All the agents in the crib…drop it like it’s hot!

By NikNik · October 12, 2008 · 16 Comments 

Turn up your mobile real estate bizzle with these 2 hot tools.

Dropcard - Send your business card from your phone to your new clients using SMS!

Dropcard lets you create a virtual business card that can be easily emailed to anyone you meet using your phone. Whether it’s a new client or friend, you can immediately send them your name, email address, phone number, LinkedIn profile, Twitter ID, blog address, website, or anything else you’d like to include. Your dropcard will arrive instantly in the recipient’s email with a vCard attached, so they can import your contact information into their address book.

Dropcard allows you to create 2 business card profiles for free (ex:  one for business and one for pleasure). However, the free version limits the number of contacts you can send to (only 15 per month). Perfect option for giving Dropcard a try.  But if you’re planning to adopt this paper free technology as a regular business practice, then you should consider upgrading to Dropcard Premium or Elite.

With the upgraded service, you have access to additional features such as: (1) branding your Dropcard with your logo or image, (2) attaching files and important documents, and (3) Dropcard statistics. With Dropcard Premium, you can send up to 100 virtual cards per month and create up to 20 business card profiles. Dropcard Elite is your unlimited option, so send freely! Premium will run you $4.99 a month, and Elite is $9.99 a month. Click here to learn more about how Dropcard works.

MTO readers are in luck, because the first 10 commenters who leave me their twitter username below (ex: @nik_nik) will receive a Premium membership from Dropcard!

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Splashup: I can’t believe it’s not Photoshop

By Reggie · October 11, 2008 · 4 Comments 

With Web2.0 we’ve seen the introduction of many remarkable web applications that would not be possible just a few years ago. Microsoft has seen growth from competitor products like OpenOffice.org and Google Docs.

Now it’s time for Adobe Photoshop to start feeling the pressure from online competitors in their space. Introducing Splashup (formerly Fauxto).

Splashup is a 100% free web-based image editing application, and will run in all major browsers.  The tool makes grabbing and editing photos from sharing sites like Facebook, Flickr, or Picasa a snap.

Once you have your artwork open, you’ll feel like you’re running a desktop application. The menus drop down, tool palettes are in familiar locations, and the interface is very clean.
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Make Real Estate Personal with Eyejot Video Email

By NikNik · September 22, 2008 · 7 Comments 

Make it personal….make it with Eyejot! New technology makes sending video email to your real estate clients a snap…thanks to Eyejot.com.  To get started, you will obviously need a Webcam.  I like the Logitech Quickcam Pro 9000, but just about any Webcam will do. Visit Eyejot.com and sign up for free! Take a snapshot of yourself and select your preferences. Then you’re ready to start sending emails. The FREE version of Eyejot allows you to record up to 60 seconds of video.  Sending your video is as easy as clicking a button and you can manage all your video messages from Eyejot’s online interface.

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Bobbing for iPhone Apps: 15 Worth Sinking Your Teeth Into

By Reggie · September 17, 2008 · 2 Comments 

I’ve been using the iPhone now for about 2 months. I’ve downloaded several different iPhone applications-some good, some bad. Here is a list of applications I find useful at this time. Please share your favorite iPhone app and tell us why it’s useful in your daily life.

Utilities

1.  DeliciousSafari - I absolutely love this application as it helps me quickly and easily access my del.icio.us books marks wherever I go.

Business

2.  vCard Mailer - This application let’s you send vCards to recipients. To receive the vCard, recipients need a device that can receive email and recognize the vCard format.

3. Remote Desktop Lite - Do you run Windows XP? Do you want access to your desktop while your remote? If you answered yes to both questions you need to try MochaSoft’s Remote Desktop Lite. It provides secure access to your XP computer using the iPhone. You can see everything as though you were sitting at your PC…just much smaller.

4. Home Finder - Alexander Mobile uses sources like Google Base, Craigslist and Trulia to return area homes. Also share results via email.

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How I Stopped Paying For Online Meetings!

By Reggie · August 10, 2008 · 4 Comments 

I love free technology, especially when it increases my productivity. That’s why I was so excited about the release of Adobe’s Acrobat.com beta.  This new online application suite is not what you would think looking at the name. It’s not just an online version of their already popular Acrobat. This site is packed full of features ranging from free online meeting software to document storage and delivery.

Free Online Meetings, what’s the catch?

The only catch is that you need 3 or fewer attendees. If you do, your meeting is free!  The service is called Adobe ConnectNow. This online meeting and collaboration solution is both attractive and powerful.  ConnectNow boasts features like video conferencing, teleconferencing, chat, whiteboard, screen sharing, and unique meeting URL.

Setting up a meeting is a snap. To invite attendees give out your personal meeting URL. (Choose your custom URL based on availability.) Or send an invite from within your ConnectNow account.  Invitees will be asked to join as guest or create an account. If they choose “Guest” they Read more

Your Edge in Real Estate is Getting Sharper

By NikNik · July 9, 2008 · 4 Comments 

If you’ve been clamoring for an up to the minute mortgage rate widget for your real estate blog….it’s time to dry your eyes and head over to Zillow.  There you’ll find four brand new Mortgage Rate Widgets that you can freely leverage for your own blog.  If you’re looking to foster greater online interaction via your blog community and provide readers with a knowledgeable tool, this may be just what you need. Not only are these widgets radiating rates…but they look nice too!

If you thought the Mortgage Rate Widget was the only new candy in Zillow’s goodie bag, it’s time to reach in for a second helping. Did you feel that? It’s Zillow’s FREE co-branding! With it, your blog readers will have access to Zillow tools and features while being reminded who sent them there in the first place.  With Zillow’s co-branding individuals or companies can utilize this free service just by adding any of the following to their blog or Website: individual Zillow URLs, mortgage rate widgets, links generated by the Zillow API, new profile badges.

Here’s how it works:

Before you can take advantage of Zillow’s free co-branding, you need to take care of the following: (1) sign up for a Zillow account, (2) add a Zillow URL to your blog or Website and (3) include the following code at the end of your Zillow link “/?scrnnm=YourZillowScreenName”. Then, when readers select the Zillow URL on your blog and a new Zillow page opens, you’re picture, contact information and link to your Website will appear at the top of that page.  Wherever your blog reader travels on Zillow during that session, your branding will follow too. Click here to learn more about Zillow Co-Branding.

In this market, any edge, ledge, step stool or leg up you can get to boost your blog community and market freely to your target audience is worth checking out. And if you’d like to get up close and personal with the Zillow team AND you’re planning to go to REBarCamp and the Inman Connect, you won’t want to miss Beer with Bloggers. The venue is Café Du Nord (from 6-8pm), which just happens to be right above REBarCamp on July 22, 2008. See you there!

Are you missing lead generation opportunities with your IDX MLS search tool?

By Reggie · June 22, 2008 · 9 Comments 

As a real estate agent over the past few years you’ve been hearing more and more about buyers turning to the internet as part of the home search process. According to the California Association of Realtors, in 2007, 72% of home buyers actively used the Internet for home search.  Which means that you should be looking for new and innovative ways to enhance the online consumer’s shopping experience on your Website or blog.   Great user experience doesn’t mean you need to sacrifice strong lead generation tools.  Quite the opposite, you need the perfect combination of both.

If you think you may already have such a tool, ask yourself the following questions. Do you offer consumers the ability to visually search neighborhoods on an interactive map interface? Do you combine home details with state-of-the-art tools such as Google Street View? How about providing school and community information tightly bound with home details? Do you offer consumers more than one way to keep updated on new homes in your area?  Have I peaked your interest?

Recently I had the privilege of Interviewing Robert Luna, Director of Business Development for Diverse Solutions about their blistering hot IDX MLS search tool titled dsSearchAgent. With Robert, I focused my questions on lead generation, RSS and Read more

Jott for Blackberry - The Secret To Speaking Your Emails

By Reggie · June 8, 2008 · 8 Comments 

In March I started using Jott for Blackberry ^beta, in hopes that I could save time by replying to email with my voice via my Blackberry. To my surprise this voice to email application was remarkable and accurate. Although as I’ve been talking with real estate agents I’m learning that many have not heard of this useful technology. That’s unfortunate because as a busy real estate agent you are probably sending many emails while out of the office and maybe even while you are on the road. Needless to say, emailing while driving can be dangerous.  If that email needs to be sent immediately, using Jott for Blackberry you can simply attach your Bluetooth headset and speak your email while keeping both hands on the steering wheel. (We are not endorsing emailing while driving…simply sharing the technology. )

How do I get started?
To start, Jott for Blackberry supports series 8800, 8300 (Curve), and 8100 (Pearl) models. If you are using one of these devices, simply visit www.jott.com/bb on your mobile phone and download the application. Note that once Jott for Blackberry is installed you will need an active Jott account to use the service. Easily get an account by visiting Jott online or from your mobile device after downloading the application.

Once Jott for Blackberry has been installed, you are ready to start sending emails by voice. Locate an email you would like to reply to and choose “Reply with Jott” or “Reply to All with Jott” from the top of the reply menu. Next Jott will speak a welcome message and ask you to press any key (except hang up) to begin recording. Then speak your email and keep it to less than 30 seconds in length.  Once finished speaking your email, simply hold down any button to send. You will also have an option to preview the recorded audio before sending the message. You’ll notice that within a few minutes of sending the voice message it will be Read more

FreeMobile411 – New Mobile Search Technology

By Reggie · April 6, 2008 · 5 Comments 

If you don’t already have a free mobile option for directory search you may enjoy a new service from Free411 called FreeMobile411.com.  This new WAP enabled technology is optimized for mobile browsers and lets you search business name, business type, & person’s name. Once you’ve located the desired result, users will see the corresponding address, phone number, map, directions and nearby places as available. You will see a few ads, but they do not seem to get in the way too much.

Other useful free directory searches include Google Mobile Maps, Goog-411, and Microsoft’s Tell-Me service. Google-411 and Microsoft are both call in systems. [via CNET]

Adobe Photoshop Express Goes Live

By Reggie · March 28, 2008 · Leave a Comment 

Real Estate is very much a photo-dependant business. That’s why I’m excited to share the news about Adobe Systems launching their beta Adobe Photoshop Express. This new addition strengthens Adobe’s online offerings by adding a photo editing tool for the “average user”-not the professional designer. Adobe is also taking advantage of the growing popularity of social networks and communities with ability to connect and share photos from Facebook, Photobucket & Picasa.  They also built in public galleries for you to showcase these photos. Perfect for real estate agents looking to store listing photos online and present them in animated slideshows. Adobe will give users 2 gigs of photo storage; and all albums will have a direct link and embed code supplied.

I must say that I was impressed with the features available in this beta. It’s nothing like Photoshop but it does have some useful features for real estate agents looking to quickly edit a photo on the fly. Users can apply sketch effects, remove red eye, touch-up, sharpen, and re-color with a single click of the mouse. Don’t like what you just applied, revert back to the original. Users can also download their edited photos in Read more

Starbucks Makes Decision That Could Save Real Estate Agents Money

By Chad A. Johnson · February 23, 2008 · 6 Comments 

Don’t get too excited, Starbucks isn’t giving away free mochas. They are giving you an opportunity to get Internet access in Starbucks locations for free.Starbucks’ long time partnership with T-Mobile to provide paid Internet hotspots in the company’s stores is coming to an end. Starting in April, AT&T will be replacing T-Mobile as Starbucks’ Internet service provider.

The new AT&T-Starbucks deal provides AT&T DSL subscribers (those with 1.5Mbps packages or higher) with free Wi-Fi Internet access at all company-owned Starbucks locations. This means that your $25.00 a month home DSL connection will provide you with over 17,000 Wi-Fi hotspots throughout the country, free of charge.

I see this as real competition for cellular phone based mobile broadband services. My current AT&T mobile broadband subscription is costing nearly $60 a month. That is $720 a year. Ironically, most of the time that I use that connection, I am at or within walking distance of a Starbucks.

Once the transition to AT&T is implemented in my area, I will be cancelling my mobile broadband account and switching from cable Internet access to DSL at home.

With real estate agent budgets so tight right now, this tactic seems like a smart one. Besides, if you aren’t within 2 minutes of a Starbucks, you probably won’t be getting a cell phone signal anyway.

Is eSignature Technology Right for Your Real Estate Business?

By Reggie · February 17, 2008 · 9 Comments 

As a real estate agent you probably have some basic understanding of how digital signature technology can help your real estate business. Maybe you could reduce the risk involved in holding and storing documents, gain time efficiencies by signing documents on the spot or even overcome geographical restrictions. Yet from my experiences many agents are sitting on the sidelines, not ready to jump in. Maybe it’s the result of not understanding how accessible the technology has become. Or is it the issue of legality?

First let’s address the legality of an eSignature. In 2000, the U.S. Congress passed a federal law titled Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (ESIGN) to “facilitate the use of electronic records and signatures in interstate and foreign commerce by ensuring the validity and legal effect of contracts entered into electronically”.

With the ESIGN Act stating clearly that “a transaction may not be denied legal effect, validity, or enforceability solely because an electronic signature or electronic record was used in its formation.” It paved the way for companies to start creating today’s eSignature platforms. Today in real estate eSignatures can be accomplished with various technologies, such as VREO Real Estate Dashboard or DocuSign. However they both deal with the digital signature in different ways and both have distinct advantages.

VREO real estate dashboard is a software application installed to a tablet PC. VREO dashboard allows agents to sign contracts and documents with a stylus pen on the screen—without ever printing a piece of paper. Once you’ve collected the required signatures, simply send to the other party using your dashboards integrated email or fax options. This technology proves to be very convenient for the mobile real estate agent who wants to conduct business anywhere, anytime! Note: An Internet connection is not required to collect signatures.

• Free trial of VREO Real Estate Dashboard here
• Watch “The New Way”—A motivation mobile agent story

DocuSign on the other hand is an online solution enabling real estate agents to capture digital signatures via the web. As a result geographical distance between you and the recipient(s) is not an issue. In 2004, DocuSign integrated with Zipforms (Winforms) to provide online signature processing. As a result of the integration, real estate agents can print contracts into a “digital envelope” and then place “Stick-eTabs” wherever a recipient’s signature or initial is needed. This digital envelope is then encrypted and saved to a secure location. Your recipients will receive their invitation by email, and they will need to authenticate and sign the contracts. In the authentication phase the recipient must provide basic identification and pick a signature. Then it’s time for the recipient to review and sign. When complete, each of the parties is notified of the updated contracts.

• Watch the DocuSign Demo
• View DocuSign’s Special Brief on the Legality of Electronic Signatures
• Zipform eSign Details & Zipform/Docusign FAQ’s

Where are you with eSignatures in real estate business?

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