Tools to help run your "virtual" office.

[Bryant Tutas]

REALTORS(R) at Tutas Towne Realty all work from their homes. In order to be able to do this you must have the right tools. Requirements are:

1. Computer with printer/scanner
2. Smart phone
3. Fax machine or preferably an eFax (I recommend myfax.com)

With out these bare minimum tools you will struggle working for a virtual Real Estate office.

This is how I personally handle my business: I list Florida properties for sale without ever meeting the Sellers and I sell Florida properties without ever meeting the Buyers. This is my preferred way of handling business. I mostly communicate via email and text messages.

I have found that conducting business like this is very efficient. I am able to spend more time communicating with my customers because I am not wasting time driving around looking at properties and talking on the phone for an hour when asn email would deliver the same information.

The other advantage of handling communications via email and text messaging is that there is far less confusion. I rarely have to deal with “he said she said”. All I have to do is pull up the conversation thread and everything we “said” is right there in writing. No confusion. No mistakes.

Here are a few additional tools I couldn’t live without.

* Gmail. The labeling feature in Gmail is my filing cabinet.

* GoogleDocs. Everything I need online and there when I need it. I can also invite others to edit the same document. And don’t get me started on Google forms. The best thing since sliced bread. FREE

* Picasa and web albums. How would you like it if you asked the listing agent for additional photos and they could connect you with an album online that had dozens of them? FREE

* Scribd.com. What if your Seller can’t receive a 100 page attachment? Just upload the document to Scribd and send the seller a link. FREE

* Skype. Do a lot of International business? $12.95 (or so) a month and I can call anywhere in the world. I can even talk via webcam.

* PDFill.com. Can’t afford Adobe Professional? Try this one for a one time fee of $19.95 (or so). Never use your printer again.

* Google Groups. Need a FREE meeting place for your team? Go check it out. FREE

* Veoh.com or YouTube for sharing videos of properties. FREE

OK. That’s it for now. I have many more tools that I use everyday to make my life easier and less time consuming. My goal for next year is to be able run my entire Florida Real Estate business from my iPhone. How cool would that be?

[MeLisa Minter]

Great information Bryant. I use most of these. But I'm still trying to figure out how to limit the face-to-face contact with buyers and sellers.