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17 Questions to Ask When Choosing a Real Estate CRM

By Rich Gaasenbeek

Real Estate Technology with IXACT Contact Real Estate CRM

January 18, 2016 10:00 PM

For REALTORS® looking to get more organized, it’s good news that there are so many options available for real estate CRM systems. But the challenge is that it can be really difficult to know which Contact Management System is right for you!

You likely don’t have time to try all the systems available for real estate agents. But you can make the time to research some of your options and choose a real estate CRM that suits your specific needs the best.

There are some important questions to ask when you’re buying any technology product. Here is a list of 17 unique questions that you may want to consider when choosing a real estate CRM.

How easy is it to import my contact list?
Is the CRM intuitive and easy to learn and use?
What functionality is available for synching contact data to my mobile devices?
Does this CRM support drip email campaigns?
Can I customize the drip email campaigns myself?
Is there an e-Newsletter component included with this real estate CRM?
Is there real estate marketing templates pre-loaded, like Just Listed and Just Sold e-cards?
Will this CRM provide me with the ability to easily absorb leads from my REALTOR website and Zillow?
Am I able to brand the content I send out with my own look and feel?
Will I have the ability to include detailed notes on my contacts?
Does the CRM offer an option for real estate teams?
Is there a fee for ongoing phone and email support?
Is it possible to store documents within the CRM software?
Does the software provide reporting so I can monitor the success of my mass emails?
How does the real estate CRM help me manage my transactions?
Will I be committed to an annual contract?
Can I take advantage of a free trial to try the CRM?

Use these questions to help determine whether the real estate CRM you’re researching is the right one for you.

Be sure to check out IXACT Contact, it’s the answer to all the questions on the list above. Start your 5 week free trial now!

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Joe Jackson

Keller Williams Capital Partners Realty - Columbus, OH

Clintonville and Central Ohio Real Estate Expert

My first Crm was three by five file cards in a blue or black box.

Jan 18, 2016 10:32 PM

Noel Palmieri

Arcadia, CA

Rich Gaasenbeek

A lot of us started out that way Joe Jackson! Have you moved on to a cloud based CRM?

Jan 18, 2016 11:00 PM

David Popoff

DMK Real Estate - Darien, CT

Realtor®,SRS, Green ~ Fairfield County, Ct

Some great points when considering your CRM, thanks

Jan 18, 2016 10:35 PM

Rich Gaasenbeek

Toronto, ON

Rich Gaasenbeek

Thanks David Popoff , glad you found it useful!

Jan 18, 2016 11:00 PM

Jeff Stevens

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices New Mexico Properties - Las Cruces, NM

Jeff Stevens, Associate Broker/REALTOR

Nice comprehensive list to look for in your CRM. Thanks for sharing.

Jan 18, 2016 10:58 PM

Rich Gaasenbeek

Toronto, ON

Rich Gaasenbeek

Happy to hear you enjoyed the list Jeffrey Stevens

Jan 18, 2016 11:01 PM

Noel Palmieri

Century 21 Ludecke Inc. - Arcadia, CA

I'm about 30 days into my free trial period and so far so good! Thanks, Rich/Ixact!

Jan 19, 2016 07:40 AM

Rich Gaasenbeek

Toronto, ON
Diana Dahlberg

Pleasant Prairie, WI

Rich Gaasenbeek

That's wonderful to hear, Noel Palmieri! Wishing you lots of success this year!

Jan 19, 2016 10:00 PM

Ann Wilkins

Golden Gate Sotheby's International Realty - Oakland, CA

Oakland, Berkeley, Piedmont CA

I have used a lot of CRM's both in real estate and in my corporate career. Goldmine, Act, Siebold, Salesforce, Joe Stumpf BRO. Top Producer, and RealtyJuggler. I think it depends on what you want to do with the CRM. I no long pay for leads from Zillow/trulia or Realtor.com so I don't need the new lead interface. I use my CRM for keeping in touch with with Sphere and past clients. I wanted something that not only did drip campaigns via emails but also had an easy to use letter generator for Christmas letters and quarterly letters that go out via snail mail. Although my brokerage provides Top Producer for free, I have been using Realty Juggler for the past three years. Very impressed with the features and the price is very fair and reasonable.

Jan 19, 2016 07:58 AM

Julie Larson Realtor® ...

Sarasota, FL
Terry McCarley

Cape Coral, FL
Teresa K. Nelson

Woodinville, WA
Rod Hibner

San Jose, CA

Rich Gaasenbeek

Thanks for your comment Ann Wilkins! The best CRM is the the one that you use and that works for you! It can be a process of trial and error to find the right one for your business, but I'm glad you've found one that meets your needs!

Jan 19, 2016 10:02 PM

Julie Larson Realtor® Sarasota FL 941-284-9826

Ann Wilkins, I just signed up for RealtyJuggler last week and I am loving it!!! It's so easy to use and keeping track of expenses is a cinch! :)

Jan 20, 2016 08:45 AM

Karen Fiddler, Broker/Owner

Karen Parsons-Fiddler, Broker 949-510-2395 - Mission Viejo, CA

Orange County & Lake Arrowhead, CA (949)510-2395

Nice post Rich, great list of questions and things to consider.

Jan 19, 2016 08:45 AM

Rich Gaasenbeek

Toronto, ON

Rich Gaasenbeek

Thank you Karen Fiddler, Broker/Owner!

Jan 19, 2016 10:02 PM

Dorte Engel

RE/MAX Leading Edge - Bowie, MD

ABC - Annapolis, Bowie, Crofton & rest of Maryland

Dear Rich,

Sounds pretty fair for a start.

Jan 19, 2016 08:45 AM

Rich Gaasenbeek

Toronto, ON

Rich Gaasenbeek

Thanks for commenting Dörte Engel. All the best to you!

Jan 19, 2016 10:03 PM

Diana Dahlberg

1 Month Realty - Pleasant Prairie, WI

Real Estate in Kenosha, WI since 1994 262-308-3563

What is the cost for Ixact? Also how would you compare Ixact to Outlook365?

Jan 19, 2016 11:02 AM

Rich Gaasenbeek

Toronto, ON

Rich Gaasenbeek

Hi Diana Dahlberg, thanks for your questions. IXACT is $34.95/month after your free trial, and it includes the CRM, email marketing and a website. We'll get in touch with you to explain how it differs from Outlook365.

Jan 19, 2016 10:04 PM

Terry McCarley

Coastal Real Estate - Cape Coral FL - Cape Coral, FL

REALTOR, SRES, CDPE - Cape Coral, FL

I am on a trial basis with Realty Juggler but will check out Ixact!

Jan 19, 2016 09:11 PM

Rich Gaasenbeek

Toronto, ON

Rich Gaasenbeek

Thank you for commenting Terry McCarley! We'd be happy to set you up on a free trial so you can compare and see which solution is best for your needs.

Jan 19, 2016 10:05 PM

Ron Aguilar

Gateway Mortgage Group - Saint George, UT

Mortgage & Real Estate Advisor since 1995

Rich, thanks for the post. Many of us older people did use index cards, Excel and other methods. Today, I have tested about 4-5 CRM's but most of them lack specific tools etc. Sure, the best CRM is the one you use and does it help you scale your business and stay Top of Mind. I will try the trial version once I get my assistant to pay attention, usually on weekends when its slower. Thanks

Jan 20, 2016 12:35 AM

Rich Gaasenbeek

Toronto, ON

Rich Gaasenbeek

Ron Aguilar, choosing the CRM that's best for you can be a journey, especially when there are so many options out there! We'd happily set you up on a free trial to give IXACT Contact a try. There's no contract, so it's risk free!

Jan 20, 2016 03:38 AM

Marte Cliff

Marte Cliff Copywriting - Priest River, ID

Your real estate writer

Rich - it sounds like you have a great product. I would have two more questions before choosing any system: 1) Can users add individual names themselves, or do people have to opt in? 2) Does the system scrub the list to remove email addresses which have "gone bad?"

I once used Constant Contact - not realizing that I needed to go take care of "cleaning" the list myself every time I sent a message. Suddenly they decided to label me a spammer and they deleted 90% of my list. That was NOT a happy experience.

Jan 20, 2016 02:58 AM

Rich Gaasenbeek

Toronto, ON

Rich Gaasenbeek

Great questions Marte Cliff , I can only imagine what a difficult experience it would be to lose 90% of your list!

Yes, users can absolutely add individual names themselves. All of our email marketing includes an "unsubscribe" button to comply with email marketing laws, so recipients can unsubscribe from communications if they choose to.

The system will not prevent you from sending emails, or ever delete email addresses on your behalf. IXACT Contact includes a Reporting feature where you can see hard and soft bounces (along with open rates) and you can easily remove email addresses that have "gone bad."

We'd love to answer any other questions you have. Feel free to give us a call at 866.665.0018 or visit www.ixactcontact.com

Jan 20, 2016 03:50 AM

Eren Millam

Realty World Cosser & Associates, Inc. - Chehalis, WA

Certified Negotiation Expert

I used IXACT free for 6 months. I thought that was very generous of the company, however, I decided I didn't want to learn/use a CRM. Otherwise, IXACT did the trick. I'm more of an Excel person.

Feb 15, 2016 08:50 AM