Getting Google Calendars to Work on Your iPhone or iPad

If you are like most REALTORS®, you are not an ace at technology. Don't be ashamed. It's probably a good thing. Very few technology aces know how to sell a bunch of real estate. They spend more time preparing to use technology to sell than they do actually selling.

Nevertheless, there is a certain amount of technology acumen that everyone needs. Namely, you need to be able to get your calendar on your phone.

Many agents use Gmail for their email. It's free, and it does a great job of blocking out spam. You can also brand your Gmail account with the same domain name as your agent website. If you are doing this, it would be a shame not to take advantage of Google Calendar. It's free, and integrated into Gmail.

Here is the rub: Unless you are a little bit geeky, setting up Google Calendar is not that easy if you have more than one calendar. RE Technology will help. Here are some instructions that will help you get your calendar on your iPad easily.

If you add your Google account in the Settings' Mail, Contact, and Calendars category, you will only synchronize your default calendar. If you work with a team, or like to keep your personal appointments separate from your work appointments, you need to use some geeky trickery. You need to disguise Google as a Windows server (yes, this is actually Google's advice).

• Step 1: When you are setting up your mail account, choose Microsoft Exchange Account from the options. Enter your email address and password in the usual places. Enter m.google.com in the server category.

• Step 2: Choose which of your Google calendars will appear in the iOS calendar app. You do this by visiting m.google.com in the Safari browser and logging i. Tap the "Sync" link, and then choose your device from the onscreen list to pick the calendars to sync.

That's it. Hopefully this tip will help you plan your work and work your plan for success in real estate.

Remember: Always back up your device before changing your settings! It gives you the opportunity to go back without losing any data.