A typical day for any estate agent or property manager involves spending a large amount of the day out and about at viewings and meetings, so working on the road has made mobile devices a necessity to keep in touch.
Today there are more apps and tools than ever before that can make the life of an estate or letting agent that much easier. But what are the best ones that will actually help you improve your efficiency and effectiveness with ease? We found 20 great applications that will improve your service offering, save money and most importantly, make your life easier. Don’t leave home without them.
[F] = Free download or free plan available
PERSONAL SAFETY APPS
Meeting prospects for property evaluations and viewings will always bring some element of risk with it. While there are ways you can mitigate the dangers, you should make sure you and your employees and colleagues have a personal safety app installed and an ‘in case of emergency’ plan in place.
Life360 [F]
The world’s leading real-time location sharing app, Life360 was originally designed for families and friends but works just as well for professionals who might need to send up a flare. It offers GPS tracking and chat functionality. It’s available both for Android and iOS users.
bSafe [F]
A one-touch SOS button with optional voice activation, live streaming and recording, GPS tracking, as well as fake call and ‘I’m here!’ functions, the bSafe app is loaded with features design to get you out of trouble. The company also offers a corporate rate to help you protect your employees and to give you peace of mind wherever they are.
Watch Over Me [F]
It’s not like you can ask your attacker to hold on a minute while you let someone know that you’re in danger. Instead of requiring you to hit a button to send out an emergency alert, Watch Over Me activates when you simply shake your phone, even if it’s locked. Shaking it will turn on your alarm and video camera and send an alert to emergency contacts.
Veco™ Connect
VecoTM Connect offers a built-in safety feature. If you feel unsafe during a viewing, evaluation or any other situation you can alert your colleagues you need help and send them your coordinates with a click of a button.
PHOTO & VIDEO EDITING APPS
You don’t need to wait to be back in the office (or home office) or edit and post-marketing photos and videos. Edit and upload media on the go with these apps.
Snapseed [F]
Snapseed is without a doubt one of the best photo editing apps out there. It lets you achieve all the features and quality editing you would expect in a professional picture editing software but without the complexity. It is the perfect easy photo editing app to create professional images for both social media and brochures.
TouchRetouch
Wipe away unwanted objects from your photos in an instant. Enough said.
InShot [F]
Simple and easy to use this free video editor offers professional trimming and filtering capabilities along with an impressive library of free music and stickers to enhance your video. Idea l for editing virtual tours and walkthroughs and sharing them anywhere you are.
Magisto
Magisto is a video editor that has been purpose-built to create social content and delivers professional-level production quality. Create engaging stories to promote your properties with just a few clicks.
COMMUNICATIONS APPS
Communication is incredibly important not only in estate agencies but in any business. Whether on the go, working remotely or in the office, you should always be able to get your message across.
Slack [F]
Slack brings the team together wherever you are. With all of your communication tools in one place, it is perfect for internal communication and will ensure your team will stay productive no matter where you’re working from. You can connect it with all your favourite digital storage solutions and productivity apps to streamline your workflows. We are big fans!
Grammarly [F]
Grammarly is so much more than a spell checker. The app ensures that your written communication is not only mistake-free but that it’s clear, concise and hits the right note and tone of voice.
Zoom [F]
Virtual meetings are easier than ever with Zoom. Simply create your meeting room and send a link to all participants. They can then join via the app or from their browsers. Worried about your privacy when working from home? Just add a virtual background and keep communication flowing.
DocuSign
More than 50,000 letting and estate professionals use DocuSign to sign and send documents. The app allows you to digitally sign legal documents on the go including contracts and tenancy agreements. Once subscribed to Real Estate, your DocuSign has the ability to access account features, send, track, and securely sign documents, and capture the GPS location at the time of signing.
Cam Scanner
Cam Scanner enables you to scan documents directly from your mobile and makes them look like real scans. Instead of rushing to the office to send out documents, you can now get this done on the go. It’s perfect for scanning contracts, documents and even expense receipts.
BombBomb
Using videos for your listings? If you aren’t, you’re likely missing out on potential leads and sales. BombBomb makes it easy to produce, publish, and track marketing videos advertising properties.
Veco™ Connect
Veco™ Connect has a feature for communication too. With the VecoTM Connect app, you can send and receive messages, no matter where you are. Your colleagues will also be alerted to any changes you’ve made in your diary.
MARKETING APPS
The ability to sell yourself and your services has never been more important. Time is often of the essence, and these apps let you market from anywhere, at any time.
Canva [F]
Create professional marketing content quickly and easily using a wealth of predesigned templates.
Hootsuite [F]
Schedule all your social media from one central place while enjoying insightful analytics.
Buffer
‘Simpler social media tools for authentic engagement’ Plan, collaborate and publish content to your social media accounts and analyse their performance with confidence and ease.
Later [F]
If Instagram is your channel of choice, Later is perfect for you! It offers scheduling, analytics, content creation and more.
Unfold [F]
‘The future belongs to the storytellers’. Unfold gives you everything you need to create stunning, professional-looking stories for your social media channels.
BONUS
AroundMe [F]
Why not assist your potential tenants and buyers by having local surroundings information at your fingertips? Be able to provide information on the closest supermarket bank, hospital, GP surgery and petrol station. AroundMe also gives an area overview and has listings and reviews of restaurants and hotels.
PROPERTY MANAGEMENT APP
Veco™ Connect
Designed to accompany VecoTM software, the VecoTM Connect mobile app offers an impressive array of functionality, allowing you to stay on top of your portfolio and manage your diary wherever you are.
Manage upcoming appointments, connect with clients and colleagues, register offers, interact with notification tasks, and ensure team safety anytime, anywhere.
