Remember our Essential Apps event from last year? Well, due to popular demand, we once again invited Edmend Chua – successful real estate negotiator (REN), IT specialist, and Estate123 Premium subscriber – to give another talk about mobile apps that can help real estate agents in their line of work.
The increasing use of smartphones and mobile apps among real estate agents worldwide is a sign that the property market is catching up with technology, therefore it is imperative that Malaysian real estate agents keep up with these technological advancements in order to remain competitive in the sector. Nevertheless, with their busy schedules and constantly being on-the-go, many agents face problems such as electronic devices running out of battery or forgetting important appointment details. That is why cloud synchronisation is very important when it comes to managing contacts, scheduling appointments and reminders, organizing files and documents, and backing up important information. It allows you to access your files, contacts and schedules from anywhere, any time, using different devices – especially useful when unexpected ‘technical issues’ occur.
According to Edmend, these 8 mobile apps are essential for every real estate agent:
#1 Hotmail (or Gmail)
Besides receiving and sending emails, Hotmail can be used to manage your contacts (via Contacts). Every time you get a new lead, simply add their name, telephone number and email, plus any additional information, to your Contacts so that you can easily find them later.
#2 Calendar
Just like your Contacts, the Calendar can be synced to your account and used to manage your schedule. Most agents will have two phones and even a tablet, so if your appointments are linked to your Calendar, you don’t have to worry about missing a meeting or viewing because (one of) your phone ran out of juice.
#3 Auto Call Recording (ACR)
This app is a call recorder, which will record every phone call you make or receive on your mobile phone. This is especially useful for agents, as it will not only help the agent to recap details of conversations, but can also be used as legal proof in case of any disputes over agreements or transaction details.
#4 Call App
Most people dislikare wary of picking up calls from unknown numbers, but for real estate agents, every call that comes in could be a potential client. This app will show the caller ID of incoming calls, which can come in useful when getting unexpected calls. However, do note that the app will require you to link to all your social networking sites for higher accuracy, and there could be a slight chance that the caller ID doesn’t display the actual caller. Overall, it’s still pretty useful.
#5 Skype
Ah, Skype. Most people use it for instant messaging or video calls with loved ones overseas, but it is equally useful for business too. You can use it to make cheap international calls, as well as link it to your work number so that there is no need to disclose your personal number when speaking to a client from overseas.
#6 Dropbox
Dropbox is especially useful for storing and backing up files and photos, because it is synced to cloud and can be accessed from anywhere, at any time. As long as you have access to the internet, you’ll be able to easily upload or retrieve files from your Dropbox account.
#7 AnyDO
Sure, your phone comes with a reminder function, but if you really want to make the most of your schedule and daily tasks, try out this app. It’s a daily planner and reminder in one, that also allows you to make lists, add notes, upload files, and most importantly, everything is synced to cloud so that you can access it anywhere, anytime.
#8 Pocket
This is nifty little app that, well, acts like a virtual pocket. You can save bookmarks such as links to articles, videos, property listings and more to be used for future reference. Think of it as an old-school 555 notebook in app form.
Bonus Mentions
#9 Slideshow Maker
Impress your prospects with a video showcasing your properties! Instead of a boring listing page, you can compile the photos and details of a property into a slideshow (with music and animations), which will definitely catch attention and maybe attract a few leads.
#10 Parallel Space
We haven’t really tried out this app ourselves, but according to Edmend, it can be used to manage your social media accounts, which can be really convenient if you have multiple accounts to handle. Give it a spin and let us know how it fares! 😛
#11 Whatsapp Web
This was covered in the previous talk, but many people still do not know that Whatsapp can be accessed on desktop too. The desktop version comes in useful when you are on your laptop and don’t want to check your phone every few minutes. It’s also great for viewing photos, which can be saved directly into your laptop or computer.
Everyone who attended definitely learnt a lot from the talk, and brought home valuable insights on how to properly backup data, manage and organize daily tasks, and the importance of adopting technology to improve their professional career. Also take a look at this infographic of 8 FREE mobile apps for realtors!
Check out the photos from the event here, and follow us on Facebook to get the latest updates from Estate123.com!
