From making your life easier to getting more efficient at what you do, tools can help you online and offline. These top tools 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 tool? Here are the top tools I see Realtors getting the most from:

Office Tools:

1. 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.

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

3. 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.

4. Grasshopper / Ring Central: Grasshopper and Ring Central are awesome! They give you big business phone capabilities at the 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.

5. 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.

6. 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 Tools:

7. 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

8. 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 setup a great one for you here.

9. 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.

10. LeadPages:  Want to run ads? Or Steal Leads From Trulia? You need leadpages. These website pages convert traffic VERY well into leads. They have a super easy to use system that makes it easy to take your traffic to the next level.

11. 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!

12. 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!

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

14. Getresponse:  

15. 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.

16. Sumome: Free leads from your website. This company makes installing popups, slideins, and more easily. Check it out today!

17. iWriter: Want to blog…but don’t want to write? iWrite has 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.

18. Topsy: Topsy 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 are 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.

19. 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 Tools:

20. Prezi: Presentation matters! Prezi is a great way to make an engaging seller or buyer presentation. It looks professional and the animations are different than 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!

21. 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.

22. 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 apps been downloaded over 7 million times for a reason! It has amazing capabilities when it comes to the digital staging of homes.

23. 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 tradingscripts or other important documents with your team.

24. 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!

25. Bond: Bond lets you send ‘hand-written’ postcards from your phone. Ok…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 post card.

26. 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 followups in line.

27. 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 inquires simply from posting free ads.

28. 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 meta data to your posts and helps you format them properly.

29. IFTTT: Do you perform a lot of repetitive tasks? IFTTT lets you schedule followups 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.

What are your favorite apps and tools that make real estate easier? Let me know in the comments!

The real estate industry has seen some ups and downs in the last few years, and if you are just getting started it may seem a little scary. If you are not able to get a job with an established real estate company, you will have to get started on your own without the training and leads provided to those working with industry power brokers. Don’t be dismayed by what seems to be a daunting task. You can become successful on your own by utilizing some of the following industry tips.

Know Who You Are

“To thine own self be true.” Shakespeare penned the words for Polonius in Hamlet. Stick to your principles and don’t be swayed by big talkers. Don’t compromise your reputation, your self-respect or your place in the community in order to make a sale. Build your business on your honesty, dependability and customer service.

Avoid Burn Out

Working for yourself entails a variety of tasks that can wear you out if you are not careful. Have an outlet for relaxation that you take seriously and perform faithfully. It may be running, yoga, meditation, tennis, horseback riding or reading a good book; whatever brings you back to center and keeps you focused on both your personal and professional life is the right path to follow.

Organize Your Day

Self-employed real estate agents need to create structure for their business. Organization is essential for any business, but especially for the single-agent real estate office. Create a daily routine that includes all the tasks that need to be accomplished, and stick to it. Following a plan provides a means to accomplish what is needed at the office while still allowing for quality time with your family.

You Are Your Brand

Who you are is how your company is perceived. You are your business, and it is important that you exude professionalism when it comes to real estate. Be on time for appointments. Don’t cancel showings or an open house to accommodate a golf game or other personal activities. Plan your important family events, and mark those times off on your calendar to avoid a scheduling conflict with a client. Your company will be judged by how you are perceived. It’s all up to you.

Technology Rules

In order to compete with other real estate businesses, learn all the technology tools related to the industry and office management. Software is a business expense and a legitimate tax deduction. Staying on top of all the technology advancements available to real estate agents provides you with fast and accurate information on properties around your state and beyond. Technology is the tool that keeps you connected to the industry.

Networking

Let people know who you are and what you do by participating in your community. If you have children, volunteer at their school, coach a children’s sport or mentor students in an area where you have expertise. Join your local chamber of commerce and participate in networking events they sponsor.
 

Web Site

A web site is one of the most important investments you will have to make as a real estate agent. Not only does a website solidify your brand, it becomes your branch office. While associations you have joined may offer a page on their web site, they promote all of their members at the same time. Don’t get lost in a forest of real estate agents, when there are many affordable website options

When is it good for the buyer and seller of a property to be represented by the same real estate agent?

The answer is almost never!

Think about it… The home seller wants the highest sales price and the buyer wants the lowest.

Letting the same agent represent both sides of the transaction is like having the same attorney represent both the plaintiff and defendant in a legal case.

Known in the industry as “double-ending”, the idea is that by having only one agent involved, the transaction can be done more easily with everybody benefiting financially.

Today’s consumer can find most for sale homes on the internet. The logic goes that by working directly the listing agent (with no buyer’s agent involved), some or all of the buyer’s agent commission can be credited to the buyer in the form of a reduced price.

But it rarely works that way.

How does the buyer know he didn’t overpay? How does the seller know he didn’t undersell? Plus, good listing agents would far prefer another agent earn the buy-side commission for doing the buy-side work than to give commission to an unrepresented buyer.  

In this hot seller’s market there is lots of press about unscrupulous listing agents using the lure of a pocket listing to attract buyers so as to keep both sell and buy side commissions. At Top Agent Network, we feel that using pre-MLS or pocket listings this way is wrong and bad for everybody.

When a Top Agent Network member posts an upcoming MLS or pocket listing on TAN they are sharing it with the verified top 10% producing real estate agents; those who sell 3 out of 4 homes in their market. Posting the property to fellow TAN members virtually eliminates any chance of double-ending the sale and is in the best interest of their sellers. As a bonus, the posting member agent builds his or her collaborative relationships with other top agents in their local marketplace.

To be clear, we find no issue with two different agents working for the same brokerage choosing to represent the buyer and seller of the same property. Regardless of their brokerage affiliation, nearly every real estate agent is an independent contractor and will strongly represent their client’s interests. Agents cooperating with other real estate agents is central to the real estate sales process.

As a broker myself, I can tell you from personal experience that the two times I double-ended a home sale, nobody was happy with the outcome.

If you try to burn the candle at both ends you are bound to get burned in the middle!

Ever heard the comparison between real estate agents and the Ku Klux Klan?

It’s made in the best selling book Freakonomics, written by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner. The authors don’t infer that real estate agents are a bunch of racists but rather that both groups maintain power by controlling “secret” information.

The book details how the Ku Klux Klan wielded its power as a secret society until it was no longer a secret and its formerly hidden passwords were turned into material for children’s comic books after World War II.

Real estate agents have also held onto their power by convincing the average punter that because of their secret knowledge only they can get the best possible prices for properties.

It may be time for the authors of Freakonomics to update this chapter because the information collected and held by agents is not so secret any more – it’s online, mostly free and changing the game for the real estate sector.

Consumers can now buy and sell their homes online at a fraction of the cost of an agent by using websites such as PropertyNow (see story “Virtual agent makes its move”).

These sites act like a virtual real estate agent. Depending on how many bells and whistles you’re prepared to pay for, they help arrange professional photographs, a for-sale board at the front of your house and provide the vendor with general over-the-phone advice when negotiating with buyers.

Landlords, too, are being offered alternatives to agents. New websites cut out the agent as the middle man and instead allow landlords to manage their properties online for a lower fee.

Such sweeping changes have empowered sellers, buyers and landlords like never before.

“The veil of secrecy has been lifted; it’s not hard to sell a house, it’s ridiculously easy,” the owner and director of PropertyNow, Andrew Blachut, says. “Agents try and wrap it up in mystery as much as possible.”

His knowledge comes from having worked in the real estate industry for 15 years, for big companies including LJ Hooker, Ray White and Elders.

“They say things like, ‘We are masters in selling your home – you don’t have access to buyers and don’t have masterful negotiation skills’. It’s complete nonsense.”

Buyers advocate David Morrell says the internet will become “more and more the medium through which people buy and sell” and that “you don’t necessarily need the agent in the middle”.

Investors can now do their own research and get a reasonably accurate home valuation from a variety of sources. Some of it’s freely available on the web, including suburb and street profiles and median house prices.

Some comes at a small cost – between $30 and $300 depending on the level of valuation information you’re after – from players such as RPData, Australian Property Monitors and onthehouse.com.au.

The banks still have their own valuations undertaken by qualified valuers but all the information online has helped consumers become informed.

Morrell says this means agents have to demonstrate value or risk being phased out. “The public have become more knowledgeable; they have access to market reports and information. They’re not believing the real estate agent,” he says.

“So the agent has to work harder rather than just stand out the front of a house handing out brochures.”

Many people have also learnt that marketing your home isn’t really that hard. Hundreds of thousands of properties are listed for sale or lease through the portals www.realestate.com.au and domain.com.au and some consumers are using Facebook and Twitter to sell their homes.

Domain and realestate.com.au dominate in property listings. REA Group, which owns realestate.com.au, controls about 70 per cent of the online real estate advertising, IBISWorld esimates. It and domain.com.au charge real estate agents a subscription fee plus advertising fees to advertise houses on their portals. Consumers pay a one-off listing fee.

The duopoly is working hard to protect its territory – Google was admonished two years ago when it tried to take them on by putting up the details of properties for sale on domain and realestate.com on Google maps (it no longer does this). Real estate agents are trying to devise an alternative site so they can avoid paying the two websites hefty subscription fees.

The fight for online advertsing continues, with hundreds of websites allowing consumers to upload their listings for free.

To get the best results, print advertising is still used which allows consumers to directly compare properties but social media is playing a bigger role for people wanting to target the broadest audience possible.

In February, social media expert Kurt Opray used a blog and Twitter and Facebook to market his Northcote home in Melbourne.

He bought domain name northcotehouse.com.au (at the time of print it was still the top result on Google when you type in “northcote house”) set up a WordPress blog, made YouTube videos and put up photos telling potential buyers everything they needed to know about his home – including pictures of the autumn leaves on the trees in his backyard, the veggie garden and the local playground in his neighbourhood.

He says the blog got 23 hits a day on average (both through traffic he generated himself and that referred by the local Hocking Stuart real estate agent he used). His three-bedroom home sold for $1.05 million – $135,000 above its reserve price of $920,000 – because he was able to give the buyer something the agent couldn’t: a vivid account of what it’s like to live in the property and neighbourhood.

“Who better to sell my house than me?” Opray asks. “I know the best place to have a coffee and take in morning sunrise, I know where all the local amenities are. I was able to sell the emotional attachment to the house; the agents don’t have one.”

Opray deliberately didn’t bypass the agents, he complemented what they do by running his own campaign simultaneously. “When I said what I wanted to do online, they were amused,” he says. “It was a brave new world for them.”

The internet isn’t only creating competition with agents when it comes to buying and selling. It’s also attacking their largest income stream – management fees for looking after a landlord’s property.

Gareth Robinson, who was mentored by entrepreneur Matt Barrie in his university days, set up online site called Leasate which cuts out the agents and allows landlords to manage their own properties with tenants. The entire process – from the lease application, to rental payments, to maintenance issues – is done online and for a significantly lower management fee.

The site, which initially was set up as a university project, went live in February after Robinson was able to secure $55,000 in funding from an investor. He says that about 120 landlords and tenants are using the site – most are friends they’ve talked to about the service but once they get more investors on board they hope to take it national (it only is available in Sydney at present).

“We’re trying to grow the site and get licensing in all states,” Robinson says. “Our aim is to capture 10 to 20 per cent of the market. We really feel that for a lot of people hiring a real estate agent is something that’s outdated and no longer necessary.”

The real estate industry is facing its biggest shake-up in years. IBISWorld estimates that during the five years to 2011-12, revenue for the real estate industry fell 1.1 per cent a year to $9.02 billion from $9.55 billion. At the peak of the property boom in 2002-03 the nation had 76,599 real estate agents but at the end of 2011-12, this had dropped to 67,621 agents.

Real estate agents aren’t extinct yet though. IBISWorld forecasts industry revenue will increase by 1.6 per cent a year over the next five years to $9.8 billion in 2016-17 as the population grows and development increases.

So long as people buy and sell houses there will be a role for intermediaries. But to survive, agents will have to convince consumers they can provide a professional service akin to a doctor or lawyer, as well as remodel their business to a lower-margin world.

“Real estate agents have to be transparent,” says George Rousous who heads Industry Training Consultants, a company that trains real estate agents and lobbies governments on behalf of the industry for change. He believes business models will change, with firms offering multiple services and moving towards a flat fee rather than a commissions-based approach.

Some agents are working hard to convince consumers of the value of their service by embracing technology. Franchise business Ray White offers its agents a device called Field Agent (see story “If you can’t beat them join them”), which uploads photos of a property during an inspection and instantly sends them to the landlord.

Ray White is also installing “research bars”, where consumers can come into an agent’s office and research properties for free. In the past, real estate agents have held this kind of information tightly but Ray White director Ben White is the first to admit that hiding information is foolish.

He says agents who do that will end up going out of business. “The good agents are those that have courage to say, ‘We can survive post this phase’,” White says. “If they sit around and try to ignore [technological changes], it doesn’t do anyone any favours.”

The life of a real estate agent can be extremely appealing. It’s freedom with unlimited earning potential, and in NYC, a few deals can go a long way.  Sometimes, it seems that money falls from the sky and into your lap. You meet exciting people, celebrities, and titans of industry. One day you tour a $30,000 West Village triplex rental, the other your showing a $5,000,000 million dollar Townhouse.

Is it that easy? Yes.. and no.

There’s a long road that must be taken to have such great clients and showings. A road paved by the bones of many agents before you. So let’s start at the beginning.

Your in real estate school such as NYREI (Recommended) and about to take the the school exam, then the next day or so take the state test. If you fail these test, reassess your future in real estate but by no means retain any of the information you’ve learned. Most of which isn’t applicable to NYC real estate. As is the case with most education.

What most people don’t realize, is that underneath the seemingly simple act of showing an apartment or house, lies a complex industry with thousands of moving parts.

Now comes the fun. You have to select which brokerage can handle your future superstar status and dealmaking abilities. So, you interview, but what are you looking for besides a cushy corner office with a desk and skyline views?

Things to consider when selecting a brokerage

“WAIT!! I want to know about splits first and how much money I can earn ASAP!”Then this isn’t the business for you. Yes, splits are important but having patience to learn the business is what will earn you more money in the long run.

Training

Choosing a brokerage with stellar training should be on top of your list, even if that means earning less in the beginning. A good brokerage will have a couple of weeks worth of initial training as well as classes year round. Mentoring programs and joining a team are also excellent ways to get the knowledge you want from experienced professionals who’ve worked the trenches and have insight into not just deals but client psyche. Don’t dismiss training, it probably adds to your odds of staying in the business longer if trained properly and by good people.

Now the flip side, these days every brokerage has some sort of training so it may seem hard to tell which programs are well planned and others that basically tell you how to use a computer. Ask questions about what you’ll learn, and ask for a schedule of upcoming classes and training. Make sure the people training you have actual experience in the field their training. Having a “coach” on staff doesn’t necessarily mean they understand what it is to be an agent.

Commissions & Fees

Obviously one of the most compelling reasons for choosing a broker is the commission structure and how much you will get paid per deal. Below are examples of firms commission payouts or splits. (Between you and the company) As you can see, 50% is most likely where you’ll be starting off and it’s mostly used as a standard in the industry.

GCI: Gross Commission Income, is the annual commissions you’ve earned, which will be the basis of how much percentage you will earn on deals.

Most firms adjust the structure annually, so if you earn $400,000 the first year, your split will adjust the following year. (Some brokerages vary when they will give you an increase and will even negotiate with you during the same year).

Example of traditional Commission Splits

Hybrid Brokerages and Commissions

Nothing is sweeter than making 100% of your commission, but this sort of structure is reserved for seasoned agents. That being said, there are decent firms offering amazing splits for monthly fees. Below is an example of how it works and how much you could expect to pay back in fees. Please remember that it varies from firm to firm so always ask questions about the structure and what fees to expect.

Example of Hybrid or 100% Commission Splits

Getting Paid
The next question you should ask is when will you get paid, this often varies depending on the firm you choose. Some companies pay within a week and others pay when your client takes possession of the property (rentals) either way, make sure you understand when accounting doles out those checks. If you require a consistent stream of income then maybe a broker who pays out when you complete a deal is better for you. If you already have some income or low monthlies, then maybe you can wait longer for a paycheck.

Marketing

Most of listings come from marketing, does the brokerage have exposure to all the aspects of real estate you might be looking for? Do you see signs, television, Internet, magazine, or outdoor advertising? Is the brand recognizable or a household name? Maybe, maybe not, let’s say it doesn’t, how much marketing are they willing to put behind you or your future listings? Do they have an active social media campaign or just a twitter and Facebook account that just spits out listings? Do they have relationships with developers? These are some things to consider when looking at brokerages.

Because let’s face it, if their not investing in marketing themselves, they’re sure as not going to invest in you.

Geography & Locations

Finding a brokerage with a few offices has some pluses, especially if you find a location near your home. This eases commutes and showing schedules while at the same time gives you flexibility to change or if you forget something, run back and get it.  A brokerage with different locations also means that they can afford to expand into other areas, providing you with additonal resources that you may not have with a one or two location firm. So when sizing up a potential company, see how many location they have and how many people are staffed in each office, also look for which office produces the most in terms of deals. This will give you a good sense of where the brokerage allocates funds and marketing dollars.

Benefits & Amenities

Many brokerages have started offering discounts on uber and other car services, some even provide health care reimbursements and club memberships. Office amenities can be free drinks, food and sweets, pool tables and foosball. Company outings and parties are also a staple at most firms, while mostly for celebrating holidays, some have monthly or even weekly nights out for bonding and morale. This can lead to distractions in my opinion but hey, I’m never going to say no to an open bar.

Free or discounted ads, such as NY Times, Craigslist, Renthop, and Naked Apartments plans. Some firms will give you free credits for showing up before a certain time. Others will give you a budget and you can spend it on whichever is your preferred method of advertising. You should choose a broker with a broad range of advertising opportunities, free and discounted. This is a good way to save money in the beginning and you can always purchase more from the company as you grow your business.

Firm Motto/Credo

There isn’t any brokerage that’s not about making money but the firm you should choose should reflect your ideals. Customer service is number #1 in this business, so go with a firm where it’s the mantra. (If you care, if not, then don’t worry, there’s plenty of operations that run like an assembly line through clients). A good brokerage that takes care of their clients will also take care of you. This will be evident by the other agents your surrounded by, are they positive? Do they really believe in excellence and the goals of the firm? Do you care? You should ask yourself these questions. Because it does come back to bite you.

Offices

A client’s first impression means a lot in the real estate business so a nice office can go a long way. This doesn’t mean a hole in the wall can’t do a ton of business, but the hole in the wall will lose more business then it gains. Working in a nice interior can give you confidence, as well as your clients and those around you. Clients want to be greeted and feel comfortable in the presence of a positive atmosphere. If they’re going to conduct business they want to make sure it’s in a secure environment that’s grounded in the businesses sustainability. Where you work is also a reflection of you, if you work on a broken desk with a slow computer, dim lighting, walls peeling, and the people around you are from the cast the walking dead, well then don’t be surprised if clients treat you just as shabbily.

Lead Generation

The lifeblood of your business. How does the firm get you leads? Will they show you how and help you get and maintain a steady stream of customers? Do or will they give you a certain amount of leads monthly? If a broker provides leads then that’s great but you should not rely on this. It’s your job to generate business and maintain a certain flow of clients. A good brokerage will teach you how to get business and be there to supplement additonal customers. Some brokerages get leads by partnering with other websites or services, others solely rely on their own site. Make sure the brokerage has the right combination of tools, partners and traffic for you.

Technology

Another important factor is considering where a brokerage stands technology wise,  what kind of computers do they work on? Are they networked, do they have up to date software? This can mean the difference between productivity and calling tech support every other day to reboot your computer because it’s so slow. Nothing is more frustrating when your working on sending out emails, putting up listings and the PC your working on freezes for no reason. This also means software, what CRM does the company use?If any, how do you keep track of clients, scheduling, email archives and documents. If your used to Gmail then you might find a firm that uses Google as there back office. If your more of an Microsoft Outlook and Word person, then maybe you’d feel more comfortable with that platform. The small things can make a difference in productivity, it’s about easing your work flow. If it’s a free for all, meaning, you use your personal email, own computer, etc… then you might want to look elsewhere.

This also means MX and OLR, both of these are listing platforms that populate the company website with listings and also syndicate those ads across a network of websites. This is vital so make sure whatever system you see has these capabilities.

Some firms now offer apps for your mobile device, this is a relatively new phenomena but I’m sure more will be coming. These apps let you keep track of clients, data, scheduling and some even let you register customer for open houses.

Listings

The core of the brokerage, listings are what makes the firms go round. When choosing a firm it’s best to look for one that has an in-house listings database, a database developed internally. Most major brokerages have them and in some cases they’re tied into other listings databases such as RealPlus, OLR, and ACME for supplemental information. When doing your due diligence make sure you know how often that database is updated and how many people or listing managers are working to keep it current. Other things to think about is how easy it is to access and if it syncs with other software or services the firm offers.

Note: No brokerage firm has every listing

Owners & Managers

Nothing, and I mean nothing can beat a good manager. This is tricky because you might not know who will be better and who won’t. After some interviews you should Google manager names and see if there’s any consensus or at the very least what the manager has done in the past. A good manager is the difference between getting deals done and not giving a hoot about you. Owners and managers are there because, theoretically, have the experience and relationships. So they can tell you outright if a deal can get done or not, or, if they can push a deal through solely based on their word. Don’t think you won’t need a good manager on your side, it really will make your life so much easier. You want a manager with a breadth of knowledge of the market and understanding of how deals get done. Someone who has answers to your questions or will find out if they don’t, as well as being accessible and honest.

Make sure the owner or manager has a track record or history of success in the business

Owners, well, there are good ones and bad ones, that’s just par for the course. You may never meet the owner of a firm more than once or maybe at company functions but know this, if the owner of a firm isn’t constantly out their pitching for new developments, exclusives or advancing the their firm in some way, then you should find another place to work.

Signing the Contract

You will be signing a contract, most are boiler plate with riders, these are tied to your success at the company. It will go over commission structures in detail, as well as advertising guidelines, company policies, confidentiality, termination and so on.

Click Below to see an example of an independent contractors agreement or salesperson agreement.

Make sure you read it completely and when you’re done signing, ask for a copy for you’re records.

Initial Startup Costs

You’ll most likely have or will be spending about $1000 initially. From school ($395) to REBNY ($250) Some firms will pay for your first run of business cards, but if not, that could go to $80 and up. (For quality business cards, not vistaprint) Then there’s a camera with wide angle lens (25mm or less), I suggest a Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 ($100 – $200) depending on where you get it and the newer models. You will also spend more on transportation and buying ads or plans from website aggregators such as Naked Apts, Craigslist, and Renthop. Or premium accounts at Zillow or Streeteasy. All of which range in price and how much a discount your brokerage gets.

First Day on the Job

Play around with the listing software, get comfortable with some of the ins and outs especially creating listings and syndicating ads. If your using MX or OLR then they’re pretty straight forward.

Know where your ads are going. When you finish adding a listing, visit all the website that there going to be syndicated just to get an idea of where potential customers may be coming from. Sites such as Renthop, Naked Apartments, Apartable, NY Times all have unique web IDs, customers may give you those instead of your listing ID. See how ads are displayed on the sites and make sure they look good, if not, readjust your listing photos or information. Also send yourself some inquires to see who they might look when you eventually do start getting leads and to make sure they don’t end up in your spam folder.

Select inventory that will get you off the ground fast. Many beginning agents advertise $20,000 dollar apartments to make that huge commission and first big deal, DON’T DO THAT. You will be waiting for months for someone to respond to that ad. Those clients already have brokers searching for apartments for them. Don’t waste your time. Start off with middle of the road priced apartments and maybe even some lower priced deals. This will get your phone ringing and inbox full of leads, perfect for honing in on your customer service skills.

Work your neighborhood or near your office so you can easily preview and show apartments.

Work your neighborhood or near your office so you can easily preview and show apartments. It will make it easier for you to learn the inventory if your easily accessible to it. Another rookie mistake is to work areas of the city your unfamiliar with but are the expensive and hot places to be. This will eat into your commute time, and that means less client showings per day which reduces your odds of doing deals. Also racing back and forth will cost you more money for trains, taxis, buses, etc…

Helpful Tips

• Learn the paperwork and how to process deals yourself. Even if you don’t have to. There will be a time when someone or something will happen and it will be up to you to carry it through.
• Read a lease, yeah, read it. Know why clauses are in it and for what reasons. Clients will always ask you about the lease. (Rug covering 75% of the floor is a big one) Also a Sales contract.
• Make copies of keys you use often.
• Buy comfortable shoes.
• When you get a lead via email with a phone number, CALL IT!
• Always confirm your commission.
• Keep all your leads and build little profiles of each in a spreadsheet.
• Get yourself a good camera with a wide angle lens, wifi and video.
• Organically build relationships throughout the industry
• Don’t assume anything.
• If your brokerage expects you to do deal ASAP, get out of there, it’s a chop shop. No reputable brokerage expects you to deals the first day on the job. If you do, then great, but a solid firm will let you get up to speed and give you a month or two to acclimate.
• Be prepared for wasted time, lost causes, negative feedback, broken deals and more.

You will not receive a salary or health insurance, everything you do comes out of your pocket. So budget accordingly, make sure you can survive a month or two without a deal. Don’t get into a massive amount of debt doing this job. If you find yourself borrowing money from other agents or managers then you should to take a step back and look for alternatives careers.

Good luck!

The Internet is a wonderful place.

It’s like Wal-Mart on steroids for your business, packed full of resources that can help you find the right tools and training to grow your business.

But it can be pretty overwhelming.

How-to guides, articles, vendors and videos. You could spend hours just trying to sort through it all.

That’s where I come in.

I’ve put together this list to help you find those tools. I’ve spent hours looking for the best tips, training, services and software so that you, dear reader, can get the information you need to work smarter and love larger.

Ready to jump in? Let’s go. . .

A/B Testing

A/B, or split-testing, is a process that allows you to test various components of your marketing and lead generation to identify which ad will produce the best results.

How to Perform A/B Testing on Headlines, Tweets, Traffic and More

The Beginner’s Guide to A/B Testing

The Ultimate Guide to A/B Testing

Analytics

Sure, you have a website; but is it converting visitors to leads? What actions are visitors taking when the visit your site? Understanding analytics will help you tweak your message and website layout for the best possible results.

A Beginner’s Dictionary of Google Analytics

Google Analytics 101

How to Use Google Analytics

HotJar – All-in-One Analytics and Feedback

Want to Learn Marketing Analytics? Start With These 9 Great Resources

Ad Networks

Ad networks enable you to promote your website, or landing page, by displaying your ads on popular websites that accept advertising. Learn about the various types of ad networks, when your ads would run and how to target your audience.

A Beginner’s Guide to Paid Online Advertising

AdWerx

Ad Network Directory

Blank Slate

ExactIntent

Flipt

How to Choose an Ad Network

Where Are Your Ads Running?

Branding

One of the most important components of your business is your brand. But branding is much more than your logo or tagline – it represents the promise of future value a homeowner can expect to receive by working with you. Here’s how you can create a powerful brand;

Branding for Real Estate Agents

Developing a Powerful Brand Purpose

Powerful Value Propositions

23 Steps to Build Your Personal Brand

5 Things Your Brand Must Have (Besides a Logo)

Business Planning

Benjamin Franklin once said, “If you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail.” A concise business plan, including how much you need to earn, how your business model works, what market you’ll pursue and how you’ll stand out from the competition, is critical to your success.

7 Steps to Creating a Real Estate Business Plan

Business Planning Tool for Real Estate Agents

Buyer Tools

Help your buyer client’s understand the buying process, manage their homes search and more with these online and mobile tools.

AmiTree

Clean Offer

CoopSnoop

Doorsteps

DreamHouse

Home Junction

ListingBook

Content Marketing

Whether you cal it content marketing, or blogging, you can’t underestimate it’s power for educating and informing your existing and potential clients. It helps you get found online through building your SEO value, establishes your credibility as an agent and helps you generate and nurture leads.

How to Use Content Marketing for Real Estate Lead Generation

How to Write a Blog Post

How to Launch a Successful Business Blog

36 Tried and True Ways to Promote Your Blog Posts

The Essential Guide to Generating Leads with Business Blogging

Sniply – Content sharing tool that enables you to share others content while driving traffic your website.

PrintFriendly – App that enables you to convert your blog posts to .pdf files and share them on sites such as Slideshare

Copywriting

I’ve heard it stated that copywriting is “salesmanship on paper”. If you can’t get homeowners to read your message, you’ll have a difficult time generating consistent leads. Learn how to craft a powerful headline, draw the reader in and then serve up an irresistible call-to-action.

The Definitive Guide to Copywriting

The Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Copywriting

27 Best Copywriting Formulas

21 Tips for Writing Great Ad Headlines

Copywriting Formulas for Better Ads

Headline Analyzer – Powerful, and free, headline checker that scores your headline, or other copy, on proven Emotional Marketing Values.

CRM’s

If your contact list is the largest asset for your business, then a CRM is the wealth manager. Having the right tool to manage your contacts, your communications and your schedule is essential. Here’s a list of some to consider;

Agent Office

All Things Real Estate CRM – David Gary Hall is a tremendous resource when evaluating a CRM for your business.

BoomTown

Boston Logic

Brivity

Contactually

Follow Up Boss

IXACT Contact

PropertyBase

Realty Juggler

Top Producer

Wise Agent

Direct Mail

No, direct mail is not dead. Done correctly, it can be one of the most productive lead generation tactics you can use. The last year or so before I retired, I had over $20 million in listings. 100% of those came from direct mail.

25 Direct Mail Ideas From the Pro’s

5 Benefits of Direct Mail Marketing for Real Estate

EDDM – (Every Door Direct Mail) USPS web site

Direct Mail – Printing & Mailing

55 Printing – Regular and EDDM services

EDDM To Go – EDDM Printing and mailing services

Print For Less – EDDM and regular printing and mailing services

PrintPlace – EDDM and regular printing and mailing services

PSPrint – regular postcard printing and mailing

Send Out Cards

VistaPrint – regular postcard printing and mailing

Document and Transaction Management

Hoping to become a paperless agent? The emergence of online document and transaction management tools means you can literally carry what used to fill a file cabinet in your smartphone. This is a huge timesaver as you can access important dates, terms and more without stepping foot into your office.

Back Agent

Brivity

Benutech

Docusign

Dot Loop

EZ Coordinator

Guru Solutions

Nekst

NuOffer

Planet RE

Reesio

Relay

ShortTrack

SkySlope

SureClose

TrackMyFile

Transaction Desk

Transaction Point

Email Marketing

You’ve probably heard me say it before, but here it goes again; Email marketing absolutely crushes social media marketing for lead generation and nurturing. Learn how you can build a huge email list of homeowners and how to use email marketing to build your credibility and stay top of mind.

21 Ways to Grow Your Email Marketing List

A Beginners Guide to Successful Email Marketing

Bloom – An email capture plug-in for WordPress sites

Constant Contact – Email marketing provider

Email Marketing Field Guide

EMailStationary – Custom Email Stationary

MailChimp – Email marketing provider

Outbound Engine – Managed email marketing services

The Complete Guide to Optimizing Email for Conversions

The Complete Guide to Email Marketing

Financial Calculators

Why financial calculators? Have you thought about retiring someday? Would you like to know how much money you need to live comfortably? Want to know how much you need to save to get there? What about sending the kids to college – what’s that going to cost? Now you can know.

80 Best Financial Calculators

Bankrate Calculators

FinancialCalculators.com

Graphics and Graphic Design

From logos to brochures, blog posts to social media and websites, we rely heavily on images for our businesses. Here’s where you can find the perfect image – or someone to help you create it.

53 Free Sources of Images for Your Blog and Social Media Posts

99 Designs

Canva.com

Elance.com

iStockPhoto.com

LogoTournament.com

PicMonkey.com

UpWork.com

Veer.com

IDX Providers

Want to add listings to your website? Here’s a list of some of the most popular providers;

Boomtown

Diverse Solutions

Showcase IDX

Delta Media Group

Displet

Homequest

IDX Broker

IDX Central

Internet Hosting

If you have your own website or blog, you’ll need someone to host it. There’s a lot more to it than you might think.

BlueHost

GoDaddy

HostGator

How to Choose the Right Web Hosting Company

WPEngine – High-end WordPress hosting and management

Landing Pages

The popularity of landing pages to facilitate lead generation is exploding. A landing page is a single page, stand-alone website with one function; to provide visitors with enough information about your offer that they can make a decision to swap their contact information for your free e-book, video, checklist or other lead magnet.

5 Second Test – Get user feedback of the design of your landing page.

Landing Pages That Convert

The Beginners Guide to Landing Pages

The Landing Page Optimization Guide You Wish You’d Always Had

Leadpages – Landing page provider

Unbounce – Landing page provider

Lead Generation

To build a consistent income, you need to have consistent leads. While I’m a huge believer in building your own lead generation system (where you’ll have control over every aspect), there are services available that can help you find potential clients. If you can negotiate a trial membership that gives you an opportunity to evaluate the service, and the quality of the leads, prior to making a larger financial commitment, I would encourage you to do so.

How to Write an Ebook for Real Estate Lead Generation

AM Open House

Bold Leads

BoomTown

Boston Logic

Curaytor 

Five Street

Home Value Leads

Listings to Leads

Mojo Dialer

RedX

SmartLeads – Learn to build your own lead generation system.

Market Data & Reports

Want to add market reports to your website? Here are a few of the leaders in that space. . .

10K Research

Altos Research

SmartCharts

Terradatum

Marketing Automation

Marketing automation is the use of software to automate, streamline and measure the various marketing tasks for your business. It can become quite sophisticated, including customer segmentation (so you don’t send empty-nester articles to first-time homebuyers), scheduling email campaigns based on behavior and more.

A Beginner’s Guide to Marketing Automation

Hubspot – Inbound sales and marketing software

Infusionsoft – Automated marketing software

Marketo – Automated marketing software

The Definitive Guide to Marketing Automation

Turn Your Website Into a Lead Generation Engine with Marketing Automation

Mobile Apps

In 2014, the number of mobile users caught up to, and surpassed, the number of desktop users in the world. Now ad spending is close behind. From 2014 to 2015, ad spend on mobile grew by 50%. With more users relying on mobile to access information, mobile should have a place on your marketing plan. Here’s several providers who can help you;

Agent Text

Aumnia

Cell Signs

Dizzle

Doorsteps Swipe

DreamPro – Social media collaboration with your clients

HomeSpotter

MobileZen

Smart Lead Capture

Photography Equipment & Software

The software, and online tools, you need to make your photos look great.

Adobe Lightroom – photo editing software

Adorama – online camera store

B&H Photo – online camera store

Photography Training

Tired of paying a few hundred dollars for mediocre photography for your listings? With a basic set of equipment and skills, you can take great photos of your listings, as well as for your website or blog. Here are some great resources to help you know the difference between an f-stop and ISO.

iPhone Photography School

Ken Rockwell – Camera reviews, free training

Lighting Interiors – Book and Online Course for Using Flash Photography

The Ultimate Guide to iPhone Photography

Tips for Real Estate Photography

Podcasting

Podcasting is growing, but still represents an opportunity to be a pioneer. While there’s 227 million blogs (as of April 2015), there’s only about 250,000 podcasts and the number of listeners is growing. You could create a podcast for busy homeowners that includes tips for home ownership, buying or selling, interview area experts on topics of interest to homeowners and more. Here’s how to get started. . .

An In-Depth Guide to Launching Your Own Podcast

The Beginner’s Guide to Podcasting

Remarketing

Have you ever visited a website and then, as you visit other websites, you see ads for the first website? That’s remarketing, or retargeting. Whatever you want to call it, it enables you target visitors to your website with offers. That first website uses a tracking pixel, or cookie, to create a record of your visit. Then, as you visit other sites, you are presented with an appropriate ad. The power of retargeting is that because the person seeing the ad has already been to your website, the opportunity for conversion is much higher than attempting to convert a person who has no knowledge of you or your services. Here’s what you need to know;

How to Double Your Facebook Retargeting Results

How to Remarket Twitter Users With Tailored Audiences

Introduction to The World of Remarketing

The Beginner’s Guide to Retargeting Campaigns

SEO

If there was ever a part of the Internet world that changes more than search engine optimization, I haven’t found it. Over the years, SEO has gotten both harder and easier. Harder because it has always been the domain of computer geeks who claimed to have the “secret sauce” to get you to page one of Google, and a lot of “malpractice” occurred. Promises made without the results. Now, Google has peeled back the curtain and presented best practices most anyone can follow.

45 Best Free Tools for On-Page and Off-Page Optimization

Optimizing Your Website for Local Searches

SEO 101

SEO Checklist – 15 Steps to Optimize Your Website

The Beginner’s Guide to WordPress SEO

Showing Automation

If you’re a high-volume agent or team with lots of listings, you may want to consider using a automated scheduler to streamline your showings. Here’s how. . .

Book a Showing

Centralized Showing Service

Real Front Desk

ShowingSuite

ShowingTime

Social Media

OK, I’ll admit, social media is pretty overwhelming. Which platform do you use? How do you use it best? How often should you post? What should you post? While I’m not convinced there’s a hard and fast, right or wrong answer, there are clearly some best practices you can implement to harness the power of social media for your business.

24 Must-Have Social Media Tools

Everything You Need to Know About LinkedIn Marketing

How to Optimize Your Social Channels for Lead Generation

How to Set Up a Facebook Page for Business

How to Set Up Facebook, Twitter and Every Other Major Social Media Profile

How to Use Facebook Ads to Generate Website Traffic

The Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Social Media

The Beginner’s Guide to Social Media

The Definitive Guide to Social Marketing

Surveys

Many years ago, when I was a lowly apartment developer, I suggested to my partners that instead of spending money of amenity improvements willy-nilly, perhaps we should survey our residents – you know, ask them what they want. Pretty heady stuff back then. But I still do it. The best way to tailor your services and your advertising message is to ask. Find out what theythink is important. It may be, and often is, radically different from what you may have thought.

12 Steps for Creating an Effective Customer Survey

Google Forms

How to Write a Customer Survey

SurveyGizmo

Survey Monkey

Video Email

Take two great technologies; video and email. Add them together. The results can be pretty cool. Here’s how. . .

Bomb Bomb

Eyejot

Mailvu

Wistia’s Guide to Using Video in Email

Video Equipment

Over the years, I’ve bought a lot of video equipment. Aside from eBay, here are the places I find the best deals and service.

Adorama – Online camera equipment store

B&H Photo – Online camera equipment store

Video Hosting

OK, you’ve created your masterpieces. Now you need somewhere to host them. I use Wistia because of the advanced tools they provide, including lead capture, but take a look at all of these providers. You’ll find one that works perfectly for you.

Vimeo

Wistia

Youtube

Video Marketing

People are lazy. They’ll watch a 2 minute video before they’ll read a long article (like this one?). Because of that, video marketing represents a powerful way to communicate your message while giving viewers a chance to “get to know you”. If you haven’t added video to your marketing toolbox, I suggest you make it a priority. Here’s how you can get started;

7 Tips for Launching a Video Marketing Strategy

Fundamentals of Video Marketing

How to Create Video Facebook Ads

The Beginner’s Guide to Using Online Video Marketing

The Distilled Guide to Online Video Marketing

Video Blogging: How to Become a Video Personality

Video Production & Editing

Want to channel your inner Steven Spielberg? Here’s a list of tools that can help you make your videos look professional!

4 Tools to Easily Create Videos to Diversify Your Content Marketing

Audacity – free audio editing software for PC and Mac

Corel Video Pro8 – Video editor for PC

CyberLink PowerEditor Ultimate – Video editor for PC

Final Cut Pro – Video editor for Mac

Screenflow – Screen capture for Mac

Screenflow for PC

Video Training

OK, I never said video was going to be super easy. Anything that powerful and cool is likely to take some effort. Here’s some fantastic resources for learning the basics – and beyond.

Video Traffic Academy

Vimeo Video School

Wistia Library

Virtual Assistants

Need a “Mini Me” to help you get more done in a day? While it’s difficult to turn the reins over to someone else, once you do so you’ll find you have more free time without sacrificing quality.

Another Me

My OutDesk

My Real Estate Assistant

Real Support

Virtual Tours

Virtual tours can be used to capture and hold the interest of potential buyers for your listings. Here are a few companies who lead the pack in providing tours.

Visual Tour

VHT

Matterport

Floored

Previsite

Webinars

Like content marketing, webinars are a great strategy for getting your name out, establishing your credibility and generating new leads. The topics are almost endless, from first-time homebuyers to how to select a custom homebuilder or how to challenge your property taxes, you have the ability to provide valuable information, build your email list and position yourself as the local expert. Here’s how you can get started. . .

How I Generated 518,399 Visitors and 16,394 Leads from 77 Webinars

The Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Webinars

The Science of Webinars

Using Webinars for Lead Generation

Webinar Providers

ClickMeeting

GoToWebinar

Evergreen Webinars

Stealth Seminars

WebEx

Websites

OK, every agent has a website. (I think that’s a pretty safe assumption)
But do they generate leads? Is your value proposition clearly defined? Does your website have a clear focus or does it include everything but the kitchen sink? There are as many bad websites as there are bad website developers (most of them I’ve used). Here’s what  you need to know to design a website that helps promote your business. You’ll also learn a lot that will help you identify a website developer who knows what they are talking about!

How to Build Websites That Sell (Book)

How to Optimize Your Website for Lead Generation

The Guide to Building High-Converting Websites

The Ingredients of a Successful Website

The Most Important Page on Your Real Estate Website

What The Highest Converting Websites Do Differently

Website Developers

Agent Avenue

Agent Evolution

Agent Image

A la Mode

BoomTown

Boston Logic

Dakno Marketing

IDX Central

Placester

Real Geeks

Real Estate Webmasters

RealtyIT

myRealPage

Website Box

Did we miss your favorite real estate agent resource? If so, let us know in the comments below and we’ll add them to the list.

If you are looking to sell or rent your house, you can be your own agent by using below 27 tools to get the best deal!

Useful Websites for Professional Realtors

City-Data
City-Data provides a comprehensive information and statistics about all US cities. It covers almost everything from real property prices, crime data, and cost of living to local poverty details and air pollution. All you need to do is search on the site by using the name of city, state, county, or zip code. City-Data is perfect for those who want to do real estate marketing research.

Yahoo! Home
Yahoo! Home is one of the most comprehensive property listing sites on the net. It offers home sellers, buyers and renters all the necessary information, tools and other real estate resources. Whether you want to sell house, do market research or get a loan, Yahoo! Home is the place to go.

Google AdWords
The Google’s PPC (pay per click) program is one of the easiest ways for real estate agents to generate more leads and sales. Through the advertising service, you can target your prospect buyers by both keyword and location, and determine the cost based on your affordability and campaign’s objectives. Another beauty of it is that you can track the return of investment in real time with all the necessary conversion data.

Google Maps
Needless to say, Google Maps is considered the best online map you can find on the Web. Not only you can use it to find out the exact location of any property, but you can list/display properties on the map giving a clear picture of the property’s surrounding area to your prospect buyers.

Propertyware
This is online property management software that you can consider if you want to be a professional realtor. It offers all-in-one solutions from marketing, management to accounting, helping you work efficiently on a daily basis.

Google Earth
With Google Earth’s 3D satellite imagery, you can list your property in the service’s KML data format to target sophisticated customers/home buyers. It’s also a perfect tool to do real estate research and presentation.

Google Places
Most of the people search real property information, professionals and brokers through Google. Thus it’s important to register and submit your business listing on Google Places to make sure that your business information and contact details appear on the search results.

Google SketchUp
If you want to create or modify a property model in 3D for presentation purposes, Google SketchUp is the place to go. You can even place them on Google Earth allowing your customers to visualize its surroundings better. The online tool has numbers of video tutorials and comprehensive Help Center assisting you to get started easily.

Agent Evolution
Agent Evolution lets you create a professional real estate agent website powered by WordPress. To help you get started easier, Agent Evolution provide you with training, video tutorials and live Webinars, teaching you how to create and share content effectively on the site and across social networking sites.

Google Maps API
If you own a website to sell or rent property, why not consider to adding interactive maps using Google Maps API? With the listing details displayed on the maps and satellite imagery, it visually helps the potential buyers to get their right home easier and faster. Additionally, Google Maps API can be used to display the location of your office with the necessary direction info.

Real Property Listing Websites

Zillow
A widely used real estate site where you can find homes, rent apartment, check mortgage rate, and get advice from professionals.

Trulia
Trulia is another great site to find homes for sales and rooms for rent. It gives you comprehensive real estate market information, trends and insight assisting you to find out where’s the best place to buy, invest and rent.

HotPads
HotPads, the map-based real property site makes listing and searching home for sale or rent an apartment a breeze.

Redfin
This online real estate brokerage site displays all the property information you need to know before purchasing any houses. Additionally you can search realtor database, past sales reports and previous buyer’s reviews.

ZipRealty
On the ZipRealty site, you can find current MLS listings, professional realtors, homes for sale and current real estate trends.

Craigslist
Craigslist is the largest classified ads site where you can find almost everything. Housing wise, you can find home/apartments for sale, housing swap, offices, parking, rooms, sublets, etc.

Street Easy
This is a great site to search New York City’s real estate and Manhattan apartments for sale/rent.

RealEstate.com
On RealEstate.com, you can find local information, check your home’s market value, and find your dream home or high ROI property.

ForSaleByOwner
This is “for sale by owner” real estate site that provides property listings in the US and Canada.

Estately
Estately is MLS based real property website listing comprehensive and accurate homes for sale.

HomeGain
Another real property site to search best homes, find professional realtors and check home’s market value.

Top Websites to Find Home, Apartment and Room for Rent

Apartments.com
The site offers any kind of houses for rent especially apartments and condos. It displays videos and photos, even with 360 degree views.

ForRent.com
As the name implies, ForRent.com is a very popular site for searching house or apartment for rent, by city, state, zip code, and other options.

Apartment Ratings
The site offers reliable reviews and ratings of apartment by renters. It’s one of the best sites to find home/room for rent.

MyNewPlace
This is another good site to find homes for rent. To find an apartment best suits your lifestyle needs, you can enter location, number of bedrooms and bathrooms.

PadMapper
PadMapper is a location based search engine where you can find the best apartment or house to rent. All the listings are taken from hundreds of sites including Apartments.com, ForRent.com, etc.

Roomster
Roomster is roommate search engine that lets you easily find affordable rooms and friendly roommates.