32 Must-Have Real Estate Tools for Agents

Tools not only make your life easier, they help you close more leads. These are the top tools agents should be using to better their marketing efforts and

From making your life easier to getting more efficient at what you do, tools can help you online and offline. These top real estate tools for agents are helping agents around the world do more with their day.

Are you using any of them? Do you have a mundane task that can be eliminated with a more efficient modern tool? Here are the top tools I see Realtors getting the most from.

Be sure to check out our home staging guide too!

The Essential Realtors Tools

While many successful real estate agents began their businesses with little money, real-estate-on-a-shoestring is neither advised nor comfortable. In fact, beginning with several essential real estate tools is, well, essential!

Sure, licensing and joining the various associations takes a huge chunk of money, but the out-of-pocket expenses don’t end there.

You now own a business and, like all business owners, you’ll require capital to get started. Certain systems, tools and supplies may be provided by your broker but you’ll be the one shelling out the cash for the ones you need the most.

Ideally, you’ll start your business with the following common yet essential real estate tools. If that’s not possible, plan on going shopping sometime between hanging your license and receipt of your first commission check.

They’ll not only make your work life a lot easier, but they’ll help you generate new business as well. So let’s talk about all realtor tools.

What are the essential real estate tools?

1. Smartphone

It’s hard to believe that there are some people roaming the earth who aren’t connected to a smartphone. Not many, mind you, but we hear tell that they do exist.

If you’re among them, make the investment in a smartphone as soon as possible. It’s the one tool you’ll use more than any other in your real estate practice. This may be the most important element of these essential real estate tools.

Not only is a mobile phone important for being able to respond to leads quickly, but the “smart” aspect of it allows you to accomplish a lot of tasks remotely.

“I have about 60 Android apps on my new phone, and I use 10 of them on a daily basis, including Twitter and Facebook,” St. Paul, Minnesota agent Theresa Boardman writes at Inman.com.

Warning: Choosing which platform will be the hardest part

Despite Android™ claiming the title of the world’s most popular operating system, more than half of REALTORS® use the Apple iPhone®, according to the NAR, but you’ll find a good share of Android™ fans as well (45 percent).

Don’t let popularity be your benchmark, when deciding on a platform. Talk to agents in your office about why they chose the OS they did.

While a smartphone’s features are critical when making the decision on which to purchase, the types of apps it can run and their ease of use is important to consider as well.

Android™ gets the award for the sheer number of apps (2.8 million, as of March of this year) but the Apple Store isn’t too far behind with 2.2 million apps on offer.

Which apps will you need the most?

Ask your colleagues and you’ll get a variety of answers, but those we’ve spoken with say the must-have, basic apps for the rookie are:

Microsoft OneNote (for Android and Apple) or Evernote (for Apple and Android) for note-taking.
Remember the Milk, 24Me or similar personal assistant apps
Karl’s Mortgage Calculator (available for Android and Apple devices; free) can help you whip out a quick estimate of a buyer’s “monthly payments on a property given the principal, interest, and loan terms,” according to Reut R. Cohen, at Inman.com. Quicken also offers one for Android and Apple.
Your most-frequently used social media app
Maps, so you don’t get lost. Google Maps and Waze are the most popular, with the latter offering humor along with your directions.
Personal safety apps are, unfortunately, a must. Check out the list at missourirealtor.org.

Can you hear me now?

Compare the audio quality on speakerphone and Bluetooth since you’ll most likely be using the phone a lot while driving (if it’s legal in your area) and audio quality can vary greatly between phones.

In the beginning of your career you’ll probably rely on your phone to take photos (please hire a pro when you can afford to), so ensure that the photo and video display and resolution are what you need.

Again, the techies at your office will more than likely be happy to share their opinions on this with you.

From adding contacts on the fly to mapping and navigation, you’ll find a smartphone to be your most valuable tool.

2. CRM

From day one in your real estate career you’ll be hitting the ground, drumming up business. Unless you plan on going through piles of scraps of paper to keep track of all the contacts you’ll make, you need a customer relationship management system.

Used for a number of tasks – from automating some of your marketing to keeping track of your sphere, your prospects and clients (past and present) – a CRM system is invaluable.

Look for a CRM that offers property blasts, email templates and the ability to monitor client activity on your website. In fact, you can’t go wrong with any of the CRM solutions we list here.

It’s not enough to own a CRM, you need to learn how to use it

We walk you through how to get the most from your CRM here.

If you’re on an extremely tight budget you might want to start with what the NAR calls “no-frills electronic address books,” such as Outlook and Apple Address book.

You won’t get the integrated solutions that you will with the higher-end systems, but at the very least, you’ll get your contacts organized.

3. Website/Blog

“My website – I call it my hub for my business. It truly is the engine that makes my business run,” says Pittsford, NY mega-agent Kyle Hiscock.

He goes on to remind agents that their websites aren’t just for lead generation, but also offer exposure for listings, buying and selling information for potential and current clients, a platform to demonstrate your expertise and more. Websites may be the most essential real estate tools.

Sure, your broker may offer you a page on his or her company website, but

**Get your own website, with your branding**

The most important features in a real estate website include:

Mobile Optimization
Local IDX
The ability to integrate with your CRM
Lead capture capabilities
Google-friendly

Some of the bells and whistles that are nice to have include done-for-you blogging, automatic text follow-up, and visitor tracking.

If that sounds suspiciously familiar, it should – it describes Easy Agent Pro websites, which we just happen to think are the best investments you can make in your real estate business.

As you consider which tools you’ll need to get started in real estate, don’t skip the free stuff. Set up a Facebook page, Twitter page, Google Plus page, and LinkedIn — these are all places where consumers will look for you before hiring.

Then, to hit the ground running, check out our video for new and relocating agents.

Speaking of essential Realtors tools, here are the three essential Facebook ads every agent (especially rookies) should be running:

Office Real Estate Tools For Agents

4. Evernote

Saving files, folders, notes, and documents may not seem like a big deal. BUT Evernote does it so well that it is a huge deal! Where do you keep all your receipts for tax season? Where do you keep all your old files? Where are your notes from that conference you went to 1.5 years ago? They could all be on Evernote. They could be on your phone, tablet, and any computer with internet access. Evernote also makes it so easy to search all these folders that finding things is easy.

5. Mailbox

Mailbox makes email inbox 0 a reality. You can schedule emails to be sent back to you at any time in the future. This is great for those messages you just can’t get to now. It also has a Mac app that’s awesome. Use this if you need to regain control of email.

6. Contactually

CRM made simple. Contactually tells you what to do and when to do it. PLUS, they have pre-written email sequences for Realtors that are awesome! I love their buckets. You simply add contacts to buckets and the system tells you when to email them.

7. Grasshopper / Ring Central

Grasshopper and Ring Central are awesome! They give you big business phone capabilities at costs typically under $20 a month. You now can easily not miss calls and automatically forward calls to the right people. This also gives you the ability to have many digital phone benefits while not costing what IP phones cost.

8. DocuSign

This app makes it so easy to sign documents and send them. Honestly, I haven’t printed out and signed things in ages. Simply draw your signature and this app will remember it. It will also let you fill out any required fields and then exports the documents as a PDF. You can even share it via email at this time.

9. Document Scanner

There are so many of these I won’t mention a particular one. You can find any number of great document scanners for your iPhone, iPad, and more! These make it really easy to turn that form into a PDF and email it to a client without having to make a trip to the office. If you’re in the field, you can stay there and simply mail a PDF to your clients with these apps.

Marketing Real Estate Tools For Agents

10. Pinterest

If you aren’t on Pinterest, go join it now. It’s the biggest driver of website traffic (AKA LEADS) in the whole social media realm. Plus! It’s great for real estate. Real estate is such a visual industry. You can make boards about interior design, DIY, neighborhoods, ect! This is a great lead gen platform. Click here to see some great Real estate Pinterest tips

11. WordPress Blog

There is nothing simpler for lead generation than a blog filled with helpful articles. You really can’t effectively use social media, paid ads, or SEO without a WordPress blog. We’ll set up a great one for you here.

12. Buffer

Bufferapp is a simple way to schedule social media posts. When you sign up, you simply input when you want the posts to go out. Then, you just loadup your Buffer feed and the posts go out at the times you picked. Plus there are cool browser extensions that let you “buffer” pages on Easy Agent Pro with one click. 🙂

13. LeadSites

Want to build landing pages? Or grow your leads with killer content? You need LeadSites. This all-in-one real estate website is built to help you get traffic and convert it VERY well into leads. All in a super easy to use system that makes it easy to take your traffic to the next level.

14. 99Designs

Do you need a new brand? Need a new real estate logo? Need business cards that match your real estate logo design? This is the best place to go for that. Instead of hiring one graphic designer to give you one brand idea, hundreds of designers compete and you get to choose the best design. The process is awesome! You get a great design in less time with less work and more options!

15. Canva

Canva is an easy to use image creation software. Plus, it’s free! Create real estate flyer templates in no time. Or you can easily make Pinterest or Facebook images!

16. MailChimp

Mailchimp is awesome for sending newsletters. The best way to make money from your website is by getting people’s email address and then talking with them via email. Mailchimp makes that easy and free. I recommend setting up Mailchimp with your website today!

17. Getresponse

Want a fancy autoresponder or drip sequence? I’d go with Getresponse then. They have a few more options that Mailchimp just doesn’t have. If you want a little more, pay GetResponse their reasonable fee of $15 a month and go with them!

18. Trello

What’s the next step after you have enough leads? Getting organized and building your team! Trello makes it easy to manage projects and tasks. If you’re visually minded, you’ll love how easy it makes project management. I recommend checking it out if you currently are looking for a way to be more organized.

19. Sumome

Free leads from your website. This company makes installing popups, slide-ins, and more easily. Check it out today!

20. iWriter

Want to blog…but don’t want to write? iWrite has a talent for hire. And the prices are awesome. I would recommend not going here for “SEO” articles but rather showing the writers you hire an article to ‘re-write’. Find a great article and tell them to base their article on that one.

21. Agora Pulse

Agora Pulse is the tool you’ll use when looking for those articles to write. The search engine tracks what articles are LOVED on social media. What do you want when writing a blog? Never to write stinkers. You want articles that have already proven to be popular. This tool lets you track that and make sure the articles you are paying to have written or writing yourself are VERY high quality.

22. LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a powerful tool for Realtors. You really will want to optimize your profile for maximum exposure. You can join groups, post your blogs, and connect with key members in your community.

General Real Estate Tools For Agents

23. Prezi

Presentation matters! Prezi is a great way to make an engaging seller or buyer presentation. It looks professional and the animations are different from the typical ones. Be sure to practice your presentation at least once before using it for the first time. They also have apps if you want to use them!

24. Keynote / Powerpoint

The more standard presentation app is Keynote for Apple or Powerpoint for Microsoft. These are great tools still for presenting. You definitely will give a better presentation if you have a script and presentation to work with.

25. Magic Plan

Want to make maps of the inside of houses? Want to show clients what the inside of that house could look like? This app has been downloaded over 7 million times for a reason! It has amazing capabilities when it comes to the digital staging of homes.

26. Dropbox

Dropbox makes it easy to store documents, pictures, and other files online. I recommend backing up your important documents to Dropbox weekly. Additionally, I use Dropbox to trade video files and photo files with my team. You might find it useful for trading scripts or other important documents with your team.

27. Magisto

Video made super easy! Want to make a video that has special effects? Magisto automatically adds a theme and music to your footage. They make you look like a pro designer. This real estate app makes it really fun and easy to make videos. You can make your downtown neighborhood tour really stand out from all the other ones out there!

28. Bond

Bond lets you send ‘hand-written’ postcards from your phone. Okay…so they aren’t really hand-written. But the app makes it look like it is. And they send them instantly. This is a great way to make a touch in your 33 touch system without having to find, sign, and send a postcard.

29. Streak

Contactually is an awesome full-blown CRM. Streak is free and has all the functions you need in a CRM in your Gmail inbox. If you need a free option and don’t mind how it looks (it’s a bit of an eyesore), the app is an awesome way to keep your follow-ups in line.

30. Craigslist

Craigslist still has buyer and seller leads. If you aren’t using it, you really are missing out. This is a great task for your admin to complete for you! Simply have them post the same ad or the same type of ad for a different property daily. You’ll get a fair number of inquiries simply from posting free ads.

31. Yoast

Yoast is the best SEO plugin for WordPress out there. Simply follow the easy to understand instructions and your posts will be more SEO friendly. The app adds the necessary metadata to your posts and helps you format them properly.

32. IFTTT

Do you perform a lot of repetitive tasks? IFTTT lets you schedule follow-ups based on actions you take a lot! I really recommend checking out some of their social media tasks. They can really help cut down on the amount of time you spend on social media.

And there you have it! 32 Realtors tools to make your life (and marketing) run smoother. What are your favorite apps and tools that make real estate easier?

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Tyler Zey

Hey! I'm Tyler with Easy Agent Pro! We provide top notch marketing content for realtors... And we do it for FREE! I get excited about sharing tactics and strategies that can be implemented TODAY.