My Top 5 Favorite Real Estate Ghouls… I Mean TOOLS

Trick or Treat?

I figure before I go and get all hopped up on the Halloween candy that I plan on stealing from my kids tonight, I will share a few “treats” with y’all (<- that one was for Lani …)

I LOVE tools that make my life, as a real estate agent, easier. (Heck! I love tools that make my life, as a HUMAN easier, too, so I read Lifehack for that…) Today I am going to share 5 of my favorite real estate tools that I have not shared with you before.

Tools for Getting Real Estate Business

#1 SnagIt – Screen Capturing Software:

One of my favorite things to do is make stuff. I like to put together tutorials and promotional materials for potential buyers and sellers. The one tool that makes my life a million times easier is Snag-It Screen Capturing Software (by TechSmith). With SnagIt I am able to grab screen shots from anywhere – online or off-line, edit them and save them for future use.

Cost: It has a FREE TRIAL or you can purchase it for a one-time cost of $49.95

#2 Xpert CMA – CMA Building Product

Finding a good CMA product has been a difficult mission for use since we started real estate back in 2001. Most ones that we have tried are either complete brain-damage to set up and/or do not offer all the elements that we are looking for. And usually it costs too much for too little.

We finally found Xpert CMA. It is a customizable program that uploads and formats your MLS data in a clear, precise and easy-to-understand way. The product is very easy to set up, and the tutorials, video support nad phone support are awesome. We also like the philosophies behind the software itself … It is designed to help your potential seller clients REALLY understand value and HOW recent SOLDS and ACTIVES play a part in determining price.

… and it is always a hit at our listing appointments.

Cost: $200 for a lifetime licence that can be installed on each of your computers at no additional charge

Real Estate Contract Tools

#3 CTM eContracts – Paperless Contracts

Ever since we started using eContracts, I just want to hurl myself off a mountain top whenever I get a hand-written offer (which isn’t good, seeing as I am surrounded by 14,000+ feet-above-sea-level mountains with very high peaks ...).

eContracts manage your dates and contacts, and update real-time for all parties involved. You can sign ALL the PPW online (although most signatures look like they were drawn by an ameture Etch-A-Sketch artist …) or, as an agent, you can upload a nicer version of your signature. (Unless you are Derek, in which case the Etch-A-Sketch version would be an upgrade…)

I can email the contracts to all parites involved: Buyers, Sellers, Agents, my Office, Title Company, Lenders … ALL with a simple click of a mouse.

Cost: We paid about $100 for the whole year, but I think prices vary depending on which office/state/board that you are affilliated with.

#4 eFax -Convenient Fax-to-Email Solution

I have saved a small rainforest by switching to eFax. AND? I don’t have to listen to that annoying fax-screetch anymore. eFax is a office solution that gives you a unique toll-free number that people can fax stuff to. From there, it converts it to a .PDF and sends it to your email as an attachment.

How I use eFax:

• Fax all loose ppw and notes from contracts to myself and store them on my computer
• Initiate the paperless process in all contracts by using “forward” in my email instead of fax and re-fax and re-fax and re-fax of all contracts, offers and disclosures. At least MY end of the process will be more Green.
• I fax everything to myself that I want to store virtually – to include kid’s report cards, letters, etc. I use it in place of a scanner in some cases.

This is an awesome tool. One of my favorite.

Cost: Somewhere between $14-$20 a month depending on volume

Real Estate Everything Tool

#5 Primo PDF – PDF Converter/Creator

I use this for everything. No one seems to have the same version of Word/Excel/Publisher/etc. as I do, and therefore cannot open half the documents that I like to send out (reports, flyers, marketing reports, tutorials …). When I send out something via email, non-PDF attachements are always so bulky, too.

Converting everything (or almost everything) into a .PDF is the answer for ALL my email woes (well, except for figuring out how to stop winning the European Lottery … I really should be a Gillionaire by now…) And Primo PDF is easy to install and use. It works just like a printer.

Cost: FREE (with some paid upgrades, if you wanted…)

Now, I have a lot of OTHER great tools that I use in my business, like Real Estate Shows (for listing shows), Jott (for “turning my words into action“) and Picnik (for editing and plying with pictures), but we all KNOW about those tools, right?

What tools to you use in YOUR business? Do you have alternatives to the above 5 tools?