Top 5 Apps for Real Estate Pros

I was lucky enough to get to sit in on some of the classes being offered to agents at the annual Florida Realtors Convention. I was impressed by not only the information provided in the classes, but also the professionalism and sheer desire to learn from the attending agents.

Since real estate is such a visually driven business, I thought providing a top five list of the most image-intensive apps real estate agents can utilize in their business would be beneficial.

1. Instagram

One of the apps growing in popularity by the day is Instagram. This is a great tool to use to showcase the curb appeal or standout room in a new listing. Don't forget to use hashtags to boost your views! Common hashtags include: #realtor, #realtorlife, #florida (or the state you live) and #homeforsale.

While Instagram does have optional filters built into the app, take care in using them as they may give consumers a false perception of a home or simply look over-edited even if your only intention was to brighten up the room.

2. Facebook

Facebook is one of the most widely-used applications on both mobile devices and desktops. A topic of much discussion is whether having both a business page for your listings and a personal page is necessary. During the convention, many speakers voiced the opinion that it is a personal decision to have one or two pages on Facebook. My suggestion, however, is to keep it simple and stick to one page for both personal and business related items.

Find a happy medium by putting a personal spin on posts that are related to real estate. You may be surprised to see how many potential clients will reach out to you after feeling like they know you from your profile.

3. Periscope

This app is newer and a little less known than the others listed here. Periscope is a video-based app that syncs with your Twitter page. When logging into Periscope, Twitter will send out a tweet to all your followers that you are now live on Periscope. From there, users will be able to see the live video stream from your phone and respond to you over the app in real time.

Periscope would be a great app to utilize during an open house or when you have secured a listing and are ready to showcase it to potential buyers. The app gives the perception of seeing a "behind-the-scenes" type of moment and has been widely received by the general public. Periscope actually hit 10 million unique users in the month of August.

4. YouTube

Another great resource for real estate agents to utilize is YouTube. Real estate professionals can film a full walkthrough of a home in just minutes and allow potential buyers from all over the world to have access to it. YouTube has proven to be very beneficial in terms of securing international and foreign buyers.

Remember that if you are going to post a video on both Facebook and YouTube, upload it to YouTube first to prevent the video from not working correctly on either platform.

5. Twitter

Last but not least, do not forget about the power of Twitter. Real estate professionals can use Twitter to quickly send out updates about their local area, new properties for sale, and closings. These small blurbs, or "tweets," are a great tool to generate buzz and start up a conversation with an interested consumer. Twitter is primarily accessed through mobile phones, so it is a great way to reach on-the-go consumers.

Keeping up with technology and ways of reaching target consumers is a key tool to being successful in the real estate business. Although it may be challenging, being savvy in new technology is often appreciated by potential buyers, especially as the Millennial generation steps into the buying market.

To view the original article, visit the Tech Helpline blog.