For me it’s gotta be Google Earth. We’re all so accustomed to it now, but when you think about the world of information we have available through this software (no pun intended) without having to pay anything for it, it’s pretty insane.
Google Analytics is also pretty darn useful too, for those of us who care about tracking website traffic and everything related to it.
Unreal Engine. And yes, this is real estate related.
@oranjoose interesting! What do you use it for?
@retipsterseth mostly advanced and interactive visualization. Basically, there are photos, then there are videos 360 degree photos/videos, and then there's the stuff you can do with Unreal Engine, and to a lesser extent Unity. The only things I've done so far with Unreal Engine remotely related to real estate are interactive tours and virtual training for different institutions. The demand is mostly "how can we maximize an understanding of a location or process to those who cannot physically experience it, either because the user is far away or the location does not yet exist?"
However, I believe we are on the cusp of advanced visualization rearing its head in marketing for many other RE industries, and that is one of the things I'm working to capitalize on now. There's very little out there right now to serve as examples, so unfortunately, you'd have to use your imagination for a lot of it. campthefuture.com is a somewhat ineffective and rudimentary example of those trying to use game engines (what looks like Unity in this case) in other industries tangentially-related to RE and land.
@oranjoose very interesting, I didn't even realize this was a thing. I'll have to watch this space over the next 5 years to see where it ends up going.
I will say, most of the well-known property management software options are free for the landlord, or they at least have a free option that is legitimately useful (you could literally manage your entire portfolio with the free plan). TenantCloud, Cozy (REtipster affiliate link), Avail (REtipster affiliate link), and SparkRental are all examples of this. Considering what you can do with these without any money out-of-pocket, it's pretty astounding.
@retipsterseth Yeap, among those we use Cozy. I don't remember the reason why we chose Cozy over TenantCloud. I think the reason was that (at least at the time) Cozy's free version accepted both ACH and credit card transactions in the free version, unlike TenantCloud, or something like that. I might be remembering incorrectly though.
+1 for Cozy. It's amazing they offer it for free.
Zoom - The qualify of the platform is so consistently better than it's competitors (of which I've uses several) that I'm still amazed they just let people use it for free.
Grammarly! well the free version. I've also heard Honey is great too
@TMPGuys we use grammarly all the time and it definitely helps! I’ve got the paid version though, I can’t speak to the free one.
useloom.com (from making offers, negotiation, to teaching VA's)
Trello - management of tasks/projects
Google's suite of tools (sheets, docs)
@Jessey - those are some GREAT additions.
@retipsterseth I agree Google Earth has to be near top of the list. While not free, the Parlay add-in which adds parcel outlines parcel data (APNs, Size, Owner info) is an awesome add-on.
@karljames good call on Parlay! While it's not free, it's insanely useful when trying to locate land parcels on Google Earth.
In case anyone reading this needs more context, this video explains what it is:
While we are on the subject of Goggle products that are both free and great tools - let's add Google My Maps!. I use it (and its Excel import feature) off and on to build maps to visualize locations of groups of properties from a DataTree download using the GPS coordinates. But, when @Jessey updated his incredible REI Conversion Land List WordPress template (which I use for my sell-side website) to allow using My Maps to display the location of my properties visually - My Maps moved way up on my list of cool free stuff.
@karljames Google My Maps is awesome :) If anyone wants to read little more about it and how to put it to use:
https://reiconversion.com/google-my-maps/
I love smart receipts for managing my on the go expenses. When I did flips I would open a tab for each proyect, snap pics and enter amounts at the checkout counter and never worry about keeping paper reciepts.
I also love that it exports as an excel with the recipt images to upload to my accounting.
GIMP is definitely your best bet if you are a beginner and looking to edit photos using free software. It features an easy to use interface and tools that can promote professional edits.
Hello fellow clubbers,
I keep finding my way back to Coogle as a great mind mapping tool. It has a pretty robust set of free features but since I kept going back to it so many times, I went ahead and subscribed to the $5/mo "Awesome" plan.
https://project-management.com...
Here's an example of one of the maps (List Scrubbing) in my Deal Life Cycle series of mind maps I di using Coggle:
Airtable! This is where I manage leads and opportunities, track properties that I'm listing, analyze profitable, and most importantly - where I store all forms and documents associated with an opportunity or property. I literally would not be able to do any of this without it...and it's FREE!
