I’m a big fan of new technologies, and a good app often is a real lifesaver. I am not ashamed to accept any help I can get — especially if the only thing I need to do is tap the “download” button.
I’ve created a list of the five best work-related apps I use every day. These wonderful inventions can help you organize your schedule, remember passwords or keep your paperwork just a click away.
1. DocuSign (available on the Apple Store, Google Play and the Windows Store)
DocuSign is one of the most convenient tools around — for a real estate agent or any other businessperson. It’s easy to use and allows you to sign documents anywhere in the world! The app allows you to do tons of business from the road, which is ideal for any real estate agent — especially if you like to attend real estate conferences as much as I do.
DocuSign works with commonly used file formats (Word, Excel, PDF, text and image files), as well as with the cloud services we already use (Box, Dropbox, Evernote, Google Drive, OneDrive and more). DocuSign also recognizes and converts PDF form fields so you won’t have to redesign your form from scratch. (This is extremely useful for real estate agents!) All the resulting agreements are stored in the DocuSign cloud, which is encrypted and safe.
2. LastPass (available on the Apple Store, Google Play and the Windows Store)
I cannot imagine how I memorized and them remembered all of my passwords before I found this app. LastPass allows you to safely store all your passwords and access them from any device using just one LastPass login — the master password, which is the only one you need to remember.
If you work with a team, you also can set up a LastPass Enterprise account to secure your company’s assets. As the guys from LastPass point out, the more time your employees spend tracking down passwords and hitting the “password reset” button, the more it costs you in productivity — and in your bottom line.
3. Dropbox (available on the Apple Store, Google Play and the Windows Store)
After you install Dropbox on your computer, any file you save to your Dropbox will automatically save to all your computers, smartphones and tablets, as well as to the Dropbox website! You can pack up everything you need in the cloud and access it from any device in the world that has this app installed.
Every time you edit any of the content on your devices, the same change will apply on all the devices where your Dropbox account is open. It’s a definite must for Realtors, who deal with hundreds of documents every day.
4. Waze (available on the Apple Store, Google Play and the Windows Store)
The Waze app helps you bypass traffic and save time and gas money on your commute. It’s very simple: All you have to do is drive with the app open. By doing so, you contribute to traffic reports in real time. If you want to participate more actively, you can report events as you drive by — all hands-free.
This app always calculates the fastest route to your destination based on the information collected. That’s why it’s crucial for as many of your friends as possible to join in so the app has as much information as possible. There also is a feature that allows you to create events and see a live status of your friends or clients as they arrive, for example, at your house party or viewing.
5. The Weather Channel (available on the Apple Store, Google Play and the Windows Store)
This app lets me know what the weather is like, what I need to wear and what the forecast will be. Forecasts include hourly, 36-hour and 10-day options in Celsius or Fahrenheit.
What I really like about this app is that it also gives you a “feels like” temperature. In Canada, this “feels like” reading often is different from the actual temperature. I never go out unprepared.
The feature I’m most excited about is the Social Weather module, where you can share your weather conditions along with photos. The system uses this information to improve its alerts. It’s amazing to be able to help others avoid getting wet!
These are just a few of the most helpful apps that can make your lives easier and boost your productivity. I hope you’re as excited as I am about discovering more of these futuristic tools.
Richard Silver is a sales representative with Sotheby’s International Realty Canada and has been an active Realtor for 33 years. He loves teaching about technology and and how he has adopted it into his successful real estate business. You can see more on his blog at Torontoism.com.
