Today about half of the real estate professionals in real estate have iPads. As business professionals, having information and resources at your fingertips can be a significant way to improve your business. This has always been the promise of mobile computing, but laptops are too clunky to carry around, and for most of us, the size of the keypad and mobile screen on a mobile phone are too small for any significant jobs. The iPad turns out to be just the right size.

Up until recently, MLS systems were off the mobile grid for most real estate agents. Today, things are much better.

The leading MLS solutions are either adopting responsive designs that allow you to access the MLS thorough the Safari browser on the iPad, or offer apps that allow MLS search. These advances are terrific time savers for agents who need access to the MLS to research buyer needs anywhere, anytime on the iPad.

A new trend emerging with the iPad is the buyer CMA. There are a number of companies now offering CMA solutions that work great on the iPad and help agents deliver outstanding presentations that can be created in minutes. If you have not looked into CMA solutions for the iPad, check out these mobile-friendly products:

• Cloud CMA
• ToolKitCMA
• TouchCMA
• Realtors Property Resource®

With the market hot, buyers need your help to collect lots of information to make faster offers on the homes they like. An iPad with MLS search and a buyer CMA combine to prepare buyers without needing to go back to the office.

If you really want to be proficient on your iPad, start using the iPad versions of DocuSign, Instanet or zipForm with digital signatures. You can prepare the offer for your buyer while you are still on the property they want to buy.

Further Reading

• Best Tablet Apps for Real Estate Agents
• Lose the Paperwork, Build Your Business With the iPad
• Choosing an iPad App
• 5 Ways to Use Your iPad at Open Houses
• The GoodLife Team's 5-Step Listing Presentation for iPad

To view a full list of iPad friendly solutions, click here.