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Let’s face it: As a busy real estate professional, your time is a highly valued commodity. You can’t afford to waste a minute that could cost you a lead or listing. Every action needs to be well thought out. And what better way to save time than by using web applications to make your business (and life) a little easier?
There are a seemingly endless number of apps and extensions you can add to your browser that can shed minutes off of essential tasks. Because of the substantial amount of these apps and extensions out there, though, many agents and brokers just don’t know which ones they should download. I’ve put together a comprehensive list of what I deem some of the most helpful web applications and extensions for real estate professionals — from the popular to the little-known.
The Popular Extensions
1) Feedly
Content aggregator allows for customized news feed. One of the most popular Chrome extensions and apps there is, Feedly is perfect for real estate pros who are ardent readers of industry news, trends and updates, but simply don’t have the time to read up on them during the workday. With Feedly, it’s easy for you to save content to read later and pull the news that you actually want comb through. Now, when you want to find the latest breaking news on niche industries without having to waste time searching across the endless desert that is the Internet, you can use this extension to pile up the resources they’ll actually find useful.
2) Boomerang
Helps schedule emails and set automated reminders. Ahh, the small but satisfying wonders of the digital age. To have an app like Boomerang that can allow you to schedule emails for later in the day, week and month, and remind you of the important things you need to remember and monitor, is a godsend for many real estate pros. Whether it’s writing an email to a potential buyer now that needs to wait until later in the day or scheduling a reminder for yourself to attend that important meeting with fellow brokers, Boomerang comes to the rescue.
3) Any.do
Simple-to-use calendar organizational tool. There’s a good reason the Any.do extension has a half-million users. Your agenda planning will no longer be a royal pain. In fact, you’ll likely enjoy the smooth functionality of this particular extension, which allows users to drag and drop items on and off agendas and attach detailed notes and reminders for upcoming meetings and events — all of which helps you stay on your toes and maintain that hectic schedule.
4) Zillow
Widely revered real estate information and listings site. This real estate marketplace is bookmarked by… well, just about every agent and broker out there today. Regardless, I felt compelled to include the comprehensive listing and information site as one extension real estate pros would be remiss not to download. Keep up with the listings as they come and go to the site with this tidy extension that provides all of the vital info you need to learn about your core market(s).
“Time stays long enough for those who use it.”
— LEONARDO DA VINCI
The Up-and-Coming Extensions
5) Smartr Inbox
Provides contacts’ social media info and email history. Adding that personal touch when connecting with leads online can go a long way in helping to gently nudge them along the sales process. One ideal extension you may not know about that can help you in your quest to keep up with prospective buyers and sellers is Smartr. Key benefits in using this app include the ability to quickly revisit communications history between you and everyone you’ve ever emailed and knowing where else to find your leads online, including social media.
6) Related Content by Zemanta
Offers resources and SEO help with blog efforts. Blogging is a big part of many agents’ and brokers’ content marketing strategies, and rightfully so. Ensure you’re on top of your blogging game with this Chrome extension, which a recent reviewer noted was, “like having a guest blogger at my fingertips.” Like with WordPress (which this extension works with), you’ll get a dashboard showing updated stats regarding your content. It even helps with SEO — something you’ll certainly need to draw the right audience to your site.
7) Ginger Page
Grammar checker extraordinaire. And when you’re blogging, you’re going to want to make sure you’re not only spelling werds korrectly (oops), but also using proper grammar throughout your posts. No writer will produce clean content every time up to bat, which is what makes Ginger Page such a treat. It’s been touted by numerous reviewers as the best in its class, as pop-ups alert you of even the tiniest errors. The grammar police won’t be knocking at your door anytime soon.
8) 1Password
Secure and easy log-in to sites and software. For some people, logging in and out of the various sites and programs — for both work and pleasure — takes practically no time. For the majority of folks, though, there are logins they simply don’t use every day to make purchases and get into various software, thus making remembering all of their passwords the hassle of all hassles. Download the 1Password extension (and the desktop application), and that hassle disappears. No more worrying about having to re-enter a million passwords, credit card numbers and registration forms anymore.
The Extensions You May Not Know, But Should
9) Chime
Social and website notification aggregator. Keeping tabs on all of your social media activity during the course of a day can be crazy. Instead of keeping a million tabs open to monitor what’s going on with your activity on Gmail, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn (along with a few other popular sites), Chime compiles your notifications into a nifty, organized list that prevents you from becoming inundated with popups and alerts all over your screen. It’s an easy fix to your “I’ve-gotta-know-what’s-happening-everywhere-right-now!” mentality.
10) Full Page Screen Capture
Snap a full-page screenshot in seconds. Ever come across a blog or news site with a unique or beautiful layout? This extension allows you to save screenshots of webpages you find intriguing, but you can even secure a full-screen PNG of property listings pages that feature properties of significant interest.
These 10 extensions will transform you into a high-performing (a hopefully stress-free) real estate professional. And, if you’re just getting started as an agent, download the The Beginner’s Guide to Being a Real Estate Agent.
Have we missed one of your top favorite extensions? Let us know in the comments below!
