Mobile Article Number Three – Mobile Apps that are Great Sales Tools for Realtors®

Most people now have smart phones or tablets. Realtors® have come to rely on their smart phones as veritable mobile offices. Mobile apps have proven to present incredible opportunity to Realtors® when it comes to attracting and working with buyers and sellers. There are a number of mobile apps available to Realtors® that can be used as sales tools when landing a new client and then when selling their home or helping them buy another.

A great example of this is Tour Narrator. This is an app that you can use to help your clients capture feedback on properties that you show them. The app records audio commentaries and,  , organizes photos and notes that can be reviewed later. Like Tour Narrator, the Agent Feedback app allows you to keep sellers up-to-date on feedback from visitors who attend an open house.

Realtor Magazine released an article about the apps that Realtors® used most in 2012 and here are some of the apps reviewed that are great sales tools:

1.      Sawbuck Realty offers an app called Home Snap. Using Home Snap you simply snap a picture of a home that is for sale. The service will then retrieve local MLS information about the property including price, size, information on the last sales price and also photos of the property. Once you have snapped a property the app will alert you if there has been a change in the price of the property. This is a great tool when you are on the road with clients showing properties. This is also a free app.

2.      Wahsoft offers an app called Open House Manager. This app enables you to manage your open houses, gather and store contact and other information about visitors and then follow up with them afterwards. This way you don’t lose track of any sales opportunities. This is a free app and is available on Apple devices.

3.      The Realtor.com app provides you with access to a large database of real estate listings. This is a free app that is available to Apple, Android and Windows users. This is another valuable tool when taking a client to look at properties and also when working with a new client on a listing where the listing price needs to be determined.

4.      Sensopia offers a free app that enables you to create floor plans with ease. You can then export them as JPEGs or PDF documents. While the app is free, there is a charge to export and share files. Another great sales tool, especially for open houses.

5.      Top Producer Systems offers a mobile app that connects to their contact management and marketing system. Users can access their data, edit information and manage tasks. This app is available on Apple, Android and Blackberry devices but involves cost and commitment.

It should also be said that social apps like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are important to have on your mobile devices to keep you connected to prospects and so that you can quickly announce new listings and open houses to your networks. Mobile apps help you have a more dynamic interaction with your clients when out in the field and are definitely something all Realtors® should take advantage of. How do you use mobile apps to cut down on paper and improve your workflow?

If you are a Realtor® who would like more information about how you can use technology to learn more about properties please visit www.geowarehouse.ca or call 1-866-237-5937.

Mobile Article Number Two – Mobile Apps that Help Realtors® Manage Workflow and Paperwork On the Go

A big aspect of your job as a Realtor® is managing paperwork. Whether you are representing a buyer or seller, if a deal is to take place there will be documents that will have to be signed, often on the go when you are not in your office. The more efficient you are at managing your time the more you will be able to produce.

Realtor Magazine released its list of the top mobile apps used by Realtors® in 2012 so we decided to take this opportunity to highlight some of the ones that can help you manage workflow and paperwork on the go.

1.      INTSIG Information Co. offers an app called CamScanner/CamCard which is a free app and available on iOS and Android. This app turns your smart phone into a portable document scanner. You can scan documents and save them to PDF. This app can be used to scan documents, receipts, notes and more… When using this app to scan a business card it will automatically sync the data to your contact list on your phone and some email accounts.

2.      Dropbox is a free app that is available on iPhone, Android and Blackberry devices. Dropbox enables you to store and share your documents in the cloud. You can then access documents on your mobile computer or mobile devices. You can also share your Dropbox folders with others and collaborate on documents. The Dropbox mobile app enables you to retrieve, edit and share documents, videos, photos and other files. While Dropbox is free, there are restrictions. If you require more than 2GB of storage you will have to upgrade to a paid account.

3.      Agent Alarm – This app was created as a way to enable Realtors® to be more secure when they are on the road. It provides the ability for you to keep others informed of your location, what you are doing, and how long you expect to be. It can issue an emergency alert and advise others who need to be contacted in the event of an emergency. This is not a free app.

4.    DocuSign for Mobile is an app that allows users to digitally sign, send and track documents securely from their mobile devices (currently available on iOS and Windows 7). The DocuSign app is free, however the real estate edition has a subscription fee.

5.      An alternate to Dropbox that many Realtors® are using is ZipLogix’s ZipForms app. This app is available on Apple, Blackberry and Android devices. This app enables users to create documents, formats, distribute documents, edit documents and more. Users who have touchscreens can also sign documents, and all information entered into the ZipForms app can be accessed online through the user’s ZipForms account. This is not a free app.

Another app that is very popular that was not mentioned in the Realtor Magazine article is the PDF Handler app. This app is very useful for handling and managing PDF documents.

Using mobile apps and making the most of your smart phone is an excellent way to maximize all of the resources available to you. Staying competitive means being agile and ahead of the curve and using mobile apps effectively can give you an extra edge.

If you are a Realtor® who would like more information about how you can use technology to learn more about properties please visit www.geowarehouse.ca or call 1-866-237-5937.

Mobile Article Number One – How Are Realtors® Using Mobile Apps?

As a Realtor® you are on the go all of the time. From your office, to your car, to visiting clients, to showing properties, to open houses, etc… Technology has made getting the job done so much easier and Realtors® have come to rely on their smart phones the same way they do their computers. Smart phones and tablets provide us with an incredible ability to do more when on the go.

Mobile apps are your gateway to mobile freedom. The mobile apps that you use can make doing business on the go a snap. So how are Realtors® (your colleagues) using mobile apps? Well, we have taken a moment to categorize them into groups:

Transportation planning/time management – When you are on the road and managing a busy schedule, time is everything. Getting from one point to another quickly is crucial. There are a number of apps that can not only direct you to a particular property but can also provide you with up- to- the- minute traffic information so that you can avoid delays. Some examples of these apps include traffic monitoring apps and, in large cities like Toronto, parking apps and traffic cam apps.

Traffic/transit apps – When showing a property it is important to be able to show buyers the main traffic arteries and transit information and more and more Realtors® are turning to tablets like iPads to manage their open houses and showings. There are a number of traffic and transit apps that Realtors® access to highlight this information.

Improving accessibility/connectivity to clients and partners – Many Realtors® are taking advantage of apps including social apps to improve accessibility and connectivity to both clients and business partners. 

Improving work flow – More and more Realtors® are turning to apps to improve workflow, starting with embracing the cloud. You can store documents online in the cloud using iCloud (Apple users), Skydrive (Microsoft users) and Dropbox, all of which offer mobile apps which make accessing and sharing your documents on the go a breeze. There are other apps you can use to manage PDFs or scan and organize documents – all of which make it easier to manage your mobile office.

Accessing data – There are a number of apps that you can use on the go to gather different data about a property or a neighbourhood. It is very important before using one of these apps to do your due diligence and validate where the data comes from and how accurate it is.

Improving the sales process – There are apps that enable you to give digital tours of properties on your tablet or smart phone, create floor plans, highlight property and neighbourhood attributes and more…

Servicing your clients’ financial needs – A big part of closing a deal is helping your clients estimate mortgage payments, down  payments, closing costs, etc… There are financial apps that estimate closing costs like land transfer taxes and even rebates (first time homebuyer for example) as well as mortgage calculators that can calculate the maximum mortgage a client can qualify for based on their income and expenses as well as estimate mortgage payments.

As you can see there are many different types of mobile apps that you can take advantage of to become even more efficient. How do you use your mobile apps?

If you are a Realtor® who would like more information about how you can use technology to learn more about properties please visit www.geowarehouse.ca or call 1-866-237-5937.

 

Attn. Realtors®: 3 Real Estate Tools That You Need to Know About

As a Realtor® you know that the more information you have on your listing, or properties that you are presenting to prospective buyers, the better. More knowledge enables you to close deals faster. It provides your clients with security knowing that they have made the right decision in choosing you. This is why the real estate tools that you use, such as GeoWarehouse, are so important.

There are 3 real estate products available through the GeoWarehouse Store that are great for researching or finding out more about a property.

1.      Aerial Imagery

o   Accessing aerial imagery of a property and surrounding property is an excellent tool when representing a buyer or seller. When representing a seller it can be used to highlight parks, amenities and other features around the property. This is especially helpful, in inclement weather (winter for example) where it can be used to highlight features about a property that are otherwise difficult to view.

o   When representing a buyer it can be used to identify positive and negative attributes about a potential property. Aerial imagery can reveal structures and their proximity to the subject property, such as railways, highways, parklands and a host of other valuable information. Presenting your clients with aerial imagery when considering a property provides them with more information; this helps them to make a more informed decision while enhancing your service.

2.      MPAC Assessment Data

MPAC assessment data enables you to access information about a particular property, such as the municipal property address, with ease. This is invaluable especially when you are working on a deal where there is missing information. This data can be accessed through GeoWarehouse in the GeoWarehouse Store.

o   The Level 1 Residential Detailed Report and Level 2 Residential Detailed Report both validate: property address, municipality, current value assessment, property type, site area and unit of measure, year built, zoning, last valid sale date, last valid sale amount, heating type, air conditioning, basement total area, basement finished area, garage type, garage spaces and more…

o   The AVM Basic Residential Report, AVM Enhanced Residential Report and AVM Comparable Report all provide an automated estimated value of a subject property.

3.      Plan Images

Plan images, such as reference plans, subdivision plans and condominium plans, can be obtained in GeoWarehouse through the GeoWarehouse Store. Plan images can be used to quickly view a graphical representation of a property’s boundaries and location.

Using these 3 real estate products you can quickly identify and access missing information, see more when researching or investigating a property, validate information provided to you by a client or by another agent and more... When you meet with your clients you will be armed with all of the information necessary to help them achieve their goal.

For more information about aerial imagery, MPAC Assessment Reports, plan images and/or GeoWarehouse please visit www.geowarehouse.ca or call 1-866-237-5937.