{"id":71796,"date":"2023-03-27T11:09:13","date_gmt":"2023-03-27T15:09:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.myewm.com\/?p=71796"},"modified":"2023-03-27T11:09:13","modified_gmt":"2023-03-27T15:09:13","slug":"software-and-desktop-apps-every-real-estate-agent-needs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.myewm.com\/?p=71796","title":{"rendered":"Software and Desktop Apps Every Real Estate Agent Needs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Recently,\u00a0RPR (Realtors Property Resource)<\/a>\u00a0published a popular article:\u00a0RPR’s top 10 Mobile Apps for Real Estate Agents<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And questions and comments from that write-up got us thinking\u2026 What about desktop applications and online software? Websites you use on your computer or laptop, that can be an app, but are not designed to be mobile or on your phone.<\/p>\n

There’s quite a few you might not be aware of that can help you and your real estate business. Get help with accounting, graphic design and layout, project management, CRMs, social media scheduling and more.<\/p>\n

Here’s RPR’s list of software and desktop apps that real estate agents need to take for a spin:<\/p>\n

Prospecting\/communication<\/h2>\n

Avochato<\/a>:<\/strong>\u00a0When it comes to communicating with clients, texting is the clear winner over email and phone calls. Avochato uses SMS and live chat to manage text communication with new and current clients. Customers of all ages simply prefer communicating via text and it ensures a higher response rate and increased conversion rate because it makes it easy for clients to respond and hold conversations throughout their day. With Avochato, you send automated messages to your clients to keep them engaged. It can also be used for client outreach if you have a client list by blasting out a text message to the entire list at once.<\/p>\n

The cost: After your free 30 day trial, Avachato starts at $19 per month, and there’s also a popular plan that runs $35 per month.<\/p>\n

Parkbench<\/a>:<\/strong>\u00a0Parkbench believes that relationships are more powerful than marketing. They specialize in helping REALTORS\u00ae become more involved in their local communities, which helps them meet and interact with homeowners and business owners in a given area. They do this by helping agents claim an area with one of their neighborhood website pages, which helps to create a hyperlocal platform so they can give value to locals, grow their sphere of influence, and establish their brand as the local market expert. Each website is tailored to its unique neighborhood and updated daily to feature relevant news, events, and more. This way, the site and you become an invaluable hub for businesses and residents alike.<\/p>\n

The cost: Pricing requires a phone call to a Parkbench representative, which tells us it’s probably pretty pricey\u2013think four digits per year. But if you look at it like a lead gen program, it’s quite comparable.<\/p>\n

Lead Generation<\/h2>\n

leadPops<\/a>:<\/strong>\u00a0With leadPops, you don’t buy lists of bogus leads\u2014you create them yourself! leadPops bills itself as “Lead funnels, websites, and marketing systems built by lead generation pros.” They provide a slew of technical tools to real estate agents, including lead generation funnel click starters and mouse traps such as quizzes. They also offer complete website design and a website grader. Their “plug-and-play software solution” was born from lead generation systems that were originally developed for heavy hitters such as Zillow and Bankrate. leadPops helps you gain and track traffic through organic or local SEO, Google Ads, social media, blogging, videos, email marketing, traditional advertising, or a combination of all the above.<\/p>\n

The cost: leadPops offers three individual pricing options: Marketer, Marketer Pro, and Marketing Bundle. The prices vary from $97 a month up to $297 a month.<\/p>\n

Accounting<\/h2>\n

Xero<\/a>:<\/strong>\u00a0Small businesses need accounting software to stay on track and on budget. Xero includes several features that make it suitable to handle accounting processes for small- and medium-sized businesses. The software makes it easy to pay bills, claim expenses, accept payments, track projects, manage contracts, store files and more. Xero’s invoicing capabilities allow you to create and customize an invoice for clients and then accept credit card, debit card or bank transfer payments within the invoice itself.<\/p>\n

The cost: From $13 to $70 per month, depending on the level you need and choose. They also offer a 75% off discount for your first three months.<\/p>\n

Marketing\/Communications<\/h2>\n

Canva<\/a>:<\/strong>\u00a0For successful real agents, producing high-quality content and marketing materials is a “must-have” component for their branding and their day-to-day business operations. However, creating professional-looking visual graphics and content is time consuming and costly. Canva, a desktop software for creating quick and easy layouts, gives REALTORS\u00ae the ability to design anything with thousands of free templates, photos, fonts and more. Canva also lets you create a design that’s easily resizeable and scalable, so you can use the same design for multiple channels: a social media post, a real estate flyer, or a “just listed” postcard. And you can place them or print them with just a click.<\/p>\n