Thread: Need Notebook Computer ?

I got a toshiba satellite 3 or 4 years ago when I first got in and it was amazing... you can pull listings on the road, take it everywhere with you, and it makes you look top notch... I recently opened my office and took my computers up there as I had recently bought a few nice desktops with huge monitors... but then my home office had no computer. I had forgoten about my old laptop. So I dusted it off and it works great. I still get decent battery life, and I enjoy sitting outside on the laptop. It still is just about as fast as it was back then, and thats not a bad investment after 4 years...

I would recommend a laptop if you can work it in your budget. I use one and I am amazed at how many people still don't. If you do some work from home and save documents on your laptop they are right there with you when you are at the office. Some days I just need to get out of the office, I grab my laptop and shoot to a Starbucks or Panera Bread, hook up to their network and continue working. You also can get some leads at these places when they hear you on the phone talking real estate they want to talk to you about their home, I have received about 5 or 6 leads from working in public places. Every now and then I like to spend a weekend at my brother's to visit my nephews and niece. If a client calls no big deal I have all my information with me. You see, the advantages are endless.

As far as what you need... If the machine is running Windows Vista don't get anything less than 2gig of memory. You'll want wireless (I think they all have it standard now). I also recommend Microsoft Office Small Business 2007 (word, excel, powerpoint, outlook, accounting express and publisher), the best upgrade I made! I also recommend getting Microsoft OneNote (a must have in real estate in my opinion).

Yes and sometimes even if its not in your budget... Go get a 0% interest REALTOR card... and you can pay off the laptop in the first sale. You have to spend some money to make more money. I would say 15,000/yr on marketing, and 5,000 for office supplies will do most people fine.

I need to get one.

In this day, I don't know how people can survive without a laptop. Very few of my clients have ever even been into my office. I always come to them. I just look at it as part of the service I provide to them.

Try to look for a duo core processor. Basically this type can multifunction better than others from the past. Most laptops made today have them. You will find them in the $600 range and up (possibly cheaper).

At any given time, you may be bouncing back and forth between your MLS system, your email, and your contract writing software. This will help do it all.

I could not even imagine living without, let alone working real estate without a laptop. I made the leap from desktop to laptop about 5 years ago, and it's one of those quantum leap shifts that you'll never look back from.

For all the reasons above, you need to have one for working in real estate. As for system requirements, I'd actually bet that ANY new laptop will be everything you need and would make you happy... BUT if you can invest in a better-than-entry-level one, go with the above suggestions so that it'll be good for more than two years down the road. (i'd bet you will be good for about 4 years if you get a new one with the specs recommended above, and a couple years if you only get a basic $450 laptop)

I was wondering exactly you use one note in real estate? I have a new desktop with vista and bought the new Office with one note, and wondered how you're using it. Thanks, j

I got a Dell laptop, which is cheap, robust and plain works.
One Note? I think that's the IBM software? I use Microsoft Office and that's it. Outlook works pretty well for me to manage contacts, email and schedule. I tried ACT, but didn't like it.

If you don't have a laptop for now, you can wait untill your first sale to then buy one

I think that there are a few things that you need to look at when you buy a computer and i am not sure if you really need one for real estate. I would just like to point out why you may not want to have a laptop.

A laptop kills time.

As useful as a computer is it distracts from your message. If you are in a listing appointment instead of looking at the marketing plan the sellers will want to look at the other listings, over, and over, and over again. You want the CMA out there and then close for the listing instead.

With buyers the same thing can happen, there are too many parameters and the buyers will want to see lots of variations on their wants and needs and we all know the emotion of seeing a house in person will overcome almost and objection to so many other considerations that users may think are important