Find out what apps we use to help run our real estate business.
We have more electronics, especially mobile devices, than ever before. In a world where everyone is connected via the Internet, we continue to gravitate toward not only mobile devices such as cell phones and digital cameras, but we now also have smartphones and tablets which combine multiple electronics. These devices allow us to take them most places and also provide us the power and functionality of multiple devices, such as a camera, phone and laptop in one.
When I picked up my latest smartphone (an HTC Thunderbolt), one of the first things I did was go to the market and figure out what apps I should download. I have downloaded quite a few different apps that are useful in my real estate business, and a few that were not as useful. Below are a few of the ones that I found useful. Note: Most are available on both Android and iPhone.
1. Camera (Cost: Free) – The camera app comes pre-installed with your phone. There are so many uses for the camera, here are a few.
Take pictures of potential investments that you walk through
Take before/during/after renovation pictures
Take pictures of bandit signs to add to your investor/buyer list
2. Flashlight (Cost: Free) – I believe the flashlight app comes pre-installed as well. There are also additional ones to download on the market. Since most people always have their phone on them, it is useful when you need a light but do not have your flashlight.
3. Dropbox (Cost: Free) – I explained the benefits of using Dropbox in a previous post. You can download it onto your phone so that you have 24/7 access to your documents. This can come in handy when away from your office. You can pull up documents and also email them.
4. Zillow (Cost: Free) – For those who are not aware, Zillow is a website that provides information about real estate. This is useful to gather some information about the home, and I use it during my initial analysis of the property. It is important to note that prices/values on Zillow should be taken with a grain of salt.
5. Mileage Tracker (Cost: $2.99) – One of the benefits of being a business owner/real estate investor is that you get to write off expenses related to operating your business. As a real estate investor, one of these expenses is mileage used when traveling for your business. This can be difficult to track accurately at times. Using a program like Mileage Tracker, you can enter your mileage as you take each trip, view graphs of your business mileage and e-mail yourself a simple spreadsheet at the end of the year to provide to your accountant.
6. Bubble (Cost: Free) – Bubble is a free level on your phone. It can be place placed flat or on the wall. Useful when a level is not in range.
7. Trulia (Cost: Free) – This website is similar to zillow. It can provide you a wealth of information about properties and market information.
8. Realtor.com (Cost: Free) – A free app to search listings on the MLS. Using GPS, it can locate properties near you, which could be useful for finding quick comps when looking at a property.
So that is a quick look at a few of the apps I find useful for real estate investors. Do you have more? If so, leave them in the comments.
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