GeekEstate Blog » Gadgets

iPhone, iPad, and a Real Estate CRM – Making Them All Work Together

Matthew Collis — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 12:37:11 +0000

Are you a Mac user? If so, this article is for you. You have a Mac computer, probably an iPhone, and there’s a good chance that you have an iPad or plan on getting one in the near future.

Now, as a REALTOR®, you’re wondering how to integrate your Apple products with a real estate CRM (Disclosure: I work for a company that sells a real estate CRM, IXACTContact). In this blog post, I’m not going to discuss the merits of a CRM or why you should use one, but in case you’re interested, you can read an article I wrote on this topic here.

In this post, you’ll learn what to look out for when shopping for a real estate CRM to ensure that there’s a perfect synergy between your CRM, your Mac computer, your iPhone, and your iPad.

First, you’ll want to make sure that your CRM (or contact management system) is compatible with the Mac operating system and Safari (if it’s a web-based system). If the solution is Mac-friendly, make certain that all the features are 100% compatible. It’s common for CRM companies to claim to be Mac compatible when in reality certain features do not work as well as they do on a PC.

Second, you’ll want to ensure that the real estate CRM is fully optimized for the iPad. Many CRM systems are not, especially if they’re not supported by Safari.

Being able to utilize the full real estate contact management system on the iPad is essential. The iPad has proven itself to be a tremendous tool in assisting REALTORS® with their business while they’re on the road, greatly increasing their productivity. When you can use your real estate contact management system on your iPad, your productivity will increase exponentially.

Make sure that you can use the entire CRM on your iPad and that you don’t have to download an app. Why is it more beneficial for you to have a real estate CRM system that’s fully optimized for the iPad versus going the app route? Here’s the big reason: when you’re required to use an app, your functionality is usually limited. You don’t have access to all the features of the full CRM. And on an iPad, with its nice sized screen, you’ll want to benefit from everything the CRM has to offer.

Another big consideration as an Apple user shopping for a real estate CRM is iPhone synchronization. Does the system synchronize with the built-in iPhone applications, like the calendar and address book native to the device or are you required to download an app?

It’s best if your real estate CRM syncs with the built-in applications on the iPhone for two key reasons. First, when you sync with the native applications (calendar, address book), you don’t have to learn how to use an app (who wants to learn how to use a brand new CRM on their computer AND how to use a separate app on their phone?). Second, it’s more efficient because access to your data will be quicker and easier (simply pull up or add a contact in your address book or add a calendar entry on your iPhone calendar like you normally would).

As a Mac user, you’re likely using Mac Address Book. Ideally, you’ll want a real estate contact management system that will Sync with this software. It’ll make your life A LOT easier.

In my article in SoftwareAdvice.com, where I’m a member of their Software Advisory Board, I mentioned that it’s crucial to have access to the data you need on the road paired with the correct systems in place in order to save time and increase your professional efficiency. As an Apple user, searching for a Mac friendly software that accomplishes what you’re looking for it to do can be hard enough. But when in the market for a CRM, compatibility with the iPad and iPhone also becomes an important factor to take into consideration.

I hope this article has given you some food for thought. Choosing a real estate CRM can be confusing and when you’re a die-hard Apple fan (like I am) it’s sometimes tricky to know the right questions to ask when in the market for a real estate contact management system. Good luck!

M Squared Releases App-less iPad Open House Management

Drew Meyers — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 08:53:54 +0000

We know open houses are a fantastic place to meet with potentially extremely warm buyer leads. We know your conversion is going to suck if you don’t gather contact details and follow up. We know buyers want more info (read: data) about the property they visit in person. We know many buyers look at multiple properties in a given day. We also know that many regular folk (read: non techies) think iPad’s are “cool” to interact with.

Wouldn’t it be awesome if it was drop dead simple to gather buyer’s contact info as they walk in the door at your next open house — all from your iPad? M Squared, a brokerage in Washington DC, now offers this to all agents in the form of an “app-less” iPad Open House Management interface. From the Press Release:

A record of every check-in is automatically emailed to the M Squared consultant for easy follow-up. In addition, open house visitors are automatically added to the consultant’s contact database so price updates, status changes and future listings can be quickly shared. Once an open house visitor registers at an event, they immediately receive an email with detailed information regarding the property they are viewing, nearby comparable properties and additional open houses taking place in the neighborhood. Best of all, the content is delivered in a mobile-friendly format for quick access on-the-go.

Sounds like a winning combination to me. My hunch is what M Squared has released is going to be a standard open house tool — in 2 years once the rest of the real estate brokerage community catches up to the technology leaders.

Are you using your iPad at open houses yet?

#retechchat Topic of Conversation – Tech Tools We are Thankful For

Drew Meyers — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 18:20:00 +0000

With the holiday season quickly approaching (how is it ALREADY Thanksgiving?), tonight’s topic of conversation will be Tech Tools We Are Thankful For (thanks Jeremy). Come with your opinions as to what the best tech tools are, and what the best strategies are for utilizing those tools. Remember, tech tools are just a tool. Without a strategy? They’re all worthless.

If you have questions, want to learn, or just lurk – join the conversation Monday at 6 PM PST / 9 PM EST. Remember, you can vote for future topics of conversation here.

For those who want to participate in #retechchat Monday evening, there are a few options:

Follow the #retechchat hashtag
Add a search column to Tweetdeck for the hashtag #retechchat
Join Tweetchat under #retechchat (recommended approach)

See you there!

Final Reminder: Enter to Win a 30 Gigabyte SugarSync Account

Drew Meyers — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 03:24:38 +0000

You’ve got one day left to win a 30 gigabyte SugarSync account — just sign up to receive email updates from Geek Estate. That’s all there is to it.

3 random winners will be drawn tomorrow, September 15th, 2011.

Enter for your chance to win by entering your email address HERE.

What are you waiting for?

Reminder: Qualify for the Free 30 Gigabyte SugarSync Accounts Giveaway by September 15th

Drew Meyers — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 18:12:20 +0000

A gentle reminder that you have ONLY 8 days left to qualify for the 30 gigabyte SugarSync giveaway we’re running right now. Each free account is valued at $49.99 over the course of the next 12 months. Not convinced of the value? Here are a few stories from those using the service. Simply sign up for updates from Geek Estate using the form below and we’ll randomly choose 3 names from the list on September 15th.

Further details can be found HERE.

Good luck!!

Geek Estate Updates

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Email:

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A Free Giveaway for 3 Lucky Geek Estate Readers – a 30 Gigabyte SugarSync

Drew Meyers — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 00:06:53 +0000

We have a giveaway for 3 lucky Geek Estate Readers — a FREE 30 Gigabyte SugarSync account. For those of you who aren’t familiar with SugarSync, it’s your personal cloud to back up all your music, photos, documents, and videos across all your various devices. No more migrating files from you desktop to your laptop to your wife’s laptop to your mobile device. If you’re looking for information on the cloud for real estate agents, here are additional details. Each free account is valued at $49.99 over the next 12 months. Here are a few stories from those using the service.

How do you qualify for the giveaway? Sign up for updates from Geek Estate by September 15th and I will randomly choose 3 names from the list and email you instructions on how to redeem your SugarSync account.

Good luck!!

Geek Estate Updates

Name:

Email:

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Real Estate Mobile Marketing Guide

Ryan Clark — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 22:04:33 +0000

Mobile marketing for real estate is so in your face right now that it can’t be ignored any longer. The options available for you to create and tailor your mobile application are so plentiful that you could literally have one ready within an hour of reading this. I want to talk about two aspects – getting up and running and then the marketing benefits from all of these efforts. The mobile market is absolutely massive and it continues to grow so hopefully this gets you hungry for a piece of it.

I’d also like to mention that since it’s still considered “new” technology, you’ll have a really great chance to stand out in your market. If you happen to be in a larger market, like say Manhattan, then you’re far behind the pack. With that being said, you can still come out with a unique mobile app for your area that focuses on something a little more unique and specific than just the MLS listings and a map for your phone. The crazier and more unique you get, the better opportunity you’re going to have to get it written about, linked to and spread around.

Those of you who already have a mobile application in the wild, I’d really like to hear how it’s going in the comments below. Our team only has the numbers from our clients, so it would be great to hear how others are liking/hating it.

Creating + Programming Your App:

There are more than a few good options for getting your real estate business on a mobile platform, so we’ll look at the cheap and move up to the more costly. Obviously a great iPhone app that’s geared to be approved by Apple is going to cost more than a free RSS -> Mobile app tool. Going in one direction can make or break the app’s potential marketing so listen up!

–> Out Of The Box Solutions <–

WidgetBox.com Mobile Solutions – This is as easy as it gets! WidgetBox is something I’ve mentioned before, and besides easy widgets, you can have a mobile app launched within 15 minutes (booyah). How does it work? Well, you can easily just mash your social feeds together from sources like Twitter, Facebook, Google Maps, your blog, Youtube and other places then have them compiled into an application that keeps everybody updated no matter how they follow you. The pricing options range from fair to pricey and it is charged on a monthly basis, but for the lack of hassle and sheer quickness, their service is a definite win. If you’re skeptical, try a 14-day trial for free and you’ve got nothing to lose..

Smarter Agent – This is service is highly geared for real estate mobile application solutions that are more than sufficient. The best thing I can mention about Smarter Agent is that you’d be hard pressed to find a mobile platform they don’t cover. It’s a great platform that is competitively priced with WidgetBox, yet it’s FOR agents.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I didn’t find anything else worth blogging about that made life easy and quick, so for now those two options seem the best. If I missed something, then please let us all know in the comments below. With the way the mobile business world is going, it won’t be long before other similar platforms start popping up like crazy.

Hiring A Mobile Application Developer:

While this next sentence is completely my opinion, I think the custom route is the best option for a few reasons. I’m all about helping my clients create something extraordinary, something that gets noticed and best of all something that works specifically for their target market. You want to really make that user want to install and use your app, once you do, you’re golden.

The hiring process can, honestly, be a pain in the ass! A lot of businesses tend to reach out to cheaper development teams in developing countries, something which I don’t recommend. I’ve had more than a few failed projects going this route myself, but it hasn’t been all bad. Finding the right fit will take a lot of time and a lot of extra communication on your part. Try and get a recommendation from someone who’s dealt with a good programming team and go from there.

–> Freelancers <–

This is the hard part. Wading through countless freelancer sites that all kind of look the same, have a lack of moderation and generally a lot of scammers is time consuming. If you’re willing to save some cash by investing the time, then the least I can do is recommend some good starting points.

ODesk.com – This one is most likely an obvious “oh yeah” to most of you readers here. ODesk has made a name for itself by offering access to higher quality freelancers. While they’ve done a decent job, you’ll still find that you still have a possibility of getting stung . Perhaps I’m being too negative, call me Mr. Scrooge, but being cautious is never a bad thing (especially when it comes to your money and business). Do your research on your prospective freelancer and go with your instincts after taking in all the information you can.

ReferralKey.com & Linkedin.com – These two go hand in hand and they are, in my opinion, a better way of finding someone of quality. Linkedin recommendations are a great way to scope out a potential programmer and ReferralKey can help even more. Check out this video for a visual explanation of how the two work together:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Join mobile development groups on Linkedin and see who’s around and making moves. This way, you will, at the very least, be able to see legitimate recommendations for that person/business. If we’re reaching out to a freelancer, we’ve always done it through LinkedIN and never really had much of a problem. It’s also a great way to network, so you might as well kill two birds with one digital stone.

–> Reputable Mobile Dev Firms <–

This is the route I recommend, especially if you want to get your app into something like Apple’s directory. It’s no secret that Apple likes to keep the app store pretty tight, so getting an app accepted there is a task unto itself. That is, of course, if you don’t go with these firms. They specialize in just that and have become very good at it. The downside? The price is going to be significantly higher than the other options. In the end, however, your end product is going to be significantly better and hopefully, take your business a lot further.

Grapple Mobile – I’m more than happy to recommend this company any time I speak, mention or Tweet about a dev company. These folks have talent oozing out of every corner of their team and, most importantly, they get the job done right. You know without a doubt that going with Grapple means your app is going to be the best it’s ever going to get… and no, they didn’t pay me to say that!

MyFirstMobileApp.com – This is another firm that has a great reputation and has a lot of experience building all sorts of applications. They cover most platforms as well as handle some marketing aspects of your mobile campaign but come on, you might as well ring me for that (shameless plug!).

Apptellect.com – These folks might sound like they only do Apple development, but they cover all the top platforms. I’ve had friends and business contacts use them and they were all very pleased with not only the service, but the prices too! Apptellect has a lot of award winning applications coming out of their end making it a good and sound contact to add to your list!

Marketing Your App:

The good news is that you’ll get more than just mobile downloads/installs from your application. If you put the time in, you’ll see that the links and brand buzz will follow. If your completed app is really something else, then you’ve got yourself some mighty fine piece of link bait there. This is a great way to add diversity to your link profile and a great example of links that set you apart from the competition.

Don’t fret if your link building efforts are slow to kick off in the beginning. One thing our team has noticed is that local blogs will eventually throw you a link or two if you establish yourself in the community.

Now that you’ve got your app, we have to let people know about it and app directories make for both great links and a solid advertisement.

–> Official App Directories <–

- Official Apple Application Directory http://www.apple.com/webapps/
- Android Application Directory https://market.android.com/
- HP App Directory http://www.hp.com/united-states/webos/us/en/apps.html (horrid web navigation here)
- Blackberry App World http://appworld.blackberry.com

There are of course many more sites out there that list the latest and greatest mobile applications on the market. I’ll only list a few sites that will get you going, but put your Google hat on and you’ll be able to find many many more.

–> Places To Submit Your App <–

Some of these app directories just pick and choose from the official sites for content. Others will either take submissions or, if you make nice on Twitter with them, you’ll stand a chance. Either way, the links you can gain are well worth your time. Again, don’t stop here and get to Googling. You’re bound to find more sites of this type and get the head up on your competition.

- http://www.appolicious.com
- http://smokinapps.com
- http://www.yappler.com
- http://ipadiphoneblog.com/submit-a-guest-post/
- http://www.androlib.com
- http://www.androidzoom.com
- http://www.appbrain.com

–> Generate Buzz & Links <–

There are a number of other ways you can use your mobile application as link bait so let’s cover a few of the easier options. Keep in mind, we always find that local bloggers are quite willing to write about stuff like this so be ready to fork over some free copies for a review. This is where you’ll really see an influx of buzz for your app locally.

- get it reviewed by local bloggers
- submit a press release
- submit the news to local news sources online and off
- get local Twitter users to tweet it
- blog about it
- write about it on your external sites like ActiveRain.com, Zillow and perhaps your REW blog
- do a video showing how it works or get a local video blogger to do one for you
- run a contest and give away copies
- get new business cards with mention of it
- create a pdf for Scribd showing people how to get it and how to use it
- create a SlideShare.net for it showing how its useful
- perhaps a local forum you’re on is a good spot to sneak in the news

–> Going From Here <–

That should be enough to get you started and get you excited for jumping into the mobile marketing game. Keep your ear to the ground and keep adding cool and unique features to your app over time. The crazier the better is what I always say! Just make sure your mobile download options are front and center on your website and your incredible mobile app will get good traction. Go get that mobile money!

iPad Turned into Second Monitor with Air Display App

Drew Meyers — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 14:39:56 +0000

Ok, THIS might be what triggers me to buy an iPad. Being able to turn an iPad into a second monitor for my MacBook Air would be amazing.

[via AgentGenius]

Features of the “Ultimate” Real Estate App?

Drew Meyers — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 21:32:43 +0000

Here’s a tweet by Brian Dittmer that I wanted to extend to the Geek Estate audience for further feedback:

what features would your ultimate #realestate app have? #retechchat

What do you think? What is the killer real estate app and what features does it need to include? Does the app already exist in some form? What are your favorite real estate apps already available?

QR Codes – The Data Doesn’t Support The Hype

Drew Meyers — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 14:01:13 +0000

It seems everywhere I go people are talking about QR codes. When it comes to QR codes, where is the data that supports the hype? Here’s a comment by Chris Dowell on the Mobile Marketing post which is quite telling if you ask me:

I have been using QR codes for 9 months. After spending lots of time promoting my QR Code I would like to share all of the prospects I have received with this new technology. Whoops, there is nothing to share. Yep, after having QR codes on my facebook page, twitter page, website, marketing materials and brochures I have had 9 people use the qr codes ( I actually have them assigned to a url shortener to view traffic). 8 of the people using the qr code were me. I’m scratching my head on the 9th. Maybe it was another agent checking it out?

I realize that’s just one example, but I’ve yet to hear from someone who has gotten REAL results from using QR codes in their marketing materials. It seems safe to say QR codes are just that latest shiny object for the real estate industry that marketers who don’t actually know what works are cramming down people’s throats. Please — if you or someone you know has had success turning QR codes into actual business, enlighten us as to what we’re missing.