Technology tools to help boost your real estate business. Presented at the Northwest Montana Association of REALTORS, February 1, 2013.

1. Tech Tools
To Boost Your Business
Maura Neill
ABR, CRS, CDPE, e-PRO, REALTOR®
about.me/mauraneill

2. On Twitter?
Tweet live during this class!
@MauraNeill
@LARealtorsAssn
#lrconvention

3. Socialnomics 2013 Video
http://bit.ly/Vssf60

4. 1
billion
strong on Facebook

7. Taking Your Business Mobile

8. Technology Self-Assessment
• Page 1 of your handout
• Take 3 minutes to complete your self-
assessment
• Don’t forget the NOTE section for each
item
Photo credit: “Man With Technology in Hand” by chainat on freedigitalphotos.net

9. Why Mobile?
• 91% of all U.S. citizens have their mobile
device within reach 24/7.
• 70% of all mobile searches result in
action within 1 hour.
• It takes 90 minutes for the average
person to respond to an email. It
takes 90 seconds for the average person
to respond to a text message.
Source: http://mymobilepeek.com/mobile-statistics/

10. Internet Usage to Search for Homes
Source: NAR 2012 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers

11. Comparison: 2011 vs. 2012
Source: Nielsen

12. “In March 2012 smartphones were in
use by 50.4 percent of consumers in
the country.”
Source: TechCrunch.com - goo.gl/UojQB
Photo credit: “an evening playing 'smartphone' pub quiz with the exeter twitterati! ” by philcampbell on Flickr.com

13. U.S. Growth in
Tablet Ownership
Source: http://kpcb.com/insights/2012-internet-trends

14. “… more homes now viewed via Zillow
on a mobile device than on a desktop.
In July, 168 million homes were viewed
on Zillow via a mobile device…
…that’s 63 homes per second.”
Source: Zillow Blog, August 7, 2012

15. Going Mobile Requires
the Right Tools
• Do you have the
right tools?
• What’s in your
toolshed?
• What do you
need to add to
your tools?
Photo credit: “Tool Shed” by beinfang on Flickr.com

16. What Tools Do You Need?
• Laptop
• Smartphone
• Tablet
• 3G and/or Mifi
• Stylus
• Power cords (DC-adapter/car compatible)
• The right apps (stay tuned for Section 2)

17. In My Toolshed
Photo credits: “Macintosh Macbook – Apple MacBook Pro” by Mac Users Guide / “iPad with Dandelion by jaredearle /
“MiFi2352” by abulhussain / “CreativeTools.se – Packshot Creator” by creative_tools – all on Flickr.com

18. Your SmartPhone/Tablet Should
• Serve as your “Swiss Army
Knife” gadget
• Combine multiple
applications that can
work simultaneously
• Allow you to work in the
Cloud
• Improve your life – and
your clients’ experience

19. 3G or WiFi?
Can you get online
anywhere…?
…or do you have
to find a location
with WiFi?
Photo credit: “iPad with Dandelion by jaredearle on Flickr.com

20. MiFi
• Device is now FREE!
• About $50 a month
• Be online anywhere

21. Stay Juiced!
i.Sound Portable Power Max 8,000 or 16,000
mAh for iPod, iPad, iPad 2, iPhone, Droid,
Blackberry
~ $80 - $130
www.iSound.net

22. Stay Juiced!
Mophie Juice Pack for iPhone (3G/GS, 4/4S,
iPod Touch, iPad)
~ $60 - $100
Also battery packs, like iSound
www.mophie.com

23. Cool Tool: Apple TV
• Mirrors your iPad or
iPhone onto your
TV
• In-office listing
presentations apple.com/appletv
• How else could you
use it?

24. Assess Your Mobile Tools
p
• What tools do you already have?
• What other tools do you need to
meet your mobile goals?
• What will they cost?
• What is your budget?

25. How Much Mobile
is Right For You?
• How comfortable are you with:
– going mobile?
– going paperless?
– incorporating apps & technology into
your business?
• What is your typical clients’
technology skill set? How well will they
adapt?
• Does it fit your business plan/goals?

26. Assess Your Learning Curve
p
• With which tools are you already
familiar?
• How willing are you to make time to
learn the best way to use new apps/
mobile solutions?
• Can you commit to mastering one
per month?

27. Your Mobile Client

28. Smartphones
and Apps
NAR says 45% of
REALTORS® use an
email enabled phone
60-80% of Consumers work
with the first agent who
responds to them

29. Your Clients are More Mobile
Than You Think
• They’re surfing
the web.
• They love Zillow.
• They’re finding properties before
you are.
• They don’t just want information
quickly – they want it now.
Photo credit: “Girl with iPhone” by andrewstclair on Flickr.com

30. Assess Your Clients
p
• What are their favorite apps?
• How are they using them?
• Are they comfortable with concepts
such as e-signing documents and
using Skype for consultations?
• Do you know enough to educate?

31. Set Your Clients’ Expectations
• What is your role in the transaction?
– It IS NOT to find them a house.
Information is everywhere – they can
find their own house.
– It IS to negotiate on their behalf and to
advise and counsel them.
• Make them your partner in the deal.
• Make it about sharing information.

32. Set Your Clients’ Expectations
p
• Develop a script for your initial
consultation that outlines your role
(and theirs) in their househunt.
• Enlist them as a partner in the
transaction – your job is not to find
them a house; your job is to
negotiate on their behalf.

33. Points to Consider
For your script:
• Remind your clients that information is
everywhere – accessible by them as
much as you
• Put value on your market knowledge
and negotiation skills

34. The Anatomy of a Mobile Office
a.k.a. Your Car

35. Tour of Brian Copeland’s
“Buy-Fi’ Vehicle

36. Prep Your Car
• Washed and detailed – inside & out
• Long day? Pack snacks and a cooler
• Kids along? Entertain them (iPad,
coloring books, toys)
• Client tools
– Old school: maps, school reports, listing
sheets
– New school: client iPad, useful apps

37. The Cloud

38. What is the Cloud?
• Network of online, secure workspaces
• Allows you to share files, collaborate
on ideas, manage products, organize
virtual meetings
• In short, the Cloud enables you to be
a REALTOR® on the go

39. How the Cloud Helps You
• Paperless office – file storage is online
• File sharing – send documents/share
folders easily
• Collaborate on documents – share
ideas and create documents
• Free up memory on your
laptop/tablet

40. Do You Need The Cloud?
Scenario: You’re working in a coffee shop and
the woman walking by stumbles, spilling her
coffee all over your laptop. What is your
reaction?
A. You’re devastated. All of your data is gone.
B. You panic: now you have to find all those
thumb drives where you backed up your
data.
C. You’re slightly annoyed at the unexpected
loss of your machine, but you have secured
your data remotely and can pick up your
work where you left off once you get home
to your desktop computer.

41. 5 Basic Mobile Needs
Storage e-Signature
Document Prep
Social Real Estate

42. Document Storage
• Dropbox
• Google Drive
• Box.net
• Sugar Sync
• Store files for access & sharing anywhere,
anytime
• Mobile app on your smartphone/tablet
• Store any type of file

43. Dropbox
FREE/paid at $9.99+/mo

44. Dropbox Pricing

45. Dropbox:
Storage Solution
• Always have your files with you, no
matter where you are
• Share your documents easily, via
email
• Create folders for easy organization
and navigation
• Save email attachments straight to
your Dropbox, from your computer,
phone or iPad/tablet

46. Dropbox
Sample: My
Listings Folder

47. E-Signature
• SignMyPad
• Docusign Ink
• Paid transaction management options,
such as Docusign & Dotloop
• Sign directly on your iPad or with the
click of your mouse
• Mobile app on your smartphone/tablet
• Create, tag, modify documents for
signature

48. SignMyPad
$3.99

49. SignMyPad:
e-Signature Solution
• Easy loading of PDFs from your email or
Dropbox
• Add signature to the PDF
• Email signed PDF
• Save signed PDF to your DropBox
• Store 1 signature, with option to
purchase up to 19 more
• Print from iPad to a compatible AirPrint
printer

50. SignMyPad:
e-Signature Solution
Sign with your
fingertip
*OR*
Get an iPad stylus
(inexpensive!)

51. Social Media
• Hootsuite
• Tweetdeck
• Easily replace individual apps for each
platform
• Mobile app on your smartphone/tablet
• Sync your various profiles for one-stop
updating

52. Hootsuite for Twitter
FREE

53. Hootsuite for Twitter:
Social Solution
• Interfaces with Facebook, Twitter,
Foursquare, and LinkedIn – up to 5
profiles with free account
• Manage your Facebook personal
profile and business page, as well as
your Twitter account from 1 app
• Schedule tweets/updates to go live
later
• Puts your social on the road with you

54. Real Estate
• REALTOR.com
• Zillow
• Trulia
• See what your clients are seeing by using
the apps they’re using
• Mobile app on your smartphone/tablet

55. Realtor.com
FREE

56. Realtor.com:
Real Estate Solution
• The most accurate and up-to-date real
estate listings in the U.S., updated every
15 minutes
• Show homes for sale, for rent, or recently
sold in any city or in your current location
on a map instantly
• Multiple photos, property details, open
house information and pricing on nearly
any home for sale
• Share listings via email or social networks

57. Zillow / Trulia

58. Zillow/Trulia:
Real Estate Solution
• Many of the same features as
REALTOR.com
• The difference? This is what your clients
are using
• Prepares you to see what they see and
educate them about the shortcomings

59. Document Prep
• PDF Expert
• iAnnotate
• Both are pricier apps (as apps go) -
$9.99 (but it’s a one-time fee)
• Never print out documents again!

60. PDF Expert
$9.99

61. PDF Expert:
Document Prep Solution
• Highlight text
• Fill in forms
• Rotate individual pages
• Change page order
• Create notes (like, “Sign here!”)
• Email, share, edit, and password
protect files

62. Gmail?

63. Gmail Account Activity Reports

64. Gmail Account Activity Reports

65. Gmail Account Activity Reports

66. Boomerang for Gmail

67. Boomerang for Gmail

68. Voicemail Technology

69. Voicemail Technology
• Screen calls as they come in
• Get a transcribed record of each
voicemail – visual record
• Archive VMs and texts
• Email VM files
• Apps to try:
– Google Voice
– YouMail

70. YouMail

71. Google Voice

72. Slydial
Sends your calls straight
to the recipient’s
voicemail

73. Video on the Go:
Mobile Marketing

74. Google and YouTube
November 2006 – Google
buys YouTube
October 2008 – YouTube
reported as #2 search engine,
surpassing Yahoo!

75. Video:
Face-to-Face Redefined
• How are you
already using
video?
• Where can you use video?
• How can you make it personal?
Image courtesy of Ambro at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

76. Consumers and Video
• Increase length of time they’re on
your site
• Increase your likelihood of being
found
• Build trust and credibility
• Help potential clients feel like they
know you

78. Where Should Your Videos Be?

79. Video Tip
People love videos on YouTube, on blogs, on
Facebook – here’s a quick tip:
• Upload your videos to YouTube
• Embed your videos into blog posts on your
website
• Post the link to that post (with a teaser, a
line or two to make people want to click
through) to your profile or business page
• Send your friends/readers/fans to the link
on your blog/website instead of to
YouTube

80. Video Apps
iMovie SocialCam
Videolicious
Tout Animoto

81. Videolicious

82. iMovie

83. Clesh Video Editor (Droid)

84. Tout

85. Animoto Video Slideshows

86. SocialCam

87. Video Tools
Gorilla Tripod
joby.com/gorillapod
iStabilizer – to attach
your smartphone to a
tripod, monopod, etc. iStabilizer Monopod
www.iStabilizer.com www.iStabilizer.com

88. Photo Tools
Olloclip.com

89. Video on the Go
• Video previews – FaceTime / MiFi
• Video during showings
• Video for listings – beyond the virtual
tour
• Neighborhood videos
• Closing video
• Photo slideshow – scared of video?

90. Video Demo with
Videolicious

91. Neighborhood Video

92. Mobile Apps

93. There are Literally
Hundreds of Apps
Photo credits: “iPhone Apps” by criana / “Meine iPhone Apps” by cmdrfletcher on Flickr.com

94. What Do You Need?
• What are you looking for in an app?
• What three business or personal needs
could be solved by the “perfect” app?
• What needs of your clients could be
better served with an app?
Photo credit: “speaking of effigies” by suttonhoo on Flickr.com

95. Don’t Start
in the App Store
• Make a list of every task you do
– For buyers
– For sellers
– For your past clients
– For your pipeline of potential clients
• Match apps to your tasks – not the
other way around

96. WRITE IT!
What are 3 business and/or personal
needs you have right now that you
wish you had an app to solve?
Photo credit: “list” by cathdew on Flickr.com

97. The Test of a Great App
o Does it make a daily or regular task
easier for you?
o Will you use it regularly?
o Do your clients use it?
o Does it make an element of your
clients’ life/transaction easier?
o Do you like using it?

98. Infographics

99. QR Codes –
Bridging Virtual to Mobile

100. What Is That Thing?
• Explain it to your
clients – don’t
assume they
know.
• Give instruction on
flyers: “Download
QR Reader and
scan here for more
information.”

101. Bit.ly
• More than a URL shortener
• Creates and TRACKS shortened URLS,
QR codes, and more

102. QR Code Fails

103. QR Code Success

104. Being Smart with QR Codes
• Billboards – no
• Websites – no
• Moving vehicles – maybe
• Lockboxes – yes
• Real estate signs/riders – yes
• Where else can you creatively use
them?

105. More Cool Tools

106. Evernote
FREE/$45 per year

107. What Can Evernote Do For You?
• Create a “Notebook” for every single
client/transaction
– Notes from each step of the transaction
– Notes on phone calls
– Send copies of emails there for archiving
• Share folders with multiple team
members/staff
• Search notes by tags and keywords
• Krisstina Wise has pioneered Evernote:
http://bit.ly/WFpoab

108. How Does Evernote Premium
Differ?
• Larger uploads
• Offline notes
• Edit notes together for project
collaboration
• Password lock
• PDF search
• Note history
• More storage

109. Evernote for Real Estate
eBook
http://deanouellette.com/

110. Need Demographic Info?
• Help you develop your marketing
strategy
• Help you answer those questions
you’re not allowed to answer

111. Sitegeist – FREE app

112. Need to Create PDFs?
• Use your Mac – from Print screen,
choose Save as PDF
• Download CutePDF.com – free PDF
creation application for your desktop
or laptop
• Use FreePDFConvert.com

113. www.FreePDFConvert.com
• FREE online PDF converter
• Keeps links in tact (for uploading to your
website)
• Downside: only 1 convert/30 minutes (with free
service)

114. Need to Send a Fax?
• JotNot Scanner (FREE) or JotNot
Scanner Pro ($0.99 – regular $1.99)
• TurboScan ($1.99)
• CamScanner (Android - $5)
• Turn your SmartPhone or Tablet into a
scanner AND fax machine

115. JotNot Scanner Pro
“Fax” option (99-cents
for up to 5 pages)

116. Fiverr – Cheap Stuff
Have $5 to spare? You could get:
• Professional voice-over
• Cool, graffiti-style portrait
• Say anything you want in an Irish accent
• And so much more!

117. Gliffy – Flowcharts Galore
• Create
flowcharts and
diagrams
• FREE 30-day trial

118. SurveyMonkey
• Create surveys, track results
• Collect client data
• FREE accounts

119. Buyer/Seller Questionnaires

120. PicMonkey
• FREE online photo editing
• Make collages
• Add text, etc.

121. Jing
http://techsmith.com/jing.html
• Screen capture on steroids! FREE!
• Take screenshots (stills)
• Record screencasts (videos)

122. KeepVid
www.keepvid.com
• Download
videos from
YouTube
• No need to
keep huge
video files
• FREE!

123. Q&A

124. Find This Presentation Online
www.mauraneill.com/tech-tools

125. Connect With Me
about.me/MauraNeill