Five of the Coolest New Tech Tools in Real Estate

One of the most common questions realtors like to ask each other is: “What is your favorite new technology tool?” At Realty Biz News we love to keep an ear out for the latest and greatest tech tools people are implementing in their business.

Here's a few of the coolest and most functional tools we've heard about this year:

Onvedeo

This tool promises to help you produce listing videos “in minutes.” Basically, the company sends out filmmakers to shoot high-quality video of neighborhoods across the country, using the material to create productions that showcase your listing. Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate CEO Sherry Chris liked it so much, she decided to partner with the small start-up. “We could do video for free if we wanted,” she says, “but it’s not going to have the same result as far as making agents more productive and brokers more profitable.”

The first video is free. Agent pricing: $9.95 per video or $49.95 per month. Broker pricing: $149 per month and up.

Nuoffer

This app’s creators say they’re hoping to make “the offer-writing process mobile and fun.” Nuoffer enables agents to write an offer on the go in mere minutes, they say, and provides the flexibility to present the offer in a larger number of ways. The app includes secure digital signatures, cover-letter creators, and branded accounts.

The first month is free. After that, you can either pay $15 per month or $150 per year.

Google Voice

OK, so you’ve probably heard of this Google company, and its phone call and messaging service isn’t exactly new. But if you hate listening to voicemail, you should check out Google Voice. You can use your current mobile number or take a phone number that Google assigns you, and have all your calls routed through that one number, making all your phones ring (or none, if that’s how you want it). Google transcribes the voicemails and sends them to you by e-mail or text. (It’s not always perfect, but it’s sometimes shocking how close it can get.)

Free.

Doorsteps

We’ve written about this buyer-education platform before, but we heard so many people talking about it that we just had to mention it again. Doorsteps aims to turn your potential clients into informed buyers by offering them free, step-by-step educational tools about the home purchasing process. It allows real estate professionals to shepherd potential customers who aren’t quite ready for the finish line.

Free for consumers; agents pay $25 per month for unlimited use.

Jelly

Launched by Twitter co-founder Biz Stone earlier this year, Jelly promises to combine your photos with your social networks to help you get advice and answer questions. Some are calling it a visual version of Quora; others are calling it just another attempt for Twitter to take over the world of social networking.

Free.