Special offer

How We Super Charged Our Real Estate Business

By
Real Estate Agent with McGraw Realtors

I heard someone say one time, "Work smarter, not harder."  It's good advice, but also can be hard to follow because we are people of habit.  We build our lives and our business and our habits around how we think and how we do things.  And that means that we can find ourselves in a rut if we're not careful.  Also, at times, we are afraid of change because change is hard and scary.  What if it doesn't work?  What if it takes a lot of my time?  What if it costs lots of money?

Yep, those are legitimate questions...until and unless you find yourself stuck.  Or even worse, no longer growing your life and/or your business.

A couple of years ago, we decided to do the things we needed to do in order to be able to be fast, effective and leaders in Real Estate in our part of the world.

Here's a few things we have changed and a few we have implemented. 

1. We moved from Windows to Apple.  

When Windows 8 was being released, I needed a new computer.  But I was tired of buying Office and quite frankly, tired of the amount of work it took to keep my trusty Dell laptop running fast and clean.  So we made the move.  Today we run Mac computers, Iphones and Ipads.  Why?  Because everything is quickly interchangeable.  If I take a picture on my phone, it's already on my Mac when I get back to the office.  The MLS operates fast and clean for us.  And the best and most important part...we don't spend hours and hours running annoying virus cleaning programs and dealing with Windows issues.  No more trying to pack up your laptop only to be told there are 34 updates being downloaded and don't turn off your computer.  

Now hear me here.  I'm not poo pooing Windows.  More people use Windows than Mac and if that's your system of choice, I have no doubt that it probably works for you.  It did for us for years.  We use Apple products now only because they make what we do easier, faster and with less headaches.

So how is Real Estate different in an Apple Computing World?

- If I put a document, picture or contact on one device, it is on all my devices instantly.  For example, I can edit my Listing Presentation on my laptop and use it on my Ipad immediately.  Or visa versa.  I love that.

- When I open my Mac Book each morning to begin working, I can begin working.  Instantly.

- Pages and Word are interchangeable.

- I text all day long (when I'm in the office) from my laptop.  

And just to be fair, Apple isn't perfect.  There are things we don't love.  But the interconnectedness is superb for if you need things to work and go fast in your busy Real Estate business.  And, if Windows ever becomes better than Apple for us in Real Estate, then back we'll go!

2. Open Home Pro

Open Home ProI'll do a full review of this app at another time.  But for today let me say this.  If you have an Ipad, get this app. Pay for it.  It's worth every dime.  Once you enter your new listing and upload the pic, you can customize whatever questions you want to use for your open house or broker's open.  

We have found that everyone is way more open to giving feedback on the Ipad than they are writing it down.  And we gather their contact information better than 90% of the time through the contact info questions.  

And here's the best part of this app.  When your open house is over or the broker's open has wrapped up, you can email all the feedback to your seller immediately.  My sellers love that!

3.  Digital Paperless Real Estate

Right about the time we were shifting computer systems, Docusignwe also ventured into "paperless" real estate by implementing Docusign.  Docusign and Dootloop are programs that allow you to convert paper documents to PDF documents and then send them via email for signatures.

And here's what's really cool.

You can also create pure original PDF documents and never touch a piece of paper.  

You can send your docs to your buyer or seller anywhere in the world where they have an Internet connection.  I sold a house to a gentleman who was going to be retiring from the military and moving to Oklahoma.  At the time he was stationed in Germany, so all our contract docs went through Docusign to him and back to me within minutes.  It was awesome.

Those Old Real Estate Files

One last thing in regards to digital paperless Real Estate.  It doesn't mean you never use paper.  Of course you do.  

It just means you have another way to connect with customers and others in the Real Estate Industry.

And here's the best part of using a digital doc program like Docusign.

No more storing old paper files from years ago in your garage.

So there you go.  

If you're still thinking about what technology to use, my advice is this.  Check out Apple and Windows both.  And then go with the system that works best for you.  

Just be sure whichever one you choose, it is reliable, can go fast and gives you many different ways to access your data.

 

Posted by

************************************************************************************

Information and content in this blog is original to Bob Haywood

Click here to subscribe to my blog, My OHaywood Home Team - Leaders in Oklahoma Real Estatewasso Home for more real estate information about the Greater Tulsa and Owasso areas.

Contact:
Bob Haywood
Bob Haywood
Owasso, Oklahoma REALTOR®

Tulsa, OK REALTOR®/ McGraw REALTORS®
Bhaywood@mcgrawrealtors.com
(918) 272-7272

Click here to check out the awesome HaywoodHomeTeam website.  The premier greater Tulsa and Owasso, OK homes local informational website for your real estate needs. I also have a great blog filled with tons of information regarding Owasso Homes.

Search the Greater Tulsa MLS Listings with no registration required.

Serving the Greater Tulsa, Broken Arrow, Jenks, Glenpool, Bixby, Owasso, Sand Springs, Oologah, Coweta area communities and other surrounding areas.

Copyright © 2015 by Bob Haywood

 

Want to know more about the world of real estate in the Greater Tulsa area?

If so, you can find me in these places:

 

Follow Me on Twitter Follow Me on Facebook Lets get Linkedin My Outside Blog  Watch my Videos on YouTube

 

 

 

Comments (125)

Lori Cain
Own Tulsa - Tulsa, OK
Midtown Tulsa Real Estate Top Producer

I may follow your lead and take the Mac plunge one of these days Bob Haywood - I grew up with DOS, so I'm kindof a coding nerd. However, Windoze has made my life more challenging than it needs to be. Bottom line is, technology should serve us - not the other way around. Good job!

Aug 07, 2015 01:55 AM
Kat Palmiotti
eXp Commercial, Referral Divison - Kalispell, MT
Helping your Montana dreams take root

I'm nearly ready to buy a new laptop and am considering Mac - this was an interesting read.  Thanks!

Aug 07, 2015 12:39 PM
Nina Hollander, Broker
Coldwell Banker Realty - Charlotte, NC
Your Greater Charlotte Realtor

Bob... the argument for using MAC is strong. Unfortunately, too many of the software programs I curently use for my business are still not MAC friendly. Digital signing, regardless of the vendor is one of the best innovations ever and a huge time saver!

Aug 08, 2015 12:05 AM
Amy Gutschow
RE/MAX - Sheboygan, WI
Professional Real Estate

Great points!  I think you really hit the mark and have me thinking about getting a mac this fall so I am ready for the spring to work smarter!

Aug 08, 2015 01:13 AM
Daniel Seider
BTRE Big Trees Real Estate - Arnold, CA

I have been using apple products for years. Even ough they ar much more expensive they are worth every penny. I have to admit I have not used some of e products you talked about. My apple computers have been so reliable they are olsd and I am ready to update.

 

Aug 08, 2015 01:50 AM
Jorge Martinez
North Orange County ReMax Realtor - Anaheim, CA
Espanol Spanish Bi-Lingual Agent

Great advice,  and well presented. It does seem like a no brainer but change can be hard when dealing with incompatibilies within programs that we utilize on a daily basis.

 

 

Thank you!

Aug 08, 2015 04:30 AM
Dan Dee McGinnis The Pumpkin Man
HomeSmart - Phoenix, AZ
The Pumpkin Man

Bob

Well no Ipad, and the only apples are in the dish in the kitchen so I assume I have to pass on this.

Aug 08, 2015 06:26 AM
Gita Bantwal
RE/MAX Centre Realtors - Warwick, PA
REALTOR,ABR,CRS,SRES,GRI - Bucks County & Philadel

Thank you for sharing the great tips. We use docusign.

Aug 08, 2015 09:29 PM
Thomas J. Nelson, REALTOR ® e-Pro CRS RCS-D Vets
Big Block Realty 858.232.8722 - La Jolla, CA
CEO of Vision Drive Realty - Coastal San Diego

I love Docusign, I agree. Been using it since 2007 and I can't wait for all transaction docs to be Docusignable (escrow).

I'm an iphone user for certain, but I left Apple in the 1990's and just never went back. You make great arguments for Apple though. Thanks for sharing this.

Aug 09, 2015 03:20 AM
Chris Mamone
Keller Mortgage - Tacoma, WA
Senior Loan Officer

Good Points here. I've been tired of using windows for years because so much time is spent updating, fixing, maintaining, hours of which could be used better like when you use a mac! I'm with you here. I'm thinking about making the switch over to mac soon.

Aug 09, 2015 03:48 AM
Cari Corbalis
RE/MAX Estate Properties - Redondo Beach, CA
Beach Cities and Luxury Market Specialists.

I already do #1 & #3, but hadn't heard of #2 - Open Home Pro.  I have been still going old-school by writing down every agent's comments on price and the house in general on thier buisiness cards when they come through Broker's Open Houses.  Then I leave for the seller.  I have found this incredibly effective, but the Open Home Pro ap sounds like the updated version of this.  During public Open Houses I text comments from people who come through to my sellers real time.  This has been incredibly effective as well.  Now I'll look into Open Home Pro!  Thank you!  

Aug 09, 2015 10:52 AM
Dana Avellar (Chiordi)
Dana@ContactDana.com | Chiordi Property Advisors, PLC | DPR Realty | (623) 252-9032 - Phoenix, AZ
Quality service that will move you!

Great post.  I'm in the midst of change myself after spilling coffee accidentally on my Windows-based laptop in March of this year.  I quickly replaced it with another Windows based computer but also had a Mac laptop at home to work on more creative projects.  

I am most comfortable with my Windows based computer but must concur with your conclusions on the Mac.  However, I hate the file management of Mac, along with some other things.  For now, I will continue to ride two horses so to speak....each focused in their areas and using my iPhone and iPad for paperlesss, photos, interet and creative.  

We use eSign with our Arizona Association membership. I also like the Sign My Pad program for use with iPad.   As for Open House sign in, I've used the sign in with Realty Juggler and thought it worked nice, though not as aesthetically pleasing as the program you mentioned.   

 

Cheers!

Aug 09, 2015 01:14 PM
Joan Whitebook
BHG The Masiello Group - Nashua, NH
Consumer Focused Real Estate Services

Thanks for you experience switching to apple.  I have been hesitant to to so because I am not sure the RE applications will run with apple... especially the NH mls. 

Aug 09, 2015 01:36 PM
Sybil Campbell
Fernandina Beach, FL
Referral Agent Amelia Island Florida

Bob Haywood, I'm on my second Macbook.  The only reason I had to get the second one is because the first one was dropped, OOPS!

Aug 10, 2015 01:43 AM
Gloria Valvasori, Accredited Senior Agent
BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS REAL ESTATE SIGNATURE SERVICE - Mississauga, ON
REAL Experience | REAL Commitment | REAL Results!

I also switched to Apple products and it is so convenienet when everyting is synced..... I also use Open Home Pro... what a great tool.. You can customize the questions you ask, have a slide show of photos running on your iPad of the property... AND it keeps the  names of everyone who registers, and automatically sends them a thank you via email.

 

It downloads the names in your contacts for follow up... I have NEVER had anyone refuse to register using this tool!

Aug 10, 2015 08:51 AM
Tanya Redic
CIDER Properties - Tyler, TX
e-Pro, SFR

Bob, I love my MacBook, iPad Mini & ipad 6+.  I'm a big fan of Evernote and didn't really like dotloop.  Maybe I'll give dotloop another try.  Thanks for the post!

 

Aug 10, 2015 09:23 AM
Bob Haywood
McGraw Realtors - Owasso, OK
BobHaywood.com

 Tanya Redic try Docusign.  I think you'd like it better.

 

Aug 10, 2015 09:37 AM
Nathan Tutas
Tutas Towne Realty, Inc. - Davenport, FL
Your Central Florida Real Estate Expert

I would agree with number 3 outright. We went paperless a few years ago and it's saved a lot of money and a lot of trees. However, I don't agree with you about having to switch to apple to get a seemless experience among all your devices. I use Google everything and it gives me the ability to do everything that apple let's me do and more.

Aug 11, 2015 12:39 PM
Pat Starnes-Front Gate Realty
Front Gate Real Estate - Brandon, MS
601-991-2900 Office; 601-278-4513 Cell

Congrats on the feature, Bob, and also thanks for squeezing so much useful content into this post. 

Aug 12, 2015 12:09 PM
MaryBeth Mills Muldowney
TradeWinds Realty Group LLC - Braintree, MA
Massachusetts Broker Owner

I am right there with you, apple products are in sync - pictures from one tool to another seemlessly, rarely an issue! Saves time and especially where I switch between cell (iphone), ipad and my mac book air as well as large desktop throughout the day, somedays I just feel like PIGPEN from Charlie Brown leaving my stuff all over the place and my apple products just clean up my dust for me by days end LOL.  

Aug 13, 2015 10:45 AM