So you’ve been out all day taking photos of your real estate listings. After downloading them from your camera, you see that they’re good, but they’re just not perfect. You know that with just a few tweaks they’d be perfect. You're not the most tech-savvy and you don’t have the budget to purchase super fancy photo-editing software, so what do you do?

Don’t worry!

I found some web-based photo-editing tools that are not only easy to use, but FREE. Did I say FREE? Many of these tools will give you comparable results to brand-name software, but without the steep learning curve and hefty price tag!

One of my favorites is www.picnik.com. This site has all the basics you need to modify your photos. After registering for a free account, you can upload and modify photos in a flash.

The basic tool set allows you to:

· Rotate

· Crop

· Resize

· Fix exposure

· Change colors

· Sharpen

· Convert to new file type (png, gif, tif, bmp)

Should you feel a little adventuresome and want to test out the advanced tools, you can do the following:

· Convert to black and white or sepia

· Add borders

· Add drop shadow

· Add text

· Touch up

Picnik has all the editing tools that the professionals use, just without the high price tag. Best of all, this site is available to you from any computer connected to the internet—for FREE!

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Does it seem like sometimes there are just too many websites you need to access online throughout your day? Many of us need to visit a dozen or so different websites to make online payments, check email, receive critical updates, access social networking, all of which require entering their own login information. If this sounds like your daily schedule, remembering various domain names and the occasional “password amnesia” can cause serious frustration and overload.

Pageonce.com, marketed as your “personal internet assistant,” provides a free service to their users which allows them the ability to access all of their various online accounts through one central login screen. Their service allows you to integrate directly with top national banks, cellular companies, utility companies, various email accounts, eBay accounts, social networking sites and many others.

I know firsthand that accessing so many different sites daily can get overwhelming at times, so I decided to setup a Pageonce.com account myself. I was initially skeptical about the service though, heavily concerned about security issues and the possibility that my accounts might be hacked through Pageonce.com. As it turns out, Pageonce.com only has access to your information as part of a “read only” online feed, which can not update or change your accounts. The Pageonce.com service and security is considered to be on par with military level security, certified with Verisign, Truste, and deemed "hacker safe" by McAfee. Another benefit of using a Pageonce.com account is that one can reduce exposure to and eliminate the possibility of “phishing” fraud, a method used to obtain login information of victims online by creating bogus login screens of popular websites.

Though it did take about an hour to setup and store all my usernames and passwords, I believe my preliminary hard work paid off. I can now view from one consolidated login screen and see my credit card balance(s), utility bill balance and next payment, DirecTV balance and next payment, cell phone balance and minutes left, Marriott Rewards balance, LinkedIn messages, Hotmail emails read/unread, Starbuck’s card balance, and a number of others. And even though my local utility company was originally not listed as a partner, I submitted a request to add them as a new partner. About a week later, I received an email notice stating that my utility company was added to my websites, illustrating the adaptability of Pageonce.com. As part of their commitment to user security and communication, Pageonce.com also sends email notices when a significant change is made to one of my accounts through their site.

While still in beta testing, the consolidated website account access from Pageonce.com is a fantastic concept and definitely worth giving a try.

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My guess is that you’ve heard about the new iPhone release – twice as fast and half the price.

But the aspect that I’m just as interested in is the built-in GPS. As mobile devices like the iPhone and Dash become more sophisticated, the possibilities for agents and home shoppers get pretty exciting.

For example, how nice would it be to drive through a neighborhood, stop your car, click the “show-me-homes- that-match-my-preferences-near-where-I-am” button and magically see a map with listings pinned.

Then maybe you could press the “speak-the-driving-directions-to-me” button, and have a voice-automated tour of the homes on your list.

When you got within reach of your home’s wireless network, you could click the “print-my-favorites” button.

It’s just a matter of time.

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Is your email inbox more of a dumping ground for the long list of tasks that seem to continuously grow? Have you even tried to find that specific email regarding the issue you know was resolved, but seems to have popped up again? Are you constantly digging through emails from your colleagues to find a signature with their phone numbers on it? I have to share my favorite organizational tool with you, and it is FREE!

This savior of my Outlook Inbox is Xobni! Funny name for a great tool (it is inbox spelled backwards) but it truly works! Some of the features are:

--Easy to navigate, right side tool bar that instantly shows connections between you, the highlighted sender and the people you both communicate with
--Document/attachment history from each contact
--Email conversation “threads”
--Super fast email search through all of your Outlook
--Easy and quick appointment scheduling
--Automatic phone number extraction for each contact
--Editable contact profiles

One feature I love is that you can search by people—and it will search your entire Outlook, not just one folder! This free product has really made my email much easier to use. Honestly, after using Xobni for the last 3 weeks, I don’t think I can go back to not having it!

To download your own free Outlook inbox miracle, visit the Xobni website:

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Have you ever been out and about and you think of things you need to do, people you need to follow up with or something you just don’t want to forget? Then you realize you have nothing to write on or you write it down, but misplace the paper you wrote it on.

No longer. I've discovered Jott, a very handy free service you can sign up for online. Jott allows its users to easily send emails and text messages, set reminders, organize lists, and much more, and here is the kicker, all by voice commands!

As described on their website, you can use Jott in the following ways:

--Stuck in traffic? Email your boss and let her know you're going to be late.
--Running errands and need to multi-task? Text message your brother with your voice and ask him to bring the salad for tomorrow's dinner party.
--On your way out the door and forgot something? Email your co-workers to have them send their quarterly reports for your presentation.
--Set reminders for your dad's birthday
--Add a reminder to your to-do list from Jott.com
--Create reminders for doctor appointments
--Use the reminder function to stay on top of all your meetings at work
--Add home projects to your to-do-list
--Jott yourself TV shows to record
--Set a reminder to remember to pick up the birthday cake
--Create appointments on your 30 Boxes™ or Google™ calendar
So next time you need to remember something important or remind yourself of something, be sure you’ve signed up with Jott!

After all, their motto is “Life is busy. Talk to Jott. Get Simple Back™.”

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I need reminders of appointments and tasks that need to be completed. Since I am rarely at my desk, I need these reminders to come to where I am. Since my phone is always with me this is the perfect tool. As a tech guy I would setup email reminders to my phone using some scripting language. This helped but it was not enough. Sometimes the email would be held up on some email server somewhere. The reminder would be late getting to my phone and I would be late to the appointment or the task would not be done in time.

I started using the Google calendar. The main reason I use it is for the SMS paging capabilities. SMS is text messaging. If I want to get paged I want it right away. The SMS paging does this without having to worry about whether my email server is slow. I can also use the Google Calendar to keep my schedule. I can share my calendar with other people. I have some security in it to prevent people from knowing my exact schedule but they can see when I am busy and when I am available. I can even have a separate calendar for my co-workers to see what my schedule is like that week or month.

Most of this can be done with competitors but what I appreciate most, no ads. I do not have an ad flashing at me. The layout is clean and simple. I can also see what my schedule is from my phone’s web browser. In all, Google calendar gives me a simple and easy interface to keep my schedule and sends me text messages on time when I have an appointment. Best of all it is free with no ads.

http://www.google.com/intl/en/googlecalendar/overview.html

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Tech-Up for Y’ers: Four must have tools to help you get in sync with Generation Y.

They’re calling across borders, emailing bosses, and arriving to their next appointment thanks to advances from Palm, RIM and Windows Mobile. It’s Generation Y, a new market for realtors and brokers alike.

No matter who your next client may be, success means staying at the forefront of emerging technology. So get ready because Generation Y makes up 35% of all first-time homebuyers. And they’re not just smart and independent, but a new breed of young multi-taskers who have been immersed in the world of advanced technology since birth.

Knowing this, we’ve compiled a list of the top must-have tools for you to tech-up for the Y’ers.

1. Smartphone
Never before has there been a more seamless integration of web, email, maps, GPS and business tools quite like the Smartphone. As an owner of a Blackberry 8830, part of Blackberry’s 8800 series, I’ve found that it has a large screen, full keyboard and superb email capabilities. Other Smartphone makers include Palm and Windows Mobile. Which ever device you choose, these phones help to put you on track to communicating more efficiently with your next client.

2. Mobile GPS
The mobile GPS device has proved useful for the active real estate agent[5]. Top devices by Garmin, TomTom and Magellan, come with features such as a touch screen and integrated traffic tuner. This device will help keep you on track to your next destination while keeping you on time for your next appointment.


3. Tablet PC
The tablet PC brings together handwriting and computing technology into one innovative, versatile design. It’s great for the Realtor on the go! The Tablet PC stores written information as “digital ink” using Windows Journal. HP, Dell and Lenovo top the list of companies using the Tablet PC[6]. This device works seamlessly with the VREO Real Estate Dashboard and is a must-have for the ultimate mobile realtor.


4. VREO Real Estate Dashboard
Really want to wow your clients? Skip the paper work altogether with the VREO Real Estate Dashboard. This software allows agents to sign forms and contacts electronically when used with the pen feature available with a Tablet PC. Create a superb experience for your client; with one program, you can provide faster service that will save you both time and money.


What's your opinion?

References:
[1] Forbes.com
[2] Inman News
[3] Black Enterprise Magazine
[4] www.cnet.com
[5] www.mytechopinion.com
[6] www.tabletpcreviews.com

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Sending photos to prospects or to fellow agents? Take a look at the following guidelines to insure prospects are able to view your pictures and more importantly able to receive them in their inboxes. Even with the recent increases of inbox size for email programs such as Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo!, etc, many consumers still use their ISP’s email accounts that generally have a 2-10 MB capacity. Large images also may not fit the viewer’s computer screen resulting in difficult viewing.

Resize your images - Large files (2+MB) take longer to download, longer to send and will often fill up your prospect’s inbox quickly…so be user friendly to your prospect's Inbox! If you do not have a way to resize or crop your photos, check out Picasa by Google. Picasa is free to download, use and will work with Microsoft Outlook or a Gmail account; allowing you to email your images as soon as you edit them. Picasa will also search your computer for photos and categorize them automatically so you can find them easily. XnView is another free photo editing program that offers a few more editing capabilities than Picasa, but can be less user-friendly.

Send a link to the photo instead of an actual photo attachment – Avoid the hassle altogether. Add a link in your email so your prospect can link directly to your listing photos. Go to the specific listing on your website as a consumer would and copy the URL in your browser’s address field for a direct link to that page.

Let your prospect know you are sending an email with an attachment – If you are sending actual photo attachments, let the prospect know. With the prevalence of computer viruses, consumers may see any attachment as a potential threat and may delete your email before reading it!

Reduce picture quality setting on your digital camera – Most digitial cameras will have the highest quality setting on by default resulting in multi megabyte images. Lower the picture quality on your camera and you will not only reduce the photo file size, but you will free up more space in your camera’s memory for more pictures!

Zip the photos – Zipping a file creates a compressed version of the file that is much smaller than the original file. If you have several large photos that you want to send via email, your best bet is to send them to a compressed folder. To do this, simply select the photo files that you want to Zip. (You can select the entire contents of a folder by choosing the "Edit" menu and then "Select All".) After selecting the images, Right Click on any of the selected images. This will prompt an options menu. Choose "Send to: " and then "Compressed (zipped) File". This will create a single file containing all the images you selected. When you want to email it, add the file as an attachment by simply clicking "Browse" and selecting the newly created .zip file. One thing to note, even .zip files can be too big to email. So make sure you don’t put too many photos in a single .zip file.

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I was going through my long list of cool real estate blogs and what to my wondering eyes did appear? Some very cool and informational posts. Here are a select few:

Have you looked at your itty bitty cellphone that does everything but scratch your back and say, "I want more"? Have you ever wanted to put your laptop in your pocket just for giggles? Have you ever...

Future Techonology by Sellsius

Have you ever wanted to visit Manhattan, NY, but wanted to stay home at the same time? Well, now you can visit without spending one dime in cab fare.

Have you ever wanted 1000's of realty and mortgage blogs at your fingertips without having to constantly type in your keywords to your favorite search engine? Visit rembex.com.

It's evident that we are now in a buyer's market. How do realtors stay positive when the sales are not as plentiful and buyers are picky? Bob Corcoran has some positive mojo to bestow.

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I search the internet all the time for research and sometimes just for fun, so when I came across websites for real estate agents' individual listings, I was elated that there are now websites that have realtor’s listings on them.

When I say this I mean that there are urls dedicated to single listings and those pages are still in the realtor’s website. I have researched this new trend and have found numerous websites that offer different opportunities for real estate agents and their listings.

These individual listing websites are the Realtor’s answer to the high marketing costs. They help give added value to the listings themselves. Researches have found that these listing pages cost half as much as a single day’s open house announcement that realtors will put in a local newspaper.

Clients love it too. Real estate agents have said that their clients are very impressed that their own house has a website dedicated just to their listing and its information. It allows buyers to take a virtual walk-through of the house at anytime and wherever the internet is available.

These listing websites help sell a house faster than normal as well, because of the options to set up multiple photos, put in detailed property information, links to local schools, community information, maps and more.

Studying each individual website, I found that they all link back to the real estate agent's website or the broker site with which they are affiliated. This helps with the optimization of the site and ranks it higher on Google, MSN, Yahoo and other search engines. Each website comes with company brand identity which can help increase exposure. Many of these websites are free while others do have a price tag but they offer fancier themes or more features such as a wizard or better help options.

More and more agents are taking advantage of this new style of website. It is the better way to showcase their client’s listing with a single listing website dedicated only to marketing their property.

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Every week I search the internet trying to find new technology that benefits Real Estate agents as well as the industry. I search all over the internet and get most of the inside news from blogs written by other industry specialists. These techies, real estate agents, and brokers all have one thing in common: They are giving us this inside information through their blogs.

Blog writing is somewhat new to mainstream society, but kids have been blogging for the past number of years. It has exploded into corporate life and people are blogging about anything and everything.
A blog can help a company or a realtor establish a voice and identity online, and it can help in presenting oneself as an expert or authority in their line of work.
If a realtor blogs about the new and upcoming events in their area, the people looking for new homes might check out the events to get a feeling for the neighborhood. Or say a family wants to find children-friendly activities to go to, a blog could help the family find the information they are looking for, and the realtor gets a good reputation. That fact could in turn get her more business.
Blogs can give a realtor a great avenue into learning more about what makes their customers tick, which can prove invaluable as their business evolves.

Business leaders recognize that being seen as the business to go to for a given marketplace is a huge benefit.

Blogging also helps the realtor expand their "long tail" of marketing through the use of keywords and key phrases throughout the blog posts. Realtors will improve their site optimization.
Blogging provides search engines with constant content.

Blogs are not just the wave of the future. They are here now, and though some might not think of it as “technology”, it works with technology and plays an important role in developing a dynamic web presence. And with the help of search engines realtors, through their blogs, will be seen by more people everyday.

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People use the internet more and more for everything these days. We are ordering clothes, books and even groceries now. People are even (gasp) throwing away bills and checks, and just paying everything online with online banking. And more than ever people are getting their news from the internet.

Real estate newsletters have become a very popular form of communication. Emailing newsletters packed with information have found their way into Real Estate agents' daily routines. It is a great way for busy real estate agents to get in touch or stay in touch with their clients.

This is a way for agents and brokers to save the money that they would normally spend on printing out flyers and newsletters and they also can reach a larger audience in less time.

Many Email Marketing applications come with generic flyers, first time home buyers, a congratulations flyer, happy anniversary, etc. but there are also ways to customize these flyers to make them your own, to make them unique to the real estate agents business and clientele. It does not end there; you can have the application send these flyers out automatically on certain days, weekly, biweekly, monthly, etc. Some programs give you the ability to incorporate multi-media within your newsletter such as virtual tours, audio tours, rotating banner ads, and custom template design. There are some programs with which you can get technical if you know html code while others do the hard stuff for you. you put in a picture with contact information and go.

With everything anyone could possibly want or need all on the internet, why wouldn’t real estate agents take advantage of email marketing online?

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I recently found out that 99% of homebuyers who searched for a home on the Internet found photos to be among the most useful features of the websites.

Personally, I like still digital photos or even a virtual tour. I can then look at a house and imagine it not only as a whole, but actually being there.

Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC announced that it was getting into the business of selling and renting virtual homes in an Internet-based three-dimensional world called Second Life, further smudging the line between realty reality and virtual realty. They have even come out with a 3-D rendering of a for-sale home in the Second Life virtual world.

Charlie Young, Senior Vice President of Marketing for Coldwell Banker Real Estate, said,
"What makes this so unique is that prospective buyers can literally ‘tour’ this home from the comforts of their home and computer. Prospective buyers can get the most comprehensive view of the home possible short of actually visiting it."

Viewers who come to the site can walk through the rendered home using an animated character known as an avatar.

Visitors who are attracted to the real-world home can set up an appointment with a real-life sales agent or can visit www.coldwellbankervirtualhome.com for more information.

This marketing thrust from Coldwell Banker has drawn mixed reactions. Some industry participants question the need or value of having virtual tours like this while others are thrilled with the fact that someone has established a way to take virtual tours and viewing homes to a new level.

This is one of the best things to hit the web for Realtors as well as people looking to buy a home. This is a way for a realtor to serve their clients like never before.

I have always enjoyed touring houses. To be able to do it from the comfort of my own home like never before is great.

I know that there have been virtual tours of houses before and you might think that this is the same thing, but believe me, it is not!

This is a tour like never before. It’s like a computer game, and you as a client are not limited to what the realtor wants to show you or by the pictures that have been taken. You have full control over where you go in the house, what you view and how long you want to snoop around.

Could this be the next step in real estate where you receive help in the form of your cyber-realtor?

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I have realized that we have slogans, billboards, jingles, and any other type of marketing device thrown in our faces every single day. I mean not only do we have commercials, the newspaper, signs all over the street, but now companies are marketing their products through televisions right outside their store fronts. Marketing agency MJM has created interactive multi-media walls. With this state of the art technology all you have to do is move your hands over a panel containing sensors; this will in turn change the picture and audio of the television-like screen. Many real estate agencies or brokerages are taking advantage of this new technology and using it as on street marketing. Just say that you were walking around an outside mall or shopping center and there is an agency located there. All they have to do is set up this screen behind their glass storefront to market their properties. Whether they are open or not, you can go up and view the properties by simply touching the screen and the correct controls with your hands.
This could really be the next step in marketing. Much as the Internet has empowered homebuyers, this too would allow clients and prospects to search listings at their leisure. Effective real estate marketing has been said to involve using all methods of media, such as print ads, TV and radio. Now real estate companies can be reached even when you are not in front of any of these other avenues of marketing.

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You know how busy everyone is today, so busy in fact that we do not even pick up the phone to call someone we just send a simple text message. I mean its fast; it cuts down on all of the unnecessary chit chat and gets right to the point. This feature has expanded into the business world. It is no longer letting your significant other know that you love them while on a conference call or receiving pictures from friends abroad as you toil away on spreadsheets. Texting is now an important feature for businesses.
Today, if Joe is looking for a home online, and clicks a house he is interested in, a text message will be sent to the Real Estate agent letting them know Joe’s name and phone number and the specific property that he is looking at. This is convenient because the Real Estate agent then calls Joe and talk with him about these properties. It’s known that 80% of buyers work with the first Real Estate agent that contacts them; this is a perfect way to get all of those new leads. Just goes to show that a simple gadget thought to just bring teens and young adults together in time of silence can help a business grow.

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