Top 10 Articles from July

We publish well over 100 articles each month, so it's inevitable that some get lost in a sea of content. That's why we like to take a moment at the beginning of every month to highlight 10 of our best articles. Read on to see RE Technology's most popular articles from July!

1. 10 Real Estate Contact Management Tips Every REALTOR® Should Know - by Matthew Collis of IXACT Contact
From using listing and closing activity plans to identifying hot leads with email campaign reports, these 10 tips will help agents get the most out their CRM solutions--and their client relationships.

2. Choosing an iPad App - by Emily Williams
Real estate agents are notoriously on-the-go, covering a great deal of ground in a hurry. Thankfully, technology has finally caught up with the realities of our industry – with mobile devices that provide key functionality no matter where you are. The applications (or "apps") that are built to run on these tablets can help real estate agents with many of the nuts and bolts of their trade.

3. Do's and Don'ts of Creating Real Estate Videos - by Jared Daniel of Homes.com
Innovations in technology, along with our ever increasing on-the-go lifestyle, has shifted real estate marketing away from traditional practices toward an online approach with more visual stimulation. Of all of the online tactics used by marketers, videos are proving to be the most valuable way to reach home seekers.

4. It's Time to Take Your eSignature Tool Seriously–The Law Does - by Maya Paveza
Did you know if the eSignature you are using does not comply with ESIGN laws, it might not comply with your state real estate laws, rules or regulations? Or that your E&O insurance may not cover you if someone were to "alter" or "hack" an "authentic" document? It may make your contract unenforceable, or a multitude of other possible problems could arise from not using a legal method for eSignature.

5. Real Estate Glossary for Your Clients - by Geneva Ives of Point2
Do you work with first-time buyers and sellers? We bet you do! If you want to provide above and beyond service to clients who may be new to the real estate industry (or getting involved again after a really long time), consider helping them get comfortable with real estate terms by providing access to a real estate glossary.

6. Have You Started Using Facebook #Hashtags? - by Shaun Harkley of Lone Wolf
Last month, Facebook announced that they were adding interactive hashtags to their platform, allowing users to discover new content within Facebook, which is very similar to Twitter. With hashtags, you can search for a specific hashtag using your search bar, click on hashtags to discover what is being said about a topic, and compose posts directly from the search results.

7. 7 New Technology Companies to Innovate the Real Estate Industry - by The National Asssociation of REALTORS®
Technology is everywhere – changing the way people communicate, work, play and do business. To bring the latest cutting edge technologies to the real estate industry, the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® and its investment arm, Second Century Ventures (SCV), launched the REach™ Accelerator Program. This unique program was developed to help technology companies connect to the more than 1 million REALTORS® driving the U.S. real estate market.

8. Inman Connect Day 1: Robots, IDX, and C.A.R. vs. dotloop - by Kelly Phelan
Real estate technology conference Inman Connect kicked off in San Francisco today. Conference attendees attended panels and talks on subjects ranging from robots and Google Glass to the worth of IDX. The most anticipated event of the day, however, was the on-stage debate between C.A.R's Joel Singer and Austin Allison of dotloop. The two went head-to-head in a discussion on the security and privacy issues behind C.A.R.'s recent refusal to license its forms to dotloop.

9. The Thin Line Between Great and Not-So-Great Real Estate Marketers - by Joel Maas of Delta Media Group
Everyone is a marketer in the real estate world. While there's nothing wrong with that, it should remind of us the old adage: When everything is something, nothing really is. Another way of putting it, just because everyone is doing marketing doesn't mean that everyone is doing it well. And those who are doing it not-so-well oftentimes reflect negatively on those who are executing effective marketing.

10. Mortgage Calculators: Qualify Leads and Save Time - by Chad Bhalla of WebsiteBox
One of the most important gadgets to have on an agent website is a mortgage calculator. This handy gadget can help you qualify leads by ensuring that buyers who inquire regarding specific listings can actually afford them. It also helps you save time by providing buyers with a quick, easy to use tool that lets them know about their financing options for the properties they are interested in.