7 Free and Low Cost Web Tools to Make Investing Easier
As a real estate investor, you’re well aware of how dramatically the Internet is changing the way you live your life.
Knowledge is power in real estate investing, and Hendricks & Partners puts plenty of power at your fingertips that can help you decide if an area makes investing sense – whether that area is across town or on the other end of the country.
Pacer – If you’re in the foreclosure market you understand the importance of getting foreclosure filings quickly.
Pacer is the U.S. Bankruptcy Court’s listing of foreclosure filings.
You can search for recent filings several ways, which can give you a jumpstart on the competition.
Pacer can help you to be first – it’s up to you to be the best.
Zillow.com – Having a ballpark figure of what an investment property could be worth at your fingertips can help you to quickly decide if a potential investment property is worth delving into – or should be skipped over completely.
Zillow.com can give you free comps and estimate a property’s value within seconds.
While it can’t replace due diligence, it can give you a ballpark figure that can help expedite your decision on which properties to look into.
With so many homeowners looking for quick solutions, this tool can help you to pull the trigger quickly if it makes sense – or to walk away if it doesn’t. (www.zillow.com)
Membership is free; you simply post your project and select the bidder with the qualifications and proposal you like the best.
Google Picasa – If you have dozens – or even hundreds – of photos taking up valuable space on your hard drive, you’re all too aware of how difficult it can be to organize photos of properties you own or might be interested in buying.
Google’s free Picasa software application helps you to organize all the photos on your hard drive so you can locate the photo you need within seconds.
Windows Live Maps can put this visual information onto your desktop so you can see the layout of a neighborhood or compare the proximity of a potential investment to points of interest, schools, shopping, etc. Little details like these can help you decide whether an investment is a bad idea, a good idea – or a great idea.
Microsoft OneNote – If you’re as organizationally challenged as a lot of investors, Microsoft OneNote may be just what the doctor ordered.
It’s an electronic notebook, so you can organize properties you own in one notebook and create other notebooks – and pages – depending on your needs.
You may decide to have a separate notebook for properties you’re considering acquiring.
The beauty of OneNote is that you can keep all property details at your fingertips, from legal documents to scanned handwritten notes, photos – even audio files.
If you have a fairly new computer, it’s probably already on your system if you use Microsoft office.
The tools won’t make you an overnight investing success.
The time savings can help you to improve your focus and close more deals.
Closing deals is the name of the game.
The tools help you win the game by making sure they’re quality deals.
Peter Vekselman is a real estate investor and entrepreneur and has owned and operated numerous businesses that have made him millions.
His companies included VEX Snacks, a vending machine business; MH Dealership, one of the largest mobile home brokerages in Atlanta; and Tech Touch Cash, a credit card processing business with over 100 employees in 11 offices nationwide.
Peter has been involved in real estate as an investor, contractor, developer, and lender for more than a decade.
As a private lender, Peter Vekselman managed a portfolio of more than $5 million.
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