Must Have Android Apps for Real Estate Agents

This is a guest post provided by a local Citrus County Homes for Sale Expert, John H. Hoffmeister. To learn more about John, visit his website at www.johnthemailman.com

As a Realtor attempting to stay on top of the latest tech and gadgets, it’s only natural that I end up with a smart phone. I chose Android to begin with, and so far I’m very pleased. When using the Android device, I found I could easily take advantage of it’s convenience being right in my hand at all times. Now, after using it for most of the year, I’ve decided to offer my favorite Android Apps for Real Estate Agents. Take a look!

Realtor.com Real Estate Search

By far one of the most basic but useful Real Estate Android apps available today, the Realtor.com RES Android app features Robust search & mapping capabilities with Area Highlighter (draw your search), Nearby Homes for Sale widget, Street View integration, and Area Scout updates the listings on the map as you move.

View Realtor.com Real Estate Search App on the Android Market:
http://goo.gl/Ghd9C

iHandy Carpenter

Get the prettiest and most handy carpenter toolkit in the world right on your Android!
5 professional tools in this toolkit:
- Spirit Level
- Surface Level
- Plumb Bob
- Steel Ruler
- Steel Protractor

View iHandy Carpenter on the Android Market:
http://goo.gl/hSojj

Zillow Real Estate & Rentals

If you’re out and about with your client and need to know what’s for sale, this is the app for you. This app allows you to see Zestimate home values, local real estate including homes for sale, rentals, and more. Use voice search, plus GPS, to search for homes as you talk, walk or drive. Filter real estate by home type, price, beds, and more. Save searches and favorite homes. On top of that, full-screen color photos!

View Zillow Real Estate & Rentals App on the Android Market:
http://goo.gl/NGS9T

Real Estate Dictionary of Terms

A comprehensive app of Real Estate Terms for when you or your client has no idea what that other agent said! It provides a convenient and user-friendly reference tool that will be as invaluable to real estate professionals as it is for current and prospective home buyers.

View the Real Estate Dictionary of Terms on the Android Market:
http://goo.gl/cHx34

Karl’s Mortgage Calculator

Mortgage calculator with graphs & charts. Calculate mortgage payments given principal, interest & term. Reverse calculate for any one given the other three. Pay off mortgage early with bi-weekly or extra payments. Supports interest-only & Canadian mortgages.

View Karl’s Mortgage Calculator on the Android Market:
http://goo.gl/J8Lpk

Safe Neighborhood

This is definitely one of the more controversial apps; however, many of your clients have these concerns. Get Safe Neighborhood and see if registered sex offenders are living near you, your friends, or any area that you want to check. Search by your address or current location to see if any sex offenders are registered in the area. View on a map and see their personal info + photos.

View Safe Neighborhood App on the Android Market:
http://goo.gl/wkFrD

HotPads

This is the go-to app for real estate rental searching. If you’re wanting to know what the rents are going for in an area or just needed to help a client find a rental, give this app a go!

View HotPads on the Android Market:
http://goo.gl/nI4xT

Did I miss an App? Leave me a comment below and let me know why it should be on this list!

How YOU Can Go Viral For Under $200

One common misconception of creating viral videos is that it needs to be expensive. In reality, your whole project can be launched for under $200. Justin Bieber, the teen pop star, started his claim to fame from his bedroom with an inexpensive camera. Today most of his videos have tens of millions of views.

So how do you create viral videos for under $200?

The Video Camera

Today, for as little as $100, you can get a high definition camera that shoots decent video. It’s not professional grade, but if your actual content is good, many web visitors will be willing to overlook that.

Take a trip to Best Buy or Costco, or check out price comparison sites online.

Also don’t forget that many smartphones today have cameras that are more than sufficient to record high quality video. For example, the iPhone 4′s 4 megapixel camera can produce videos that are definitely good enough for online viewing.

Shooting the Video

Your video is best shot with a friend. Trying to shoot yourself on video, while possible, is quite difficult.

Experiment with different camera angles to see what looks best. You’ll often have to do multiple takes to get something right. Don’t be surprised if a one-hour video takes you all day to shoot.

Editing Your Video

There are many different ways you can edit your video for free.

To start with, use iMovie or Windows Live Movie Maker if it came with your operating system. Though they won’t have special effects or color correcting options, you’ll be able to do most of your basic edits.

If your operating system didn’t come with a video editing program, there are several good free options you can download online.

Rendering Your Video

Finally, once you’ve shot your videos and edited your video, the last step is to render your video.

Rendering refers to the last part of the editing process where you actually create your new video file. Generally you’ll want to create a small sized, decent quality video rather than a large high quality video.

YouTube will re-render your video to a smaller size anyway once you upload it.

Distributing Your Video

There are several online video distribution services – some paid, some free – that’ll submit your video to a number of different video hosting sites.

Sure, YouTube definitely has the most traffic. But many other sites, like Dailymotion, Metacafe and others still have quite a bit of following. Getting your video on those sites as well can really increase your exposure.

At this point, you’ve bought an inexpensive camera, recorded your video, edited it for free and uploaded it to one or more video distribution sites. If your video is good and has viral potential, it might just take off. Best of all? You’ve spent less than $200 on the whole process.

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