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REI Tech

5 “Techabilities” Every Super Investor Should Have

kidWhat if you could leap over tall buildings in a single bound and run faster than an express train?

And how cool would it be to have x-ray vision?

Personally, if I knew the proverbial Genie In A Bottle, I’d wish for the power to heal all things with my hands or my eyes. Now that would awesome!

…and then we all woke up, right?

-sigh-

Fact is, even the most fanatic comic con knows that superhuman abilities (sadly) just don’t exist.

(Bummer, I know.)

But what if you could have “techabilities”, or the ability to know and master all of those tech tools available to help build your real estate investment business?

As far as I’m concerned, “techabilities” are the next best thing to being able to melt ice with your eyes or shoot fireworks from your fingertips. (Who the heck would want to shoot stupid fireworks from their fingertips, anyways?!)

-smile-

So on this Tech Tip Friday, I’m here to present 5 awesome “techabilities” that can help you step up your real estate investment game.  If you haven’t been around Mogul for long, then this will be a good introduction of sorts.  Or, if you haven’t been paying perfect attention during the last year, then perhaps today’s lesson can serve as your friendly reminder for a few helpful sidekicks that may have been previously overlooked.

comic1And, no, you don’t have to be the most tech-savvy SuperNerd on the block in order to use these tools to their maximum advantage. You just need a lil’ bit of know-how, and a fellow superhero (ie. me) to break ‘em down for you.

SHAZAMMMM! And away we goooooooo!

PDF Punisher: Ability to Create, Fill & Sign PDF Docs – Kerbloom!

Convenient. That’s the word to best describe the fantastic PDFescape tool. It’s an online PDF reader, form filler and designer that can change the way you execute contracts (and other PDF documents) forever.

With PDFescape, you can…

  • Annotate PDF Documents
  • Create New PDF Forms
  • Edit PDF Files
  • Fill Out PDF Forms
  • Password Protect PDF Content
  • Share PDF Documents
  • Save & Print PDF Files
  • View PDF Files Online

And here at Real Estate Mogul, we’re not only Super Hero fans, we’re also fans of all things paperless – and we love the word FREE. So guess how much you’ll pay for PDFescape? Nada!

That’s right.  PDFescape can help expedite the contract process, edit and store PDF’s with ease (finally), and most importantly improve the functionality of your business – without requiring you to pay a dime.

Or, if you’re interested in shelling-out a few bucks to enjoy this sort of PDF functionality on your mobile devices, then click here to learn more about a similar device-friendly service from PDFexpert.

comic2Super Snap: Ability to Quickly Tap into Property Data – Kapow!

This “techability” is all about quick and dirty. Need property information on the fly? No problem! This is a job for Super Snap! Or should I say, Homesnap?

So, imagine you’re out in the field…  You spot an intriguing property...  And you need details, like, yesterday.

Do you make half a dozen calls to have someone research the property?  Or do you wait until you're back in front of your computer to do the research?

Survey says: Neither.

With the Homesnap app – available on the iPhone and iPad (and coming soon to Android) – you can snap a photo of any home to get the 411 immediately, right then and there. Information for over 90 million homes in the U.S. will be available at your fingertips.

Professor Paperless: Ability to Send Faxes without a Fax Machine – Zap! 

Aaah, the fax machine.

It calls to mind a time when “cellular” phones weighed as much as a small child, and acid washed jeans were, like, totally awesome.

In most industries, the fax machine is obsolete. But for the real estate industry, it’s still very much an archaic way of doing business.  

comic3So, for all you “Professor Paperless” superheroes out there, who are smartphone-dependent, rest assured that there are more than a few great apps to help you (i) keep playing ball with the devoted fax-addict while (ii) remaining fearlessly paperless yourself.

If you missed our previous lesson on these apps

…or if you need a kick in the pants to remind yourself that you can send a fax without hearing that dreaded “e-rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, rrrrrr-e, rrrrrrrrr-eeeeeeee” sound…

…then here’s a quick rundown of the apps available to you right now:

  • JotNot Fax – It can turn your iPhone and/or iPad into a portable, outbound fax machine in just 2 easy steps. This app is free, but faxing requires credits that you can add through in-app purchase for just $1/page.
  • CamScanner – Scan from your camera, fax documents, digitize, sync, share, and manage content on all devices. This one works on the iPhone, iPad and Android. The free version relies on in-app ads and puts watermarks on your files (that sounds problematic), and you can upgrade to the $5 version that has more features. Faxing with this one also requires credits that you can add via in-app purchases. Cost is around $1/page.
  • eFax App – You can send and receive faxes, sign and annotate electronically, use files from your email, Cloud or local storage, and you can take photos of your key documents that this app will enhance for before faxing. This guy also works with iPhone, iPad and Android and is also free, but sending faxes requires an eFax account, and costs fall under whatever plan you have with them.
  • Popcompanion (by PopFax) – Much like eFax.com, Popcompanion allows users to send and receive faxes, to send SMS's, to receive voice messages, and to manage contacts and folders through www.popfax.com API. You guessed it. This one is free too, but sending faxes requires an account. The big “Popa” works on the iPhone, iPad, Android and Blackberry (what, what?!)
  • MetroFax Mobile – This app allows you to easily send faxes from your smart device or files in the Cloud from Box.net, Dropbox, Google Docs and more. You can view sent faxes, use contacts on your phone to address faxes, forward faxes to another fax number or email, resend a fax, and push notifications from the Cloud to a device. Same cost scenario, and MetroFax works on Android, iPhone, and iPad.

comic4Doc Scanner: Ability to Scan & Email Docs with Your Phone – Bam!

Talk about saving time and energy. Staying organized is tough enough with your busy schedule, but getting and staying organized on the fly can be nearly impossible.

However, with the DocScanner app for Android or the Jotnot Pro app for Apple, you can scan your documents and organize them quickly and easily. It will even take pictures of your key documents and run them through a filter to make them clear and easy to read.

So forget grainy, out-of-focus camera phone pix. DocScanner and Jotnot Pro are here to save the day!

Notorious Notarizer: Ability to Notarize Legal Docs Online – Whap!

Ever lost a deal, because “someone” couldn’t get to a notary in time? Sucks big time, doesn’t it? It doesn’t happen often, but it can happen. So why not be proactive and prepared for those who aren’t? 

Now you can legally notarize online; you simply need to embrace the required technology!

Trust me. You’ll be all “open arms” when you discover just how easy closing can be with e-notarization.

It’s super easy, fast, and cheap ($14.95 with money back guarantee). And once you pay online, you’ll be automatically connected with a live notary who will grill you with some simple questions for just a hot second…

Then Whap!  You’ve been e-notarized!

It’s that simple.

calvinGet In Touch with Your “Techabilities” Now! 

So there you have it, folks – the 5 “techabilities” your superhero self should have if you want to stay ahead of the real estate investment game.

Each of these apps I presented today have relatively robust histories of usefulness and solid reviews amongst the “techie” crowd. They are each updated and improved regularly, so you can feel confident investing your time (and occasionally your hard-earned dollars) incorporating them into your business best practices.

So suit up, my fellow real estate investing super heroes! Put these techy apps and services to work for your business today!

And start saving the world (along with your time and money) – one real estate investment at a time!

 

Do It To It! Immediate Action Steps

Stop – Stop ignoring the helpful (and often free) technologies at your disposal.

Start – Start taking advantage of these tools for growing and improving your real estate investing business.

Enjoy – Enjoy better management of your time, your assets, your business systems, and your life!

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