My 10 Favorite Smartphone Apps I use in my Real Estate Business (PS: Not just for Realtors)

In my experience, these ten apps I downloaded to my smartphone are some of the most useful (and fun) apps for my business - most of them for free and most available for the IPhone and Android. Do you use any of them? Others you would recommend?

1. Waze

This social driven navigation app is all you need when taking clients on showings or going anywhere for that matter. I believe this app is better than most car or portable navigation systems because it is interactive with other users... and there are many of them. It will notify you of hazards, traffic jams, police, road closures and much more. But what makes it especially useful is that it will automatically reroute you if there is a problem ahead. It's easy to use and follow with the screen and voice prompts - but best to have a smartphone holder on your dashboard to easily see the screen.

2. Dropbox

Have you ever been somewhere without access to your computer and needed to send a document or file to a client? With Dropbox you can keep your active and important files with you where ever you go. Your computer and smartphone automatically sync files whenever one is updated or added. So when someone needs a document, picture or file, you can access it from your phone and email them the link. Trust me, this will come in very handy.

3. Slydial

You're busy and need to update a client or associate but don't want to take the time to have a conversation with them. No problem, use Slydial to leave them a voicemail on their cell phone without having to call them. Leave the message with what they need to know and you're done. Especially beneficial when you need to update one of the chattier types.

4. Realtor.com

This should be obvious, but what really comes in handy is when you're with a client and pass a home for sale and they want to know all about it. You just open up this app and search for homes for sale near your current location and there is the listing with everything you need to know for the client. It has many other beneficial features for us too!

5. Evernote

It can do some of what Dropbox does and more. You may want to use Dropbox for a simple file sharing app, but Evernote incorporates more functionality and interactive features that allow you to manage your business and time across all of your devices. Evernote is a note taking app by design. It's absolutely amazing at a lot of things. It's great for keeping track of relatively small pieces of information such as receipts and client conversations. It's also quite useful for writing down or scanning meeting notes, client updates, information from websites and important documentation that may accompany your business, home or finances - just to mention a few. To simply sum up the differences: "Dropbox is a file back-up and syncing service and Evernote is a note storing and syncing application. The two may sound similar, but they are not." You should have both!

6. Icon.Me

Never be without a business card with Icon.me! It's a digital business card that contains more and better content than any paper business card could ever convey. When you meet someone, you just open the app and enter their phone number or email and they now have all of your business information digitally... and in a format they can easily save to their contacts.

7. Instagram

Now that they added the 15 second video feature, it makes it so easy to take a short video of a property or one or two of it's special features and easily upload it to Facebook and Twitter. Be creative and this can be a great tool for marketing a property.

8. Camera+

A great addition to your smartphone's camera... you can take pictures and edit them right in the same application. The preset editing features do a great job of enhancing your photos. While I use a separate camera for most of my property shots, there are situations where my smartphone camera is better - either because of lighting or the angle I need to use for the picture... and when appropriate, my IPhone Panorama shots work great. I have no less than 15 photo related apps and I use them all for various purposes. But to get back on track here... Camera+ is a must.

9. Photo Editing Apps

As you can tell from my comments above, I go a little bit crazy with the camera related apps because everyone of them is excellent to use for different purposes. Two great apps that allow you to professionally edit your photos with either presets or manually are: (1) Photogene2 and (2) Snapseed.

10. Yelp

This one may sound a little off track, but using Yelp to write reviews about almost anything increases your exposure to many people... so look at this as a marketing tool. You can write reviews about vendors such as home inspectors, electricians, plumbers and contractors you have used in your business. Also, you can write reviews about restaurants that you frequent. Yelp has a very wide user group and you can creatively and effectively use it to increase your exposure and grow your business. When you write a great review about a restaurant in your area, how about printing it out, framing it and taking it to the restaurant for them to display! And, oh by the way, maybe you can leave cards there and let them know you're in the business of helping people buy and sell homes... They interact with a lot of people everyday - Do you think they might remember you when they learn of someone looking to buy or sell?

One last honorable mention is SlowShutter. This camera app is designed for taking pictures in low light and it does an excellent job. What I especially like is how easy it is to create amazing effects to enhance your pictures. For example, with the slow shutter speed in low lighting you can create a mist around your picture of that pond or swimming pool... or ghost like image across the lighted patio at night. Practical and fun application to use in your business.

I hope you find at least a few of these beneficial in your business. If you have others, please mention them in the comments! Your feedback is always welcome.