OREA YPN

Four iPhone/iPad apps no REALTOR® should live without

There are now over 600,000 apps in the Apple App store and they have been downloaded over 25,000,000,000 times. I have sifted through the multitude to identify 4 apps that REALTORS® can use daily to improve and enhance their business experience.

1.  DropBox (free)

This app allows you to sync your files across multiple devices and backs them up with ease. After you download the app, you’ll need to set up an account.  A 2 GB account is free, and this is more than enough space to start. You then should install DropBox on your desktop, and any other devices with which you’ll want to be sharing files. When installed, it places a folder on your computer called ‘My DropBox’. You can treat this like any other folder on your computer. The main difference is that when you save a file in this folder, the file is automatically backed up on DropBox’s server and is also available through the DropBox app on your iPhone/iPad, or whichever other device on which you have installed DropBox. You can also share any of the folders in your DropBox with other DropBox users. This feature is extremely handy for REALTORS®, as you can now create a Client X folder for example, dump in all related files, and Client X can then access them.

2. PDF Expert ($9.99)

Not the cheapest, but it is the only PDF app you will need. It allows you to open PDFs, edit them, highlight sections, make notes, and save your changes. It even allows you to save handwritten notes on a PDF. This is great for when you’re out showing properties to a client. You download the PDFs of the listings you are going to see and save them in that client’s DropBox folder. Then during the showing, open the PDF using PDF Expert and hand the iPad to your client along with a stylus (pen for the iPad) and they can make their own handwritten notes on the PDF. You then save the document and the client can access it through the shared DropBox folder when they get home.

 

3. Genius Scan – PDF scanner ($2.99)

This app turns your iPhone or iPad into a pocket scanner. You can scan documents and email them as a jpeg or PDF. This comes in very handy if you are out late getting a deal signed and need to get it off to the cooperating broker. No longer do you need to rush into the office to use the scanner or fax machine.

4.  Open Home Pro ($3.99)

This app is used to check people into your open house. It makes it easy to capture and manage their contact information. The data can be easily exported into an Excel document so you can upload it into your CRM. And the best part is you just hand over your iPad and let people enter in their own info. No longer will you need to decipher hand-written contact details that can sometimes be difficult to read.

If you know of some other must-have apps we would love to hear from you. Please leave your suggestions in the comments below.

Brad Sage, OREA Guest Blogger


Leave a Reply