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6 Free Apps Real Estate Rookies Can’t Ignore

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As featured in <a href="https://www.inman.com/2017/10/10/6-free-apps-real-estate-rookies-cant-ignore/" target="_blank">Inman News</a>.  </div>
 
Getting started in real estate is...  
a rush...  
amazing...  
scary...  
overwhelming...  
exciting...   
and so many more mixed emotions! 
 No matter how unsure you may be about describing the start of your real estate career, one thing is for sure: The right apps can enhance your ability to "wheel and deal" like a real estate pro.   
 Here are six-plus apps that can help you spend less time on administrative tasks so you can do more of the essentials of your business, you know like showing homes, meeting clients, negotiating contracts, and the like.  As a bonus, ALL of these apps currently have a free version that is likely sufficient if you are a rookie real estate agent.  No need to pay for features you do not need #realtalk. 
 
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 Sound off - I would love to hear from you!  Give me a shout on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LearnWithLee.REALTOR/" style="background-color: white; font-family: times; line-height: 22.08px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://instagram.com/learnwithlee.realtor/" style="background-color: white; font-family: times; line-height: 22.08px; text-decoration: none;">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/leedavenport8?sub_confirmation=1" style="background-color: white; font-family: times; line-height: 22.08px; text-decoration: none;">YouTube</a>, and <a href="http://google.com/+leedavenport" style="background-color: white; font-family: times; line-height: 22.08px; text-decoration: none;">Google+</a> or by visiting <a href="https://www.learnwithlee.realtor/" style="background-color: white; font-family: times; line-height: 22.08px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">LearnWithLee.Realtor</a>.   
 Want more of the best practices of our nation's top producers? Grab your copy of the short read, <a href="http://www.learnwithlee.realtor/p/resources.html" target="_blank">Profit with Your Personality</a> and, the classic, 5-star rated workbook, <a href="http://amzn.com/1508652325" style="background-color: white; font-family: times; line-height: 22.08px; text-decoration-line: none;">Plan to Win</a>, to transform their real estate sales game plan.  Here's to your success! #LearnWithLee

apps, autohash, canva, chatfuel, foundly, giftagram, hashme, justwink, newbies, real estate agent, rookie, spark post, sumo

6 Free Apps Real Estate Rookies Can’t Ignore

As featured in Inman News . Getting started in real estate is... a rush... amazing... scary... overwhelming... exciting... ...

Inman Connect on the Road Chicago Session Recap: 3 Tips to Thinking Like a REALTOR, But Posting Like a Friend on Instagram

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Originally shared at Inman Connect on the Road: Chicago as 3 Deal-Killers to Growing Your Business on Instagram  
<a href="https://www.inman.com/2016/05/31/3-ways-to-think-like-an-agent-and-post-like-a-friend-on-instagram/" target="_blank">As Featured in Inman Chicagoland</a>  
<a href="http://blog.zurple.com/think-like-a-realtor" target="_blank">And reposted to Zurple.com</a> </div>
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Remember the days when you had to pay per line or character to most effectively market your listings and business?  In the heyday of print advertising, we REALTORS learned how to succinctly create ads that just gave the bare bone basics due to cost (e.g. 3/2, B.O.M., Motv., S.S. Kit., $336k). But the problem is we have brought those habits to Instagram (IG) where you likely stick out like an aggravating, sore thumb. 
 
To grow your network on Instagram (or any social media platform for that matter), be sure to think like a REALTOR but post like a friend.  In other words, please put on your consumer hat: if the double-tap worthy posts are funny, sad, thought-provoking, humbling, or eye-candy then you will not win being terse, dry and “salesy”.  As a consumer, if you would skip over your own post, then Houston, we have a problem! 
 
Here are 3 ways to grow your reach on Instagram by thinking like a REALTOR but posting like a friend: 
 
  Get Personal 
 
When you post about a listing or an upcoming open house, seminar, etc., it cannot be business as usual! As you post, remember the acronym HUTT (Humor, Unique, Thought-provoking, OR Tear-jerking) to ensure the content of your post connects with the human side of the Instagram audience.  If it does not capture at least one part of HUTT, then please do your business a favor and go back to the drawing board. 
 
 
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjZKMa7XMjNh_EQStSDOBlkhXtfDu0KL-eyvZ2JgfzMdsUca00sV7oFY21Qh1yP-8N2fvbxKiBmEfaL5ldViSbSGq_gH31Xo7GXZRuYu1H3pAoNjBZp1txc28Y-0oWumnAObgjWRT81fncUBaOCY5FvUH9qwpdkAZhW-sAY3m3ReoWEAuqZFkeZZ565Yd6Hn81BBw=" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Screenshot 2016-05-25 14.31.11" border="0" class="alignnone wp-image-268306 size-full" height="223" src="http://www.inman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Screenshot-2016-05-25-14.31.11.png" width="400" /></a> Friends don't let friends not make the most of a widely celebrated holiday.  To this point, notice that Sarah Johnston (@adventuresinrealestateyyc) made what could have been a very impersonal open house event on this year's Valentine's Day, instead a fun way for singles to celebrate it along with perusing a listing of hers. 
 
 By the way, if you want to make your images for IG snazzy like Sarah, <a href="http://www.ripl.com/" target="_blank">Ripl</a> and <a class="" href="https://www.canva.com/" target="_blank">Canva</a> are great apps to get out of the doldrums of images that may need some pizazz. It is not about cluttering your photos but about making them double-tap worthy. 
 
Then check out Ryan Griffioen's post - it could have been a stodgy bathroom shot.  Instead, he wrote an amusing caption capturing the pain-point of navigating a bathroom sink as a dad with teenage daughters.  That connects WHILE also marketing to potential buyers - double bang! 
 Tag, YOU Are It 
 
 Have you ever wished a magical arrow could point certain people on Instagram, like potential clients, to you? That is what tags do for you! 
 
But are you dead-set against getting swept away by Hashtag Mania?  Hashtag Mania is what I call it when people add the number sign to any and all random phrase like #IHave3ShowingsTodayAnd1Closing, which has no organic searchable value. Tags are meant to make the search process easier, which Hashtag Mania has perverted. As a result, Hashtag Mania may make you want to disconnect yourself from using hashtags ever.  Out with the old, in with the new, right? Wrong! 
 
I know that pop culture has diluted the power of tags by making it cliché - but that is still the best/easiest way to search on IG for now.  Skip tags only if you do NOT want to grow your relationships and ultimately business on IG. 
 
Check out my girl Nikki Singh (aka Toronto's Real Estate in Stilettos) below.   She tags like crazy and she has clients like crazy! 
 
  <img alt="Screenshot 2016-05-25 14.31.43" class="alignnone wp-image-268307 size-full" height="359" src="http://www.inman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Screenshot-2016-05-25-14.31.43.png" width="640" /> 
 
Tip: When tagging, be sure to use: 
1) The areas you are targeting/farming (i.e. #Chicago, #LincolnPark, #GroveParkSubdivision, etc.), 
 
2) Relevant business, organization and people usernames (i.e. #KBHomes/@KBHomes, @JohnWeiland, #YourRealtyFirm/@YourRealtyFirm, #realtor, #homebuying, etc.), 
 
3) And your actual geolocation (just turn on your phone's location settings and select where you are). By using all three types of tags, you will “cover your bases” so that if people are searching for any one of these categories, you will be on their radar. 
 
Ultimately, please remember to put your consumer hat on and think about what people will likely search and use that. 
 
 
Don’t Steal the Mic 
 
 Remember Kanye interrupting Taylor Swift at a music awards ceremony a few years back and stealing the mic. A jerky, anti-social move - who does that? Unfortunately, when we put on our real estate hat on IG, many times we do :-/! 
 
You have two choices: 
1) Steal the mic by making an irrelevant comment on someone else's post to ask people to follow you and possibly lose business by irritating prospects, 
 
Or 
 
2) Stay relevant, be social, make friends (instead of being annoyingly "salesy" or anti-social) and you win business! 
 
  <img alt="Screenshot 2016-05-25 14.42.10" class="alignnone wp-image-268308 size-full" height="359" src="http://www.inman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Screenshot-2016-05-25-14.42.10.png" width="640" /> 
 
Check out what Fredick of Million Dollar Listing NY did in the image above.  Did he (or possibly his social media assistant) jump on Sarah Johnston's post and try to steal the mic and say watch my show because a new episode airs at this day and time, buy my book, visit my listing, or follow my page? No, he did not become a mic stealer, my friend. He just liked it, which is a critical part of growing your Instagram following (simply letting your desired audience know you are also seeing and enjoying what they are posting - that builds relationships). 
 
Are you investing time just liking and commenting on other people's posts? If not, then that's a deal-killer to making Instagram a successful platform for your business. 
 
 
  In review, just say no to: 
 
<ol>
<li>Posting without connecting </li>
<li>Skipping relevant tags (hash and user)</li>
<li>Stealing the mic </li>
</ol>
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Thanks so much Brad Inman and the Inman News team (especially Drew and Matt for seeing my mug at 7 am!) for inviting me to share the stage with so many phenomenal industry leaders.  It is humbling as I do not take the responsibility of sharing with your audience lightly and I look forward to the next Connect on the Road event. 
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Over to you! What are you doing to grow your business on Instagram?  I would love to read your triumphs below.  Or, give me a shout me on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LearnWithLee.REALTOR/" style="font-family: times;">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://instagram.com/learnwithlee.realtor/" style="font-family: times;">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/leedavenport8?sub_confirmation=1" style="font-family: times;">YouTube</a>, <a href="http://google.com/+leedavenport" style="font-family: times;">Google+</a> or at <a href="http://www.agentsaroundatlanta.com/">LearnWithLee.Realtor</a>. And, be sure to get a copy of the 5-star rated workbook, <a href="http://amzn.com/1508652325" style="font-family: times;">Plan to Win</a>, to transform your real estate sales game plan. Here's to your success!

brad inman, canva, chicago, inman connect on the road, instagram, ripl

Inman Connect on the Road Chicago Session Recap: 3 Tips to Thinking Like a REALTOR, But Posting Like a Friend on Instagram

Originally shared at Inman Connect on the Road: Chicago as 3 Deal-Killers to Growing Your Business on Instagram As Featured in Inman Chic...

Under the Sells-scope: Canva for Work

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As featured in <a href="http://ypnlounge.blogs.realtor.org/2015/09/02/under-the-sells-scope-canva-for-work/" target="_blank">Realtor Magazine</a></div>
 
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Are you a fan of Canva, the easy-to-use, affordable website that allows you to author amazing listing marketing materials in minutes?  I sure am! I was elated to hear that they have recently released a 2.0 version for busy professionals called, <a href="https://about.canva.com/work/" target="_blank">Canva for Work</a>. 
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Canva for Work now offers options to upload your brand's personal specs (such as logo, colors, type font, and the like).  This is a wonderful time-saver if you work with others and you want to make sure all team players nail design pieces that speak to your image and reputation.  </div>
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Canva for Work also offers the ability to let the agents and assistants a part of your team or firm log in with separate usernames, protecting your creations that should not have community access.  Sidebar (I allude to this in the video): Brokers, you can offer Canva for Work to your agents as a complimentary service of your real estate office.  This complimentary offer will help your team market their listings and create social media posts while producing quality pieces that fit your realty firm's brand and level of excellence.  Your agents can save potentially hundreds of dollars a month if they were using outside designers and printers, while you pay only a fraction of that cost.  Additionally, if you have a large realty firm, you may not have been able to realistically monitor all of the social media posts of your agents but Canva for Work makes monitoring along with brand consistency a doable reality. 
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Despite these and other new features, is Canva for Work actually right for your business and worth the investment or can you simply stick with the original version of Canva?  It depends.  To answer this question more in-depth, I placed Canva for Work Under the Sells-scope so check out the full review in the video below:</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/s_vi/s2bMXK8J0XA/default.jpg?sqp=CLTa7a4F&rs=AOn4CLCO0WMVSJF5oJ7Ij_91f48KEunoCg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/s2bMXK8J0XA?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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Want more tips and techniques?  Then follow me on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/YourRealEstateInformant" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5c84cc; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://instagram.com/learnwithlee.realtor/" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5c84cc; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">Instagram</a> (get the deets on winning a free year of Canva for Work too), <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/leedavenport8?sub_confirmation=1" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5c84cc; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">YouTube</a>, and <a href="http://google.com/+leedavenport" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5c84cc; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">Google+</a> or by visiting <a href="http://www.agentsaroundatlanta.com/" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5c84cc; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">LearnWithLee.Realtor</a>. And if you sell real estate (or know someone who does), get a copy of the 5-star rated workbook <a href="http://amzn.com/1508652325" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5c84cc; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">Plan to Win</a> to transform your real estate sales game plan. Here's to your success!</div>
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canva, contest, marketing

Under the Sells-scope: Canva for Work

As featured in Realtor Magazine Are you a fan of Canva , the easy-to-use, affordable website that allows you to author amazing listing ...

Under the Sells-scope: AM Open House

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Originally written for and published by <a href="https://www.inman.com/2015/09/02/under-the-sells-scope-am-open-house-app/" target="_blank">Inman News</a>. 
 
<a href="http://www.amopenhouse.com/home/" target="_blank">AM Open House</a> is a new app worth your time to try as a busy real estate professional! </div>
 
If you missed Inman Connect earlier this month, you may have missed out on this jewel.  Well, do not sweat it because I am taking AM Open House Under the Sells-scope. Let's examine if AM Open House will help you get to and keep your Agent+ status. 
 
Here are reasons why you will like AM Open House even if you are an <a href="http://www.agentsaroundatlanta.com/2014/08/apps-to-convert-open-house-walk-ins-to.html" target="_blank">Open Home Pro</a> fan like I am: 
<ul>
<li>+Easily collect contact details from open house visitors as well as other events you may have (i.e. home buying seminar, etc.),</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>+Seamless integrations with popular CRMs so you do not have to waste time syncing data between apps (plus they monthly add new CRMs to the list), </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>+Automated follow-up and price changes via email and text for attendees that helps improve your chances of lead conversion, </li>
</ul>
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<li>+Analytic reports that track email engagement so you see attendees level of interest and know who to contact immediately,</li>
</ul>
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<li>+Managing most functions from either the app or your laptop/desktop, allowing you to work on the device you feel most comfortable,</li>
</ul>
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<li>+Automatic single property websites that you can use in your promotional emails, Facebook ads, and the like (*this is my favorite feature!), </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>+Easily connects visitors/leads with your preferred lenders (with tips to not get on the CFPB's bad side as the regulatory changes take effect October 1),</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>+And did I mention all of this is free for the solo agent - yippee!</li>
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<li>+Realty brokerages can get a customized/branded app and track the scheduled events of their agents - a good safety precaution and feature.</li>
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I also have some tweaks I would love for them to make in the near feature that are mentioned in the video.  Check it out by clicking the play button below! 
 
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Coming soon, <a href="https://about.canva.com/work/" target="_blank">Canva for Work</a> will be put Under the Sells-scope.  You know and love Canva for basic real estate marketing, especially when posting on social media but I will investigate if there is truly added value for real estate agents to invest in Canva's added services. 
 
Follow me on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/YourRealEstateInformant" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/leedavenport8?sub_confirmation=1" target="_blank">YouTube</a>, <a href="https://instagram.com/learnwithlee.realtor/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>, and <a href="https://plus.google.com/+LeeDavenport" target="_blank">Google+</a> to keep up with all the gadgets and gizmos that will get an unbiased review Under the Sells-scope to help you filter through the real estate tech that will get you to and keep you at Agent+ status.  Happy selling!

am open house, canva, under the sells-scope

Under the Sells-scope: AM Open House

Originally written for and published by Inman News . AM Open House is a new app worth your time to try as a busy real estate profess...

6 Free Apps Real Estate Rookies Can’t Ignore

Inman Connect on the Road Chicago Session Recap: 3 Tips to Thinking Like a REALTOR, But Posting Like a Friend on Instagram

Under the Sells-scope: Canva for Work

Under the Sells-scope: AM Open House

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