can track open rates and tweak your subject lines.
14. Curb Call
Get a notification from a buyer wanting to see a place right away. Agents can select that they’re available to show nearby homes, and if a buyer wants to see something near you right away, you’ll receive a notification. Curb Call has significant safety benefits as well. Your brokerage will always know where you are, and you can hit a big red “Panic” button if you ever feel threatened to notify your broker and emergency contact.
15. My Maps by Google
There’s no such thing as over-communicating with clients, and you can use custom Google Maps to communicate various locations to clients. For example, the day before you head out on a showing spree with buyers, do a good job at setting expectations and drop a pin at all the addresses you plan on visiting.
16. Slydial
When you don’t have time for chitchat, but need to explain something to a client in detail, skip straight to voicemail by using Slydial.
17. CamScanner
CamScanner is a free app that converts photos of documents from your smartphone to PDF’s. There is a free version that most people believe fits their needs and paid versions. Of course the paid version of $4.99 a month come with more features like creating docs with password protection, auto uploading straight to services like Dropbox, and setting expiration dates for doc links.
18. Placester
Create custom real estate websites for yourself or your team for as low as just $10 a month. Placester’s websites are very modern looking, responsive, allow you to blog easily, and help you capture leads.
19. Virtual Staging Solutions
An empty room isn’t attractive to buyers. Fill up a room with virtual objects like couches, tables, chairs, and decor to let buyers imagine what a property would really be like when they move in. Virtual Staging Solutions costs a decent amount of money, at $225 for 3 photos. But it could be a better solution than paying a lot for a staging company.
20. Vidcaboodle
If you’re an agent that loves to put videos on YouTube, whether it be listings, testimonials, or selling tips, Vidcaboodle helps you organize all of those videos into categories on a nice looking channel page.
21. DotLoop
- Price: Plans for individual agents start at $29/month. There’s no standard pricing, and all other plan levels require a consultation, followed by an individualized quote.
- What It Does: Dotloop is an end-to-end real estate transaction management software program. It consolidates storage, compliance, digital signatures, and form editing onto one intuitive platform.
- Why You’ll Love It: Katarivas says she relies extensively on DotLoop. “Dotloop is an online workspace that connects everyone and everything needed to complete a real estate transaction in one place,” she says. “It allows you and your agents to edit, complete, sign, and share documents without ever needing to print, fax, or email.”
22. Qualia
- Price: Value Plan, $3,599 yearly | Professional Plan, $7,999 yearly | Premium Plan, $19,999 yearly
- What It Does: Qualia is a cloud-based all-in-one real estate closing management platform. It streamlines transactions and provides real-time updates on closings for buyers and sellers via web and mobile apps. With a Qualia account you can manage, pay, and reconcile vendor transactions in one place. Surveys and lien searches are also integrated into your account.
- Why You’ll Love It: According to Scalzo, Qualia is the easiest way to track your entire real estate closing timeline with all your contacts, communications, and deadlines in one place. “Being able to partner with a title company that closes with Qualia tells me that they’re looking to do tech-forward things that streamline the entire sales process, especially the contract-to-close process,” Scalzo says. “The platform is seamless, user-friendly, and helps everyone know where they’re at in the transaction.”
Conclusion
With Realtor.com one of the top real estate search engines online, you need to know how to be found in order to get more leads, and ultimately close more sales. The best way to do this is by utilizing the most current and powerful tools for Real Estate Agents
The benefits of using technology to promote your real estate business are overwhelming. The availability of powerful, affordable software has enabled agents to remain competitive in this highly saturated marketplace.