Real Estate Solutions

Blogging from my IPad

I'm a proud IPad owner. I've had this wonderful device since my CyberProfessional family presented it to me for my 60th birthday a few weeks ago. I really haven't had the proper time to play with it but have big plans for it this weekend. Today I'm trying out blogging from the road through the TypePad app. Consider this my beta test.

60 Websites in 60 Minutes

I’ve been selling real estate in Eastern Connecticut for over 33 years. I’ve had good success, sold a bunch of houses, won some awards, and as a result have been invited to speak at a number of real estate events including RE/MAX International Conventions, Inman Connect and regional conferences.

Lots of speakers at conventions and conferences will tell you how to sell real estate and use technology in your business. Unfortunately, many speakers have never actually sold real estate. I’m not a professional speaker and I didn’t sleep at a Holiday Inn Express last night but I do sell real estate and use technology in my business just like you.

About a year ago, I created a presentation called “60 Websites in 60 Minutes”. After delivering the session at Triple Play in New Jersey, someone in the audience asked me where they could go to discover my other “finds”. Although I post many of them here, it occurred to me that Facebook was a natural place to post my favorites including those I use in my “60 in 60” presentation. And so my 60 Websites in 60 Minutes Facebook page was born. I hope you’ll stop by, like it, and learn some cool stuff.

60 Websites in 60 Minutes

I’ll be doing some real estate technology sessions next week for the good folks at RE/MAX Landmark in Stoughton MA. Here is a sneak peek of my presentation.

60 Websites In 60 Minutes

View more presentations from Linda Davis.

Google Maps for Real Estate

Did you know that Real Estate listings can be found by going to Google Maps , finding a location, and clicking on the "More" button in the upper right corner of the map page.  Select "Real Estate" and an overlay of properties for sale will appear on your Google map as well as a search window to the left letting you select "For Sale", "For Rent" and "Foreclosure" property types.

Try it out!  Click on "More" in the upper right corner to enable REAL ESTATE.

P.S. While you are at it, don’t forget to fill out your Google Profile.

Big Huge Labs for Real Estate

Big Huge Labs is one of my favorite places to visit when I’m feeling creative. As their website shouts out, “Helping you do cool stuff with your digital photos since 2005.

At Big Huge Labs you will find online photo toys which give you the ability to make calendars, cubes, badges, slide shows and magazine covers from your own digital photos. One of my favorites is the Motivator toy which lets you create a poster with a humorous or inspirational message. I created my twitter background, seen below,  using Big Huge Lab’s Mosaic Maker.

There are plenty of useful real estate applications at BigHugeLabs. Just use your imagination!

60 Websites in 60 Minutes

I won big in Atlantic City in December but it had nothing to do with gambling. I presented 60 websites in 60 minutes at Triple Play, a fantastic convention put on by the combined efforts of the Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey Association of Realtors. I won some great friends and new ideas for future 60 in 60 presentations as the audience share some of their own favorites.

Triple Play - 60 in 60

View more presentations from Linda Davis.

Social Networking Secrets

Because this blog isn’t about blogging or social networking for that matter, I like to leave the social networking stuff to the experts. Grab a cup of coffee and pull up a chair and watch this video. 

Social Networking Secrets Revealed from Wright Brothers Communications on Vimeo.

Eye Jot for Real Estate

I could write about EyeJot video mail for real estate but my friend Pei Lin Huang from Syracuse, New York does a great job explaining EyeJot by using an Eyejot! She introduced the idea and showed her branded eyejot at our CyberProfessional Meeting in Orlando and the group was impressed. There is a free version but the $99 to upgrade to Eyejot pro is worth the price for the ability to brand your mail with logo and color scheme.

Tech solutions – PDF to Word

ConvertPDFtoWord.net does just that. It converts PDF files to word files. Not much more to say. It’s cool. It works. Try it.

Realty Tools – My CMA Solution

When I first saw Realty Tool’s, Tool Kit CMA at the National Association of Realtors Convention over 10 years ago, I remember breathing a sigh of relief that I had finally found the CMA product I was looking for.  Up to that point, I was using a concoction of part MLS program and part Word document.  While my homemade production didn’t seem to keep me from obtaining listings, it was certainly tedious to assemble, and didn’t have the professional appearance I was looking for.  When Tool Kit CMA was first introduced, it was a software program you installed on your computer. Now it is a web based system with automatic upgrades, that interfaces with most MLS platforms.  It delivers pages of professional graphics and a final product to be proud of.  Custom branded for most of the larger franchises and independents, it can also be customized with your own company logo and color schemes.

Took Kit CMA is easy to use. The process from start to finish is quick and painless. You’ll start by uploading your photo for the cover and customizing some of the pages, like your profile, resume and customer references.  Then you just select the pages you want to use in your presentation. (If you find you like to use the same pages for each CMA, you can save them as your default setting.) Next, you will need to download the data and images of the properties you are using from your MLS. Tool Kit CMA comes with detailed instructions to work with your specific MLS system. I’ve used it with 2 different MLS’s and each time the data and images downloaded without a hitch. After the data is imported into your presentation, corrections or changes to the data can be made easily. It also allows for price adjustments. After you’ve completed any additional customized pages including a summary, your CMA is complete and you can email or save as a PDF file.

The program delivers other features like buyer property tours with mapping, flyer templates and FSBO and expired listing presentations.  The other features of the product are nice, but for me, the CMA program alone is worth the $168 a year price tag. 

PRO’S: Realty Tool’s, Took Kit CMA produces a professional presentation and is simple to use.  You can create a CMA in under 30 minutes. Although it is a templated product, it does offer enough customization to satisfy most agents. The only instructions you really need are provided in the MLS Access Guide.  The rest is intuitive.  Customer Support is available if you need it.  I’ve never needed it. 

CON’S: Your presentation is only saved online for 30 days, so you need to remember to save it as a separate PDF file.  While Tool Kit CMA can create property flyers, there is much better software available to fill that need.  If you are a super geek or engineer type, the simple graphs might not satisfy your analytical side.