The Best in Technology for REALTORS.

1. 12 | CHICAGOAGENT • SEPTEMBER 21, 2015 • CHICAGOAGENTMAGAZINE.COM
THE BEST IN REAL ESTATE
HELPING YOU STAY AHEAD OF THE TECH GAME
MATT DOLLINGER
President and Founder
Gearbox Consulting
matt@gearboxconsulting.com
The pace of new technology coming onto the market is dizzying and almost impossible to keep up with, especially
when it comes to real estate. Many agents are constantly wondering if there is some new app or site they don’t have
or know about that could give them a real competitive edge. To help you stay on top of the tech tidal wave, we asked a
panel of savvy industry experts to give us their very informed opinions about the best tech options in key categories that
mean the most to your business. It’s our way of helping you stay dialed into what technology is really working, and what
will help you stay on top of the ever-expanding tech sector.
PANEL OF EXPERTS
NOBU HATA
Director of Member Engagement
National Association of REALTORS®
NHata@realtors.org
KATIE LANCE
CEO/Owner
Katie Lance Consulting
katie@katielance.com
MARKI LEMONS-RYHAL
Founder
Marki Lemons Unlimited, Inc.
info@markilemons.com
JEFF LOBB
Founder and CEO
SparkTank Media
Jeff@jlobb.com
MICHAEL PRICE
Editor
geekestateblog.com
mike@mikeprice.me
AMY SMYTHE HARRIS
Broker/Owner
Urban Provision REALTORS®
amy@amysmytheharris.com

2. CHICAGOAGENTMAGAZINE.COM • SEPTEMBER 21, 2015 • CHICAGOAGENT | 13
COVER STORY
BEST TRANSACTION MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE
Winner: Dotloop
Dotloop, which was recently acquired by the Zillow
Group, takes online document signing to a new level
through a highly collaborative, cloud-based interface
that allows all parties to end the practice of emailing
and uploading PDFs. The software generates online
workplaces, or “loops,” that can be used to handle
transactions ranging from rentals to home sales, and
the paperwork generated by every step. Each project
appears on one page, making it easy to track progress.
Documents appear in real time and are shared between
team members, clients and other relevant parties. Edits
remain private until the user is ready to share them.
All data is encrypted and stored in the cloud, making
offsite access easy and secure. According to Michael
Price, editor of GeekEstateBlog.com, DotLoop’s
“interfaces are superbly simple and the ‘loop’ concept
makes perfect sense as a method to the madness that
is the real estate transaction.” Jeff Lobb, founder and
CEO of SparkTank Media, describes the software as “a
one-stop, completely mobile solution that is simple
and so effective in keeping everyone ‘in the Loop.’”
Price: From $29 per month for a personal account, or
$299 per month for businesses. A premium business
edition is available starting at $540 per month.
Where to buy: www.dotloop.com
BEST CRM
Winner: Contactually
For the third year in a row, Contactually’s full-press
approach to customer relationship has made it the
winner in this category. The flexibility offered by
its mobile options, a daily dashboard organizer
designed to keep users on point, email integration
services and a novel relationship organization
systems called “Buckets” make Contactually an
appealing and easy to use option. A library of
templates, as well as customizable email and
sequencing programs, allow users to make the
software their own. Katie Lance, CEO/owner of
Katie Lance Consulting, says she likes it most for
its “social media integration,” and Amy Smythe
Harris, broker/owner of Urban Provision Realtors
and a technology instructor for the Houston
Association of Realtors, advises agents to “find
out what you want a CRM to do first before
deciding, but I chose Contactually because it
fit my needs.” Nobu Hata, director of member
engagement at the National Association of
Realtors, describes it as “simple to use, plugs into
most Web and email solutions for marketing
purposes and gamifys your client outreach.”
Price: Starts at $29 per month. Free trials are available.
Where to buy: www.contactually.com
Runner up: Realvolve
Realvolve strives to make running its CRM software
as intuitive and easy to use as possible with an
intentionally simple and practical design. It builds
on technology that agents use daily through its
integration with Google apps, email, Facebook and
the Web. Rather than offering a drip campaign
feature, Realvolve provides a workflow platform that
enables agents to build custom follow-up campaigns
for any type of lead or contact. “Bordering more
on the cusp of a Social CRM, Realvolve fits the
bill for most agents that are running a ‘by referral’
business and don’t need to be bogged down with
huge price tag CRM softwares,” says Matt Dollinger,
president and founder of Gearbox Consulting.
“Send emails, SMS and social media messages direct
from the application, integrate your calendar and
tasks, pull in listings and transactions and even set
up workflows for you and your team. And it’s a
fraction of the cost of big ticket CRM’s out there.”
And Lobb calls it a “simple solution with real
estate specific language and workflow.”
Price: Starts at $37 per month.
Where to buy: realvolve.com
BEST AGENT WEBSITE CREATOR
Winner: Placester
Placester’s website solutions for agents give users
the tools needed to build a sleek, attractive online
home. A setup wizard is available to help you
get started, allowing more time to build your
brand. Multiple site designs provide an intuitive,
user-friendly experience. An advanced search
tool allows agents to filter searchable listings to
a particular audience and lets users save their
favorite properties. Social media options, blogging
and diverse lead capture tools help agents increase
their visibility and bring in more potential clients.
“You pick a template, then let your imagination
run wild,” Hata says. “My favorite features are
that it’s Wordpress-based, making Google-friendly
content creation a snap; the customizable map-
search feature allows you to save home searches
around points of interest, for example; and it’s
mobile responsive, meaning you don’t need an
app. Plus it’s cheap!” Price appreciates that it
gives agents “the ability to have an IDX-powered
site that is responsive with exceptional customer
support at extremely reasonable costs.”
Price: From $10 per month.
Where to buy: https://placester.com/
BEST PROSPECTING SYSTEM
Winner: SmartZip
Prospecting comes easy through the hyper-local
algorithms offered in SmartZip’s SmartTargeting
platform. The predictive marketing technology
looks at big data on neighborhoods, homes and
homeowners to prognosticate who will be selling.
The platform helps agents target these potential
clients through consistent branding and persistent,
multi-touch marketing campaigns. Agents can
map their own exclusive territories to maximize
their commission potential. Lance says, “Their
predictive marketing formula is unlike any others
I have seen before, and really helps agents narrow
their farm down into a very precise area.” Dollinger
calls it “the smartest analytical marketing system
available,” and Lobb explains that, “Besides having
a personal relationship and networking, strategic
data and geographic farming is where the future of
prospecting will be. SmartZip gets that done.”
Price: Demos are available, and for pricing
please contact the company.
Where to buy: www.smartzip.com
BEST SITE TO MARKET YOUR LISTINGS
Winner: MLS
In this category, our panel’s consensus was the
industry standard – the MLS. Not only does it provide
unmatched access to real estate professionals, but
it also allows agents to emphasize their properties’
unique characteristics, including: additional rooms, the
Elmspring works to
accelerate real estate
innovation
By Rachel Mazanek
In 2013, Tom Bretz and Adam Freeman,
operators of Century 21 Affiliated’s Chicago
office, began receiving opportunities to invest
in disruptive technology targeted for the real
estate industry. They used those offers as the
impetus to create the first seed-stage real
estate and housing technology accelerator in
the country, dubbed Elmspring.
Headquartered in Chicago, their
organization brings together real estate
professionals and technology startups through the
Elmspring Accelerator. The three-month program
invests in early-stage companies with leading-edge
ideas for real estate and housing technology.
“Any time you increase innovation in an
industry, you benefit the market as a whole,”
Bretz said. “Technology makes it easier for
your audience to find you and your offerings,
it makes it easier for them to find what they
need in an efficient manner and it makes it
easier for you to engage with them. We can
help make that happen faster.”
Those accepted into the curriculum-
intensive program receive $20,000 in cash
and mentorship from leaders in real estate,
technology and business development, as
well as access to office space in Chicago’s
digital technology hub, 1871 Chicago. The
technology accelerator provides startups
with a comprehensive course load, guides
them through investment meetings and
connects them to the real estate world. The
three months end with Demo Day, when each
company has the opportunity to pitch its
product to accredited investors.
Elmspring has set itself apart from like-
minded groups because of the types of
companies with which it chooses to partner.
“We distinguish ourselves by establishing
one very important selection criteria: we only
accept companies that we know we can help,”
Bretz said. “Each company selected into our
program is graded against a set of selection
criteria that includes the leadership ability of
their CEO, the market size of the product or
service, the technology being created, and
the rationality of the business plan itself. At
the end of that, we ask ourselves if they meet
these criteria, and then we ask ourselves if
there is something that we can do to actively
accelerate that company during our program.”
Elmspring’s portfolio currently includes
12 innovative real estate concepts. Among
these is ReaLync, “a real time video platform that
connects agents and consumers to tour real estate.”
On the horizon are three apps currently
completing Elmspring’s program. Property
Carnivores, a lead generation tool, helps
agents effectively engage with their Twitter
followers. Alpha Lead, another lead generation
tool, features “real-time, geo-targeted leads.”
And CondoGrade provides a rating of a
condo association’s financial health to help
real estate professionals evaluate, price,
market and finance condo units.

3. 14 | CHICAGOAGENT • SEPTEMBER 21, 2015 • CHICAGOAGENTMAGAZINE.COM
COVER STORY
property’s age, nearby schools, parking, lot dimensions
and disability access, among dozens of other options.
To top it all off, the MLS offers exclusive, timely
reports, and syndication agreements guarantee a listing
will appear on many other websites. As Lance puts it,
“Why wouldn’t you put your listings everywhere?”
Price: Varies, depending on what your local
association charges
Where to Buy: You receive access to the MLS as a
member of your local association.
BEST EMAIL MARKETING SOFTWARE
Tie: HappyGrasshopper and MailChimp
HappyGrasshopper HappyGrasshopper’s email
marketing tools are designed to get the best results
for salespeople. Users can choose from among
the friendly and fun messages provided by the
company’s copywriters to keep in touch with clients.
Custom, lead-response email campaigns can also
be orchestrated to convert leads into buyers. Basic
service includes a custom signature building, delivery
and open tracking and a contact upload service.
HappyGrasshopper fully guarantees its services,
even offering 100 percent refunds. Lobb says,
“Most email marketing is canned and annoying.
Happy Grasshopper creates conversation marketing
that gets responses. Getting more responses from
your current emails and ones that have been non-
responsive turns into more opportunities, and more
opportunities equals more money.” Dollinger is also
a fan, commenting that “no one does email to leads,
past clients and your sphere of influence like the
folks at HappyGrasshopper. This isn’t just another
bulk email, market update, canned crap offering. The
HG team schedules kickoff calls and interviews
to get to know your style and voice, custom
writes your communication to reflect this and
integrates with every lead source you can think
of. Extra bonus – they’re awesome people that
really like to help agents make more money!”
Price: Plans start at $19 per month.
Where to buy: happygrasshopper.com/
MailChimp Personalization features are becoming
the standard among marketing software providers,
and those offered by MailChimp continue to keep
the company at the top. RSS to email service, a
Chimpadeedoo app that collects email addresses
from MailChimp lists even when you’re offline,
customizable templates, geolocation tracking that
lets you know not just when but where an email
is opened and autoresponders make the software
an attractive option. Lance says it’s “Easy to use,
great on mobile, helps agents create and send email
marketing quickly and manage their email marketing
efficiently.” And Price advises that “MailChimp is
hands down the most effective platform to create
and maintain email marketing campaigns. It’s priced
reasonably and has tremendous customer support.
And its easy to use web interface works well with
small and large campaigns.”
Price: Free to start, and certain features are available
with paid upgrades.
Where to buy: mailchimp.com
BEST APP/SOFTWARE FOR SHOWINGS
Winner: ShowingTime.com
As the name simply implies, ShowingTime provides
software specifically focused on helping agents
handle showings. Lance calls it “very well respected
in the industry,” and Price says it “has a great
analytics and mobile platform.” Dollinger says
ShowingTime is “affordable for almost everyone,
has coverage directly integrated with MLSs across
the nation and continues to refine the product every
year.” Programs offered include the ShowingTime
Appointment Center, which answers calls as if from
your office; LeadCoordinator, which functions as a
virtual staff for managing prospect calls and general
inquiries; ShowingTime Analytics, which provides
reporting tools for measuring showing benchmarks;
ShowingTime for the MLS, which functions
as an online request system for MLS websites;
LeadAlert, which captures buyer showing requests
from your website; and ShowingDesk, which is
intended for front desk functions.
Price: Prices vary; demos available online.
Where to buy: www.showingtime.com
BEST LEAD GEN SOFTWARE
Winner: BoomTown
BoomTown’s suite of programs are designed to
be highly adaptable to many kinds of real estate
operations, from single agents to entire brokerages.
Branding options are available through a design
Patch of Land: Real Estate’s KickstarterBy: James F. McClister
On March 4, 2014, Kickstarter, the now-popular crowdfunding website,
surpassed $1 billion in pledges just shy of its five-year anniversary.
Adoption of that model into more specific industries became all but inevitable in
its successful wake. It’s already happening in real estate.
“We wanted to let more or less normal people invest in real estate – something
that’s traditionally difficult to do,” said Brian Fritton, chief technology officer for
real estate crowdfunding site Patch of Land (POL), which he co-founded with his
brother Jason Fritton and tech entrepreneur and real estate developer Carlo Tabibi.
In 2012, well into the crowdfunding phenomenon Kickstarter incited, the Fritton
brothers, who had been hashing out business ideas since the age of 10, found themselves
in a position with stable jobs, healthy savings and an ambition that hadn’t waned since childhood.
“We were looking to get into real estate, and with Kickstarter being as big as it was and is,
and us having technology backgrounds, it was an easy decision to try and marry the two,” he said.
An Idea Not Without Risk
The three founders came up with an idea to fund real estate debt and repackage it to
investors through the crowdfuning exemptions of the JOBS Act and SEC regulations: Title
II, Reg D 506(c) (something Jason Fritton had actively lobbied for prior to forming POL).
The exemptions allow for immediate, peer-to-peer investment, but only involving investors
who have been accredited, which is something POL is charged with verifying.
“We don’t want people risking too much just because they’re excited,”
Fritton said of POL’s accreditation process. “We follow FCC regulations and
operate similarly to a bank. To be accredited, we ask four questions about
your personal finances; it’s called self-accreditation.”
Fritton clarified that investors are unable to see a borrower’s credit score
and income. Privacy rules bar POL from releasing such information. However,
POL does assign each borrower a risk profile for investors to view, which
Fritton described as both quantitative and qualitative.
“It includes a temperature bar for the local market, the borrower’s payment history and
a description of any unique risk surrounding that particular loan,” he explained, adding that
they also have an internal scoring and risk management system that works off approximately
4,000 different data points from dozens of different sources.
Cyber Safeguards
Like a typical crowdfunding site, potential investors are able to use POL to browse
possible real estate projects, and if interested, invest in them. Fritton admits the
investment itself is risky, but assures that POL has taken steps to ensure the investment
is as “recoverable and secure as possible,” including shoring up cyber vulnerabilities.
“We have identified plenty of attempted attacks and handled them proactively,” he said.
“We review every single launch through manual and security audits. We do daily malware
scans. We have the same security you’d see somewhere like BankOfAmerica.com.”
Apart from the built-in safeguards, POL has done extensive penetration testing with
all its developers to push and define the limits of its anti-fraud system. In a worst-case
scenario, he said, POL has cyber security insurance.
A Threat to Lenders?
Real estate crowdfunding is still very much in its infancy, but Patch of Land, and other
companies like it (i.e., Fundrise and Realty Mogul), are transforming the lending option
into an industry mainstay. Already, POL has found success in several major markets,
including Chicago, where Fritton says POL has helped finance six or seven deals
ranging in value from $150,000 to just under half a million. They expect to expand further.
Fritton explained that the company’s primary draw right now is in smaller residential
notes, but said that he and his partners were not ruling out expansion into other sectors.
“We’re planning to move a whole lot,” he said, pointing out that POL recently
began commercial lending and will soon be extending operations to Boston.
With its toes mostly dipped in the lower end of the residential pool, large lenders
have yet to target real estate crowdfunders as a potential disruption to their business.
And, in fact, Fritton admitted that many banks are opting to partner with POL to provide
customers with loan options they themselves might not be able to provide.
“They’re institutional investors,” he said of traditional lenders. “They want to
be involved and be in this world and help their customers.”
Fritton said that he cannot rule out POL moving into “the big, $20-million lot type
of lending,” which is where he fears real estate crowdfunders will start feeling push
back from big box lenders and banks. But for now, the markets POL has launched in are
embracing crowdfunding, and the website’s three founders are excited for the future.

4. 16 | CHICAGOAGENT • SEPTEMBER 21, 2015 • CHICAGOAGENTMAGAZINE.COM
COVER STORY
library, and automated marketing tools provide the
means to reach out to potential leads. Automated
data sorting and analytics services free agents to
cultivate their leads and build relationships with
clients. Dashboard tools can track interaction,
while mobile options allow agents to respond to
leads using tablets or smartphones. According to
Dollinger, “BoomTown has long been considered
the ‘Gold Standard’ of lead generation for good
reason. First of all, they offer killer mobile-optimized
websites with all the bells and whistles you’d expect.
Second, their integrated backend CRM allows you to
schedule automatic follow-ups, track communication
and see users’ activity throughout your site. Best of
all, they can handle all your PPC, Adwords, content
generation and Facebook spend for you so you can
focus on selling homes. Last, their user community
is one of the most rich I’ve ever seen, providing tips
and insight from fellow BoomTown users across the
nation.” Lobb essentially agrees with that sentiment,
calling it an “elegant solution for brokerages and
teams to manage, generate and nurture leads.”
Price: Contact company directly; some demos available.
Where to buy: Boomtownroi.com
BEST OPEN HOUSE APP
Winner: Open Home Pro
Winning for the fourth time, Open Home Pro lets
you run all of your open houses from Apple or
Android interfaces. The app’s functions include
the ability to create listings pages, manage walk-
ins, follow up with leads and export data to
Microsoft Excel or a CRM system. You can run
slideshows, ask buyers to sign in on your mobile
device and even send thank you messages after
the open house. Price praises it for “its strong
mobile-first platform for managing open houses.
It also features automated follow-up with great
social integration, and a freemium version to test it
out before upgrading to the very affordable, feature-
rich premium platform.” And Hata likes it “because
of its flexibility to add relevant content from the
MLS before an open house starts. Pro-tip: Get people
to SIGN OUT rather than sign in. Signing out means
you’ve built some rapport with a potential prospect.”
Price: Afreeversionisavailable,andupgradesstartat$14.99.
Where to buy: Available at iTunes and Google Play
BEST PHOTOGRAPHY APP/SOFTWARE
Winner: Instagram
Over the past year, Instagram has undergone a
number of changes to give users more artistic
control over their images. In addition to adding a
grid option for posting multiple photos in one post,
users are now able to change specific image settings,
such as the brightness and sharpness of a photo. With
those additions, along with the ability to share posted
photos across various social media sites, the mobile
app remains extremely popular, especially with agents.
“Think about the 25 photos you just took at a listing
appointment that you want to share with the world,”
says social media expert Marki Lemons-Ryhal, founder
of Marki Lemons Unlimited, Inc. “Instagram allows
you to share those photos with five additional websites
– Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Flickr and Foursquare. If
I add a few ‘recipes’ from the terrific task automation
app IFTTT (“If This Then That”) I can also share those
photos on LinkedIn and additional Facebook Business
Pages from the tap of my mobile device.”
Price: Free
Where to Buy: Available at iTunes and Google Play
BEST SAFETY APP
Tie: Guardly and Verify Photo ID
Guardly A runner-up last year, Guardly takes
a piece of the top spot thanks in part to its
instant activation and simplicity. The emergency
communication platform puts users in contact
with emergency personnel and their own personal
safety networks with a single tap, while also
enabling organizations to send out mobile alerts
based on users’ locations. Its indoor positioning
and global positioning systems enable security
operators to easily locate users within buildings.
Specially designed for people who often work
alone, as many agents do, the app also lets users
determine how to organize and prioritize their own
contact groups. Price appreciates that “Guardly.com
has a lone worker application designed specifically
to send a silent alert in an emergency situation.”
Price: Free to $1.99 per month, or $19.99 per year.
Where to buy: iTunes, Google Play
Verify Photo ID Designed with agents in mind,
Verify Photo ID lets you check out prospective
clients before getting into a car with them. The app
checks photo identification in three simple steps,
beginning with an agent sending the prospect a
link via text message. The prospective client then
uses their mobile device to take a picture of their
identification and upload it, allowing the agent
to review the information and decide whether or
not to confirm an appointment, refer the client to
someone else or take a pass. “Safety is the utmost
concern for agents,” says Lobb. “This app allows
drivers license scanning and verification along with
other cross-referencing features for other public records
available, delivered to the agent on a mobile device.”
Price: Currently available through invitation only.
Where to buy: https://verifyphotoid.com/app/register.a5w
BEST NEIGHBORHOOD APP
Winner: Nextdoor
Broadening the definition of what a neighborhood
social media site can be, Nextdoor provides agents
with a hyper-local forum where they can answer
questions from consumers and buyers interested in
their areas and become active participants in their
communities. Agents can use their connections within
a network to provide more information to their clients.
People must live in a neighborhood in order to be
connected, and users within each network are therefore
well informed and up to date on what is happening
locally. Lance enthusiastically describes it as “connecting
neighbors via social media!” And Price explains, “As
a user of Nextdoor, I’ve found it to be a tremendous
resource in my own neighborhood engagement. When
it comes to neighborhood content as a strategy for
Realtors and brokers, I am a strong proponent of the
creation of unique community content at a granular
neighborhood level. It’s what consumers are looking
for and it’s one of the ways a real estate professional
can establish their unique brand proposition.”
Price: Free
Where to buy: https://nextdoor.com
five Fresh, Vibrant Real
Estate Apps for 2015
by Peter Thomas Ricci
Here is a list of fresh apps in 2015, all of which benefit
agents’ business in intriguing ways.
MileIQ: Car and truck expenses are the most claimed
tax deduction for small businesses, and few professionals
spend more time behind the wheel than real estate agents.
Thankfully, MileIQ greatly eases the process of tracking
mileage for deduction purposes. The app automatically
detects and logs drives, calculates driving distances
(and corresponding deduction values) and stores them
on the cloud. MileIQ also stores complete drive history,
and sends regular reports on driving habits. The first 40
drives of every month are free, but users can upgrade
to $5.99 a month or $59.99 a year for unlimited drives.
Cloze:Apersonalassistantforprofessionalrelationships,
Cloze pulls from a smartphone’s apps and automatically
creates a profile for every person and company. The
profile includes their contact details and communication
history, along with every correspondence, such as
e-mail, phone calls, meetings, notes, documents, even
social media posts. Once that information is in place,
Cloze then uses detailed algorithms to figure out
which contacts are the most important, and will offer
reminders to reach out to those contacts. The app is
free to download and use, but Cloze Pro, which includes
greater support and synchronization with other apps, is
either $19.99 a month or $159.99 a year.
Dashlane: Few things are more aggravating than
remembering passwords for the various apps, websites
and accounts that smartphone use entails, but thankfully,
Dashlane eliminates those frustrations. Protecting
password data with the industry-standard AES-256
encryption, Dashlane uses auto-logins and autofills to
simplify the smartphone experience, and also offers
breach alerts for those passwords and accounts.
Additionally, Dashlane utilizes Touch ID technology for
its own log-in, and should someone lose their smartphone,
nobody can access the phone’s data without the app’s
master password. Dashlane Premium, which syncs with
other electronic devices, is $39.99 a year.
Vert: Real estate is an industry of numbers, and Vert is
a highly efficient app for converting units and currencies.
With more than 1,000 units in 34 categories, Vert offers a
considerable number of features for just $2.99, including:
164 currencies, which are automatically updated to
correspond with exchange rates; compound units, such
as foot, inch, pound and ounce; clothing and shoe sizes;
Chinese/Japanese units; angle; area; and length/distance.
So whether it be an international client from England who
is curious about how many pounds a home costs, or a first-
time homebuyer who wants a more accurate rendering of a
home’s square footage, Vert has you covered.
Carrot: Undoubtedly the sassiest app on this list, Carrot
brands itself as “the world’s first to-do list with a personality.”
WithadesignreminiscentofHal9000from"2001:ASpace
Odyssey," Carrot is a feisty female AI that aims to keep
people on task via both rewards and criticism – rewards
through a leveling system and 500 unique prizes (such as
fortune cookies), and criticisms through sarcastic berating
for procrastination. For instance, a less-than-productive
smartphone user may receive this message: “Reach level
11 to unlock your completed items list. Then you’ll be able
to look upon your meager list of accomplishments and
weep for your wasted life.” All of those features come with
a decidedly un-sardonic price tag of $2.99.

5. 18 | CHICAGOAGENT • SEPTEMBER 21, 2015 • CHICAGOAGENTMAGAZINE.COM
BEST MISCELLANEOUS APPS
IFTTT An abbreviation of “If This Then That,”
IFTTT lets users build chains of simple, conditional
statements called “recipes,” which are set off when
changes are made within other Web services, such
as Pinterest or Instagram. “Whether you are
connected to the Web via your laptop, Android
or iOS device, IFTTT can save a Realtor time by
automating simple tasks,” Lemons says.
Price: Free
Where to buy: ifttt.com
Matterport This app presents immersive, high
quality three-dimensional renderings of interior
spaces. Use an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch to
capture rooms, then upload to the Matterport cloud
for processing. “From agent safety, listing security
and broker marketing, the ability to virtually walk
through a home has wide ramifications for real
estate now, and into the future,” Hata says.
Price: Free
Where to buy: iTunes
COVER STORY
What Tech Savvy Chicagoland Agents Rely on Most
By James Bellandi
With technology ever evolving, best utilizing both new and old technology to keep in contact with clients and to market to prospective clients is a key to success. We talked to six tech-centric agents around
Chicagoland to figure out what their favorite technology is, and what technology best helps their business.
Periscope This live video-streaming app offers
agents a platform for creating real-time virtual
walkthroughs for clients in distant locations. Users
can make their videos public or restrict them to
certain viewers. Lance says the app “is changing
the way agents can market themselves and
bridging the video gap. The ability to live stream
anywhere and connect with the global community
in a whole new medium is really exciting. I’m
seeing some exciting results from agents already!”
Price: Free
Where to buy: iTunes
RealSatisfied Getting feedback from clients can be
a drain. RealSatisfied’s customer service platform
provides detailed surveys specifically for agents
so they can ensure a quality customer experience,
share client ratings and identify their biggest
boosters as sources for testimonials. “Testimonials
will always be one of the most important
methods of generating new business,” says Price.
“RealSatisfied has developed an awesome platform
for their tracking, display and distribution.”
Price: Free, with paid upgrades available.
Where to buy: http://www.realsatisfied.com/
pricing_and_signup.php
Storyapp.me Business cards are a staple of
networking, and Storyapp makes them available
on mobile platforms. With one tap, users can
call you, send an email, text or download your
contact information. Lobb says, “This app takes
the content of the paper business card and brings
it together with all of your digital and visual
content. Your social media, websites, contact info,
bio and any other links that tie to your online
brand and online reputation come together in one
mobile website with one domain name.”
Price: Free
Where to buy: http://storyapp.me
X.ai X.ai provides a digital personal assistant –
“Amy” or “Andrew” – who schedules meetings for
you via email by accessing your Google Calendar
function, covering the back-and-forth of setting
up a time and place to get together and later
reminding you of the commitment. Dollinger
calls it “an artificial intelligence-powered
personal assistant that schedules meetings
for you. Gone is the ping-pong back and forth
emailing to try and find a time – X.ai takes care of
it for you just like a real assistant. It’s amazing how
quickly it learns, and how much time it can save.”
Price: Free
Where to buy: https://x.ai/
Ilsa Conover
Real Estate Broker, Jameson
Sotheby’s International Realty
Favorite technology: “I really
like Snapchat. It’s really fun
because you can do short
little videos and send them to
people. I have clients that are
on Snapchat, so I can send
them a ‘Congratulations on your
closing!’ type of thing.”
What tech helps your
business most: “DocuSign is
probably number one. You can
upload any kind of documents
that need a signature, and you
can write over it. Before I would
need around 24 hours to get
a document signed from my
clients. It makes their lives easier
as well, since they don’t have to
take time out of their workday to
print something out, sign it and
then fax it back to me.”
Charles Potter
Real Estate Broker
@properties
Favorite technology:
“Pointdrive. It’s one of the things
we’re using at @properties that
I like a lot. It allows me to
see the metrics and analytics
that I’m using in real estate,
which I can put into Excel
and share with others.”
What tech helps your
business most: “Facebook
and Facebook advertising.
From a social media
perspective, getting the
word out there and sharing
stuff with my clients is very
important. The analytics
engine can tell me what
I’m getting out of the
advertisement. It’s very user
friendly, and very helpful.”
Stephany Oliveros
Owner and Managing Broker
CHI Properties
Favorite technology: “My
Samsung Galaxy S5. A majority
of what I do is done on my
phone. We also subscribe to a
website called ConvertIt, where
we’re able to target potential
sellers and buyers. I can use the
site through an app on my phone.”
What tech helps your
business most: “We’re doing
heavy Facebook marketing
right now to boost our listings.
Everything we do we post
on Facebook, whether it’s a
recent posting, a new listing,
recognizing one of our team
members or even just sharing
some of the articles we have on
our website. We want them to
go back to our website, so we’re
capturing people interested in
real estate that way.”
Michael LaFido
Realtor
CONLON/Christie’s International
Favorite technology: “My
Samsung Galaxy. Real estate
is still a people business, and
sometimes you need voice to
better articulate your message.”
What tech helps your
business most: “Bombbomb
for video emails with images
and links. It helps to show
body language, and helps
differentiate me from other
Realtors.”
Stephanie LoVerde
Realtor
Baird & Warner
Favorite technology: “Social
media, like Facebook, Instagram
and Twitter. It allows you to
stay in contact with people that
you don’t normally connect with
on a day-to-day basis.”
What tech helps your
business most: “The Google
platform in general. Before I
take a listing, I have a Google
Doc that I’ve created with an
information request. I send that
to the seller so they have a
pre-created form, and they can
go into the document and tell
me specific details about the
property. I put that data back
into my Google Spreadsheet,
and use that to create both the
listing in the MLS and speaking
points for myself and other agents.
Sometimes I use Bitly to link back
to the Google Doc from the MLS if
the property has a lot to offer.”