In thinking about technology for Realtors, I started thinking about the many tools and programs I am using, many of which are free to use, or darn close to it. This list may be especially helpful for the new real estate agent, or perhaps an experienced Realtor looking to diversify and brush up on his or her internet skills as they pertain to real estate. You are obviously already on your way since you are a member of ActiveRain and are presumably blogging about real estate - good for you!
Here is a quick list of programs, websites and other tools I am using to market myself for free (or very cheaply!), and you can too!
Programs & websites you should check out:
Postlets - a free tool that I love that creates beautiful branded internet flyers that you can post on Craigslist as well as other real estate websites. Here is a sample of a postlet I did for a listing I have that is a Short Sale in Tampa.
VFlyer - Similar to Postlets, also has a free trial but the pay version is better. I like both VFlyer and Postlets - just slightly different layouts and VFlyer allows you to add more external links to your website, which is a nice feature.
Picasa - I love Picasa for organizing, retouching and resizing photos. Picasa is run by Google and is completely free but does require a download. You can even make color photos into black & white and create all kinds of neat effects on your photos.
RealEstateShows - OK so this one is not free but it is pretty cheap and creates beautiful virtual tours of your listings in minutes that you can post on MLS, and any website quickly and easily!
RealEstateWebmasters - A great forum to visit to learn more about real estate technology and bounce ideas off of other Real Estate agents.
Lowes Realtor Benefits - You can send FREE coupons to your clients from Lowe's with your branding on them! How cool is that? You also get 5% off Lowes Gift Cards - a great closing gift for your clients!
Wufoo - Create free forms for your website to get feedback from clients and more!
Google Analytics - get free reports from Google that tell you where your website's traffic is coming from, how many visitors you are getting and more! A great tool to help you search engine optimize your website!
Free real estate scripts - A great way for new real estate agents to learn how to respond to objections or how to reach out to certain types of potential clients.
Housing Widgets - A cool site that lets you ad housing and real estate widgets to your website!
WellcomeMat - A free site where you can upload your real estate videos to!
YouTube - Check out Keller Williams' new YouTube site! YouTube is a great place to post your real estate videos and drive more traffic to your listings!
Point2 NLS - I can't say enough about Point2. I have a Point2 Realtor website with the Professional upgrade, but their standard websites are free. This is a great place for a new agent to get a website while keeping marketing costs low. Point2 also has predictive marketing, drip email, captures leads from your website, and syndicates for free to tons of other real estate websites, giving your listings maximum exposure.
Craigslist Real Estate section - Yes I mentioned Craigslist above. What better place to advertise your listings FREE?! I've received dozens of leads from my Craigslist ads. I create them with either Postlets or vFlyer, or Photoshop. If you are handy with Photoshop or know someone who is, you can make animated gif's like this one and post them on Craigslist as a link back to your website!
MySpace and Facebook - If you do not have a real estate MySpace page or a Facebook account dedicated to yourself as a Real Estate agent, you are missing out! I've had sellers contact me out of the blue who found me on MySpace and have asked me to list their home. And these sites are free to join!
GotPrint - This one may not be free but its the cheapest place I've found to order custom-made Real Estate postcards for things like Just Listed or Just Sold announcements.
Jott - Have you ever watched someone text message while driving? (Guilty as charged). This may make simple texting obsolete. Once your account on Jott is set up, you can leave yourself a message, or broadcast a message to one or more people in a single easy step.
Grand Central - Grand Central assigns you a local telephone number. You then add all your phone numbers in your Grand Central account, such as office, cell, home, etc. Then you can set up a greeting in Grand Central and customize your settings so that when you publish your Grand Central phone number, Grand Central connects the call to your cell, office, home, wherever, and you can seamlessly switch from your cell phone to your home line, and save your minutes. You can also listen in on a voicemail message as its being recorded before deciding if you want to take the call, screen callers, have them leave their name before you take the call, etc. Grand Central is in beta and currently you have to be invited by a member to join so if you need an invite - drop me an email and I'll be happy to invite you!
RoboForm - Who can remember all their passwords for various websites? I can't - I am constantly hitting "Forgot Password". This site is a LIFESAVER!
DriveBuy Technologies - Why didn't someone think of this sooner? This is a great way for Realtors to go "green" and save money on ink and paper! Go on to the website to try a free demo. How it works is you get a special sign rider for your listings that say something like "Text DBT12 to 23333". A potential buyer sees the sign and texts. Immediately they get a text back with info about the home such as "3 bed/2 bath, hardwood floors, $150K". Now you as the agent have that buyer's cell number and can follow up on the lead, or sell them something else if that home is not in their price range or doesn't meet their needs. Awesome way to get and keep leads from sign calls! Pricing is CHEAP too.
LinkedIn - Another great social networking site that will connect you with other professionals around the world. Great for getting your name and face out there!
Google Talk Back - Yet another great product that's FREE from Google. Add a "Chat with me now!" link on your website so visitors can contact you when you are online!
Verizon Text Messaging for your Website - Better make sure you have unlimited text messaging on your phone before you set this up! I have Verizon for my cell phone provider and they have a free website for each customer where you can have clients go to send you a text message. What I did was use my page as a link on my Real Estate website for a "Text Message Liane" link on my Contact Me page.
Feel free to comment and post some of your favorite free or cheap tools & websites for Realtors too! I will continue editing this post with any new fun techie sites I find so check back often for new links!
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Liane Jamason, REALTOR
Keller Williams Realty
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Thanks for the links, I have heard of many of these but there werea few that were new to me!