RealtyTechBytes.com » Cool Freebies

Cool way to store your year end records

Jerry Kidd — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 03:00:22 +0000

Part of the year end process for any business is storing the records from the previous year. And real estate agents are no exception. We commonly have many transaction files to store and once they are boxed up they get transported to a storage facility. Often times the facility is off site and inconvenient to get to when a record is needed. Additionally, if there are many boxes stored, it can be chore to determine which box holds the record you need.

I recently ran across a web site that has what appears to be a great solution. Although the creators of the site tout it as a way to help people that are moving keep track of which box has which household item, they say it can be used for anything that gets stored in sealed boxes. I believe that it may be the perfect solution for finding transaction records and other financial records for individuals and companies still keeping paper records.

It’s called Boxmeup and the web site is http://www.boxmeupapp.com.

Here is how it works. You create a free account (there is a paid option, but I couldn’t determine what advantages there are to becoming a paid member) and then you create a “Location” where the box or “Container” will be stored. These locations are the physical address where you store your records. You can have multiple locations and each is identified with a Google Map and unique name that you give it.

Then you create a “Container” and name it. By default the “Container” is placed in the “Unassigned” location so you have to then select to which location the “Container” belongs.

Then you enter your “Items” into the “Container”. This can be transaction files or anything else that you are storing in the box. Once you have filled the physical box and recorded the files that are in it to Boxmeup, you can print a QR Code that you then tape to the outside of the box.

To find out what is in a box at a later date you simply scan the QR code with your mobile phone and you get a list of the contents!

You can also log in to the website to view all of your Locations, Containers and Items. Additionally, you can go to the physical location where the actual boxes are stored and scan the QR codes to see what is inside the box.

Finding that needed file couldn’t be easier!

Realtytechbytes.com by Jerry Kidd is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at www.Realtytechbytes.com. Did you know that I have arranged for readers of my blog to receive licensed software for free? And that there is something new everyday? Click on the link to go to the blog and look for Give Away of the day in the sidebar.

Cool way to store your year end records

Learn how to REALLY use Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and more

Jerry Kidd — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 03:00:14 +0000

How well do you use Facebook? Twitter? LinkedIn? WordPress? If you are like most, you probably know enough to make basic use of these sites, but are you really up to speed and getting the maximum value from them?

If not, you could search YouTube for instructional videos (Assuming that you watch the most recent ones and also assuming that the person making the video knows what they are talking about). You could also buy a book and read through it. There are also many excellent books available from Amazon and other book sellers. But which one should you buy and will you really read it? You could also take a class (and pay accordingly). And of course, there are training options on the social sites themselves.

The problem is that there are just too many options to choose from, and some of the options may be out dated, expensive, time consuming or just plain wrong. Recognizing that there was a need for quality, inexpensive and up to date instructional videos, the founders of Grovo created a new resource.

The following is from their “About” page and should get you interested enough to actually click on this link to check them out.

Grovo produces free and Premium Business video tutorials that cover the Web’s most popular and useful sites as well as essential cloud services in social media, productivity, and online marketing. Applications include Facebook Profile, Advertising, and Pages, Google Analytics and Apps, Twitter, Yelp, Basecamp, and LinkedIn. Currently, our library contains over 800 video tutorials, and we produce 20 more every week. The videos are delivered through our proprietary education and training platform, which includes the lesson, pre-written notes, quizzes, and glossary terms.

Grovo’s content aims to educate, not to advertise, so all videos are devoid of promotional language or ads. Lessons are between 1-2 minutes long and progress from simple to advanced use cases. All content, including video tutorials, pre-written notes, quizzes and glossary terms, is produced in-house by Grovo’s team of writers, editors and voiceover talent.

I’ve taken a few of the courses and found that they are quality productions in short easy to digest video modules. The interface is clean and easy to navigate and I learned a few things along the way as well.

Give it a look and go learn something that may help your business in 2012!

CatchFree can catch the best free stuff

Jerry Kidd — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 02:00:22 +0000

In these difficult economic times, finding free ways to do every day tasks is always welcomed. But, there are so many choices that deciding which one to use can be a problem. While looking around the Internet the other day I ran across what may be the Mother Lode and Be All End All website to help with this issue..

CatchFree breaks down all of the free services (in certain categories) on the Internet and then compares them in such a way that helps you make a decision on which one to use. They’ve got categories on Business, Finance, Lifestyle, Photography, Security, Utilities, Collaboration, Fun, Marketing, Productivity, Social Networking, Website Tools, Education, Health, Music,Reference and Travel.

The way you use the site is pretty simple. Just search in the category that you need and a screen pops up with sub categories based on something that you might want to do. For instance, I selected the “Social Networking” category and 11 sub categories popped up. I chose the “Optimize Your Social Media Marketing” category and was given a chart that graded three different free services via User Rating, Facebook Likes, Ease of Setup, Ease of Use and whether there was a necessary download and registration.

Based on that, I could make a choice that would suit my needs and know that other people had vetted it for me. Once I make my decision I simply click on a link in the chart and can read reviews, ask questions and even be taken directly to the site where I can get the service I wanted.

Spend a few minutes and go take a look. And then if you are like me, you’ll book mark the site for future reference!

All About.Me!

Jerry Kidd — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 02:00:56 +0000

People are looking for you online right now! What are they finding? Better go take a look for your name on the three major search engines Google, Bing and Yahoo to see.

The more often YOU appear on that first page of search results the better, so I have found a really cool way to get your information out in front of people, and yes, it has that special pricing that is oh so important these days…FREE!

The picture in today’s post is my special page on About.Me. I used a custom image to do everything on the right side of the page, but About.Me gives you some free background images, the ability to customize fonts, colors and sizes, or you could do what I did and build your own custom image with your favorite image editor. The image that I used is 1400 by 875 pixels which is pretty close to the maximum size that they allow as a custom background.

The information on the left is all customizable too. You can add a brief headline and bio. You can add links to your other sites on the web, you can rename the links, change the colors, font sizes and typefaces. All in a very easy to use interface.

You can allow people to email you or not, you can collect visit statistics, you can submit the page to the search engines and so much more

It’s amazing that this is free given the ability to customize to your heart’s content. So, click on the picture or go to http://about.me/jerrykidd and check me out. While you are there you can also sign up for your own About.Me page. Why not, it’s free?

Are your listing websites mobile optimized?

Jerry Kidd — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 02:00:03 +0000

According to a July 11, 2011 study, the Pew Internet and American Life Project reports that 35% of American Adults own a smart phone. They also state that 87% of those users also access the Internet or email on their phones. In March of 2010, Nielsen reported that Smartphones will overtake Feature Phones by 2011.

(Read the Pew report at http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/Smartphones.aspx and the Nielsen report at http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/consumer/smartphones-to-overtake-feature-phones-in-u-s-by-2011/)

So what? Well, in my opinion, the so what is that you need to have your online marketing materials available in a format that is easily viewable by a user with a smart phone. Ever tried to view a website on your phone that has not been optimized for a smartphone? If not, go give it a try.

(Try http://www.nielsen.com on your smart phone for a bit of irony)

Now that I’ve made my point, let’s talk about your listings. Are they mobile optimized? If not, I found a free way for you to get that handled. Go to http://vyoo.it and follow the four simple steps.

Essentially you provide the URL of your listing online and it will create a mobile friendly site for you. (If you don’t have a website for your listing, they offer to link you to Postlets where you can create one. The folks behind Vyoo.it are the folks who developed Postlets) You then give it some info, select the pictures that you want to use and it will create the site. They will also give you a cool shortened URL to use as well as a QR code. They offer to sell you stickers, sign riders and postcards that feature the QR code and shortened URL. The site is ad supported, and some of you may not like their Terms of Service, so be sure to read them.

The site is smart enough to know when it is being viewed by a regular browser and not a mobile one, and in that case it redirects the viewer to your listing’s online web site. You can scan the QR code here to see the site or you can go to: http://vyoo.it/ucwcp on your smartphone.

I like the idea of custom sign riders, and they have done a good job on the ones that they offer, so be sure to check them out. What do you think? Do you think that it is necessary to have mobile optimized sites? Why or why not?

QR Codes that pop off the page!

Jerry Kidd — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 02:00:27 +0000

I’ve been writing this blog on a weekly basis for more than three and half years now. I’m not sure if that qualifies me as a journalist or not, but one of the things I think that journalists like to do is to get a “scoop”. In other words, they want to publish a story before any one else does.

Well, this week I have my first scoop! (Scoop as far as Tech blogs are concerned!) My friend Michael Seguin, Senior Manager of Technology at the Contra Costa Association of REALTORS® has developed a way to take those strange looking QR codes that are popping up every where and turn them into “works of art” that are sure to get attention. (Disclaimer: I was a member of the Contra Costa Association of REALTORS® from 1989 until the end of 2010. I am currently a member of the Bay East Association of REALTORS®)

Here is how it works. You visit http://www.QRStyler.com and put in the URL of where you want the QR code to deliver the viewer after they use their smart phone to “decode” the QR code. Then you choose a layout and click a button to create your new QR code!

From there you can email the code to whoever you need to in order to use it on Facebook, your flyers or wherever!

In some email conversation with Michael, I was assured that there will always be a free version. Michael went on to say that there will also be paid versions with more features. The system is currently in beta and you don’t need an invite to use it. Although I am showing a real estate theme, there are many others that you could use. (At last count there were 40 different layouts) If you can’t see the QR code that is part of this post, go here: http://realtytechbytes.com/?p=2877

So, go give it a whirl!

Here is the press release for more information:

WALNUT CREEK, California—July 29, 2011—The Contra Costa Association of REALTORS® (CCAR) has entered into an exclusive agreement with GotWebDev, Inc. to produce and market REALTOR® specific versions of the QRstyler™.com encoding application to the residential real estate marketplace. QRstyler allows REALTORS® to easily produce unique and eye-catching QR codes that allow clients to use smartphones to scan and capture marketing data including listings and instant links to REALTOR® websites. The product will be rolled out to CCAR Members by the end of August.

“This partnership and the resulting product is a perfect fit for CCAR”, says Bruce Adams, COO of the Contra Costa Association of REALTORS®. “A key part of our mission is to provide REALTORS® with the latest technological tools and innovations that will help them be successful in an increasingly challenging marketplace. The ability to not just use, but customize QR codes will help our Members to both differentiate themselves and to provide more timely and accurate access to information.”

After enjoying enormous success overseas, QR codes are exploding in the United States marketplace. Looking like square-shaped barcodes, QR codes work by allowing smartphones and tablets to “read” a code through their camera. That code can contain an enormous amount of data. Acting exactly like a “super hyperlink,” QR codes allow REALTORS® to offer their clients information and services wherever they may be through a smartphone. Adding to their versatility, QR codes can be reproduced in print or electronic form.

While QR encoder software is becoming commonplace, especially with the popularity of smartphones, the result is technically impressive but visually nondescript, squarish barcodes. QRstyler is the first QR encoder with an integrated “style engine.” That means REALTORS® and other users can create beautiful, targeted and even artful QR codes. More than just eye-catching, QRstyler allows the creation of brand-specific QR codes that mirror an organization’s identity. The application can function as a stand-alone web utility for individuals to encode on-demand, or via a data-driven interface to provide instantly branded QR codes for any purpose.

Eventually, two real estate-specific versions of QRstyler will be available to CCAR. The Basic Package will be offered to CCAR Members as a benefit, allowing Member REALTORS® to choose from set of standard REALTOR® oriented design templates. A premium version will be available at extra cost to both Brokers and REALTORS® that will allow production of unique and visually rich images which may be highly personalized by Brokers and REALTORS®. Either version will produce attractive and unique QR codes that can be printed, placed on kiosks and websites, shared from a smartphone, and much more.

“Part of the appeal of this tool is that it will integrate with existing CCAR technologies that are already being successfully used by REALTOR® Members,” notes Michael Seguin, Senior Technology Manager for CCAR. “QRstyler will enhance both our single property website product called ‘Street URLs’ and our proprietary ‘Homes Open Today’ web application. If all goes well our intention is to offer QRstyler to other Multiple Listing Services and REALTOR® Associations.”

7 Must have iPad apps for real estate agents

Jerry Kidd — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 02:00:46 +0000

^{When the iPad 1 came out I picked one up to evaluate. I returned it to the Apple store 14 days later because it wasn’t capable of doing some of the things that I needed it to do. You can imagine the surprise on the faces of the Apple Store employees when they got my request for a refund! This was shortly after it’s launch and people were having a hard time getting their hands on an iPad.}

Even though I returned it, I still wanted one. So, when the iPad 2 came out I again purchased one. This time it didn’t go back. In fact it gets more daily use that my MacBook Pro which I dearly love.

I am often asked by the real estate agents that I work with my opinion as to whether they should get one. My answer is always “it depends”. The dependency is the agent’s Multiple Listing Service. If their MLS could not be properly displayed on the iPad’s Safari browser, the iPad was not for them. The MLS that I used to belong to FINALLY got it right when they brought out Paragon 5 a few weeks ago. So, for agents in Alameda and Contra Costa counties, the dawning of the age of iPad has finally come to you. (The rest of the San Francisco Bay Are has long had that capability!)

But MLS is not the only thing that an agent could use the iPad for in their business. The ability to send email, browse the web, schedule things in a calendar app and manage contacts are all native to the iPad with the Mail, Safari, Calendar and Contacts apps that come with the iPad. And these are daily activities for all busy agents.

But, the iPad is capable of much more than that. Here is a list of the 7 non-native apps that I have on my iPad that I find indispensable.

These are the iPad (and iPhone) version of Apple’s very popular office suite of products. Keynote is an extremely easy to use app that creates stunning PowerPoint like presentations. Pages can create word processing documents, flyers, brochures and almost any kind of publishing document. Numbers is spreadsheet program.

They are $9.99 each, can be bought separately and you DO need at least Keynote and Pages. If you have a Mac you can create files on the Mac and show them on the iPad and vice versa. They are not 100% compatible with each other depending on the fonts used and a few other issues. This is not a deal killer though.

^{Here are the links:}http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/keynote/id361285480?mt=8

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pages/id361309726?mt=8

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/numbers/id361304891?mt=8

Dropbox is a free service that allows you to bring all of your photos, docs and videos anywhere. After you install it on your computer and iPad, any files saved to Dropbox will automatically be synchronized between the devices and will also be stored on the Dropbox website. You can have everything with you for free up to 2 GB total!

Here is the link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dropbox/id327630330?mt=8

Call, video call or instant message any one on Skype for free! Plus call anyone at Skype’s low rates if they are not a member.

Here is the link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/skype/id304878510?mt=8

^{Dragon Dictation is a free and easy-to-use voice recognition application powered by Dragon® NaturallySpeaking® that allows you to easily speak and instantly see your text or email messages. In fact, it’s up to five (5) times faster than typing on the keyboard.}

^{Here is the link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dragon-dictation/id341446764?mt=8}

GoodReader is a super-robust PDF reader for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. (It costs $4.99) With GoodReader on your iPad, you can read virtually anything, anywhere: books, movies, maps, pictures. It can read doc, ppt, xls, keynote, pages, numbers, pdf, images, audio, video and Safari archives as well as html. It syncs with DropBox, Google Docs, SugarSync, iDisk and WebDav and FTP servers. But maybe the most important feature is that it will let you annotate PDF files. Can you say “Sign here”? Yes, you can pull up a PDF of a contract and have some one sign right on the iPad. From there the pdf could be saved back to Dropbox and emailed on to who ever needs to get it!

^{Here is the link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/goodreader-for-ipad/id363448914?mt=8}

As real estate agents, you might also want to have the Realtor.com, Trulia and Zillow apps installed. They are all free and they all give you different views of real estate that is for sale or that has sold.

^{Here are those links:}

^{http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/realtor.com-real-estate-search/id336698281?mt=8}
^{http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/trulia-real-estate-search/id425585109?mt=8}^{http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id310738695?mt=8}

Don’t forget to check with your association or MLS to see if they have iPad apps that you could get as well.

^{A quick search of the app store on iTunes showed 60 results for the word Realtor, so this is not meant to be an exhaustive list, but it does comprise my favorite apps … the ones that I use nearly every day! What are your favorite iPad apps?}

Recover that stolen computer for free!

Jerry Kidd — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 02:00:50 +0000

The local news recently reported that a man recovered his stolen laptop because he was running some sort of security software that enabled him to locate the machine. He was able to furnish the information to the police who then recovered the laptop and arrested the thief.

That story intrigued me so I went on the hunt to find what he was using since the news story didn’t disclose that information.

Since I run Mac’s and have the MobileMe service, I already have something similar for my iPhone in Apple’s “Find My iPhone”. The new Lion OSX upgrade is supposed to have a “Find My Mac” service when it gets released. But, what about now? And what about my PCs?

Fortunately I found the Prey Project (http://www.PreyProject.com). Prey works by installing a small piece of software on your Mac, PC or Android phone. (It does not support iPhone or iPads yet) It sits quietly in the background until you go to another computer and log in to your account. Once there you tell it that the computer where you have it installed is missing.

That’s when the fun begins. You start to get emails with geo-location info (It triangulates off of WiFi locations, so if your computer does not have wifi capabilities this won’t work). screen shots and webcam shots (if your computer has a webcam).

There is a free version (I like free) which lets you monitor and protect up to 3 devices. The Pro version costs anywhere from $5.00 per month up to $399.00 per month. Although most people will be quite happy with the free version, the Pro version does give you some more flexibility on reporting and protection.

I hope that you will never need something like this, but better to have it installed and not need it than to need it and not have it.

By the way, here is the link to the news story that inspired me to look for this product:
http://oaklandlocal.com/article/social-media-and-web-tools-help-oakland-man-recover-stolen-laptop He was using a program called Hidden, but I think he could have used Prey equally as well.

Free International Phone Calls

Jerry Kidd — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 02:00:00 +0000

Ever had to make a call to a foreign country? Did you enjoy paying for it? Probably not as International rates can be pretty stiff.

I realize that you could make a Skype call from your computer to the other person and assuming that they also had Skype on their computers, the call is free. You could also use any of the other IP based phone systems to make free calls, but they do require the use of a computer.

Recently I found a company that will allow you to use your home phone, company phone or cell phone to call most foreign countries and make an up to 10 minute call absolutely free! You dial a local number (I found numbers for Fremont, San Francisco, Oakland, Fresno, Sacramento and San Jose for you NorCal folks) and listen to an advertisement before your call goes through. Once you finish listening, the phone number you called rings and you are connected. The person you call does not hear any ads and as far as they are concerned it is a normal call. 30 seconds before your time is up you hear some beeps. When you hear the beeps you could tell the other person that you are getting another call and have to hang up.

Simple, easy and free. Learn more here: http://www.freephone2phone.com/

Some restrictions do apply, so be sure to read everything before you call, but I found nothing there that I would call a deal killer…unless you can’t stand listening to ads!

Amazing home remodel tool!

Jerry Kidd — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 02:00:06 +0000

The day comes to almost every homeowner when you decide that you can’t live with your kitchen or bath room any longer!

That day recently arrived in our house when my wife announced to me that she was bringing her interior designer in to have a look a our kitchen to decide what could be done to gain more space and/or a more efficient use of the available space.

I cannot visualize how things will look in a room without the help of pictures, drawings or even physical objects to move around. So, I was at a loss to understand what they were talking about. Once the drawings arrived from the designer, I was able to get the “picture” and feel comfortable about what was planned.

My guess is that many of us need some visual cues when faced with a remodel and so I have found a tool that can help you or your clients use their computers and web sites to virtually design that new space. Oh, did I mention that it is free?

Go to Autodesk’s® HomeStyler® web site, http://www.Homestyler.com. This site allows you to plug in the dimensions of your room, add the flooring you like, then select cabinets, appliances, fixtures, windows, doors and paint. You can get a 3D view, a 2D view, save designs and share designs.

There is also a gallery of professional designs to start with in case you need some ideas on how to get going. They have quite a few videos created by designer Nadia Geller that really helped me understand some design principals and ways to use the tool. Given that we have been having some unseasonable rainy weather, I didn’t mind the lost hours spent playing with this tool!

This might be a useful web site to tell your buyers about when they are considering how they might personalize that home they are considering purchasing. Sellers might use it to help them get their house in top condition for a sale. And of course it’s a useful tool for any one planning on refreshing their home for years of enjoyment to come.

Check it out! It’s fairly easy to use without reading the directions, but if you take a few minutes to watch the videos you’ll be designing that new kitchen or bath in no time!