Leveraging Google Drive for Real Estate

For a long time, Microsoft Office—Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.—was the undisputed king of document creation. Then came the internet, the cloud, and mobile devices with capabilities that rivaled and exceeded those of desktop computers. Suddenly, Microsoft Office wasn't the obvious choice anymore.

That's why part 4 of our Google for Real Estate series covers Google Drive, one of the best programs to store and create documents. Here you'll find out what it can do, where you can get it, how it can advance your business, and more.

What is Google Drive?

Google Drive is "A safe place for all your files." This is a simple way of saying that Drive is a safe and secure place to create, edit, and store your important documents, photos, marketing materials, listing presentations, etc.

Why use it?

On top of the obvious reasons—easy document, spreadsheet, and slideshow creation—Google Drive files are encrypted with the same security used in Gmail, keeping all your documents safe and secure. Drive syncs your documents across devices, automatically reflecting all changes, and generally makes it easy to view, comment, edit, and collaborate with anyone you need to. Additionally, Drive's built-in file converter can convert most documents into a Google format and back, allowing you to easily work on any document.

Where can I get it?

• Android
• iOS
• Computer
• Browser

How does it apply to real estate?

Auto Save and Old Versions

Have you ever had that "oh no!" moment when the power goes out and you realize it has been a while since you last hit "save"? When working in Drive, changes are saved automatically to make sure you never lose your work. Drive even saves previous versions of your documents so that if you accidentally overwrite an important document or delete something that you later realize you need, you can easily get it back under the "All changes saved in Drive" button. You can also see who made changes to your documents and when, so you can tell exactly when your partner made the updates they mentioned.

Offline

Drive lets you "make files available offline so you can view them when your phone or tablet loses service, like on a plane or in a building with a bad connection." This can be extremely helpful if you work in a rural area without reliable signal and Wi-Fi. Any slideshows, spreadsheets, or documents you need to pull up on your phone, computer, or tablet are ready and waiting for you regardless of internet connection, and once you regain service, your changes will automatically sync.

Scan

You can't always get to a scanner. Luckily, the Android version of Drive lets you take a photo of your documents, instantly storing it as a PDF. This is great for keeping track of your business expense receipts and sending documents to the office when time is of the essence.

For more information on using Drive, visit Google Drive Help. You can also learn more about Google for Real Estate by checking out our articles on Google Keep, Google My Maps and Google Allo.

To view the original article, visit the Homes.com blog.