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6 Real Estate Tips from Krisstina Wise, New Real Estate Ambassador, Plus Evernote for Real Estate Webinar

Community, Tips and Stories | By Kasey Fleisher Hickey
Evernote for Real Estate
 

 
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Bio

Krisstina Wise owns a residential real estate brokerage in Austin, Texas called The GoodLife Team. Her company is a nationally-recognized thought leader for their approach to using technology and social media in running their business. See how Krisstina and her team of 26 employees use Evernote for everything from sharing client notes to moving a sale forward. Krisstina joins our Ambassador Program as the new Real Estate Ambassador and will also be hosting a webinar this Thursday, February 23rd. More details, below.

I use Evernote, Everywhere

  • Mac
  • iPad
  • iPhone

I use Evernote for…

Evernote has completely changed my life. I used to carry a notebook and pen with me everywhere I went, but have now completely transitioned to having my entire life in Evernote. It’s one of the 5 core tools that I use to operate my life and my business. At The GoodLife Team, every employee uses Evernote across a number of different devices. It’s been about six months since all of our agents started using Evernote and it has already become an invaluable and fundamental tool.

Above: a buyer’s notebook and snapshot of client tour with attached audio interview, imported PDF of MLS records of the property tour and client notes.

Here are a few ways that Evernote can be every realtor’s power tool.

  1. Create a notebook for every single customer. All of our agents have a notebook for every single customer they work with. With Evernote, it’s easy to store all types of information including notes on maps, recorded seller interviews (captured with Evernote’s audio feature), photos of houses, and PDF MLS sheets of houses that customers like. Agents can send everything to customers right out of Evernote.
  2. Start the buying process before getting back to the office. Once a buyer has chosen a house to purchase, the agent can move their file to the admin staff before stepping foot back into the office. Using Shared Notebooks, agents can communicate with admin staff, sharing all of their documentation so that multiple people can work on one client file at the same time and move it along in the buying process faster than ever. [Learn about sharing from Evernote]
  3. Make a habit of saving everything to Evernote. Making a habit of saving everything to Evernote is the first step to knowing exactly where you’ll be able to find information at a moment’s notice. Our agents save all of their house photos, client interviews, PDFs, and notes to Evernote. As a paperless company, we use Evernote to manage our customer files and easily capture, access and share information on the go. [Learn how to go paperless from Paperless Lifestyle Ambassador Jamie Rubin]
  4. Make use of mobile devices and Trunk integrations. On the sales side, everyone on our team works on computers and iPads, so it’s easy to get work done at the office and on site. When you’re in a mobile profession, it’s vital to have tools that can help you be productive, even when you’re not at your desk. In addition to utilizing mobile devices, we use Evernote-integrated Trunk apps to help us get more done. [Evernote Tip: Apps like RightSignature allow you to capture a digital signature and save it back into Evernote for easy access and for customer records.]
  5. Train your staff. We do training with our agents every Thursday. We sit down with our entire team and take them through a step-by-step program of how to maximize Evernote. Evernote is a really flexible tool, so we’re able to show team members some best practices and then allow them to create their own workflow version that fits their work style.
  6. Share with multiple team members. Whether you’re a buyer or seller-side agent, you can use Evernote to communicate with colleagues and customers. Share individual notes by emailing them straight from your Evernote account or create a Shared Notebook and grant access to select individuals. Premium Evernote users can modify Shared Notebooks, making edits to documents and saving them back into Evernote, adding additional info (like house photos or signatures), and making sure everyone is in lock step throughout the buying and selling process. [Learn about sharing from Evernote]

Evernote as my personal productivity tool

In addition to using Evernote in every aspect of my work, I find it to be an extremely valuable personal tool. I have a professional and personal notebook with multiple Notebook Stacks underneath. My personal notebook helps me manage all of my activities in one place.

  1. I create checklists on all different things, ranging from work to-dos to grocery lists. [Learn how to create a checklist]
  2. I clip everything into Evernote using the Evernote Web Clipper. We were recently interviewing some folks, so I asked interviewees to send their resumes to my Evernote account so that I could review them all in one place and refer back to them prior to and during the interviews.
  3. I save documents and share lots of files with my team members. [Learn how to attach files to a note]
  4. I have a wireless keyboard, which, together with Evernote on my iPhone, allows me to type notes even if I’m in a meeting at Starbucks. When I’m back at my computer, they’re all there for me in my Evernote account.
  5. My personal notebook includes recipes, my training program for my workouts, my kids’ activities and checklists. My husband and I also share notebooks to manage household things. For example, if I start a grocery list, he can finish it and we both have it on our iPhones if one of us goes to the store. [8 Great Ways Couples Can Use Shared Notebooks]

Frankly, I don’t know how I kept it all together before Evernote. I know that everything that is important to me is in Evernote, so I know exactly where to find it. This practice of saving everything to Evernote saves me so much time that I used to spend wondering where something is.

Register for the GoodLife Team webinar on using Evernote everyday

Join Krisstina and Michael McClure, CEO of Verified Agent, this Thursday, February 23rd at 11:00am CST for an informative training session covering the basics of Evernote and ways to use it as a realtor.

Register here: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/908731746

Join Krisstina in the Real Estate discussion forum.

Are you a realtor using Evernote? Share your tips in the comments below.

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  • Mike Hardin

    Interesting Post. I’m not an agent or a broker, but a beginning investor. My wife and I currently have two investment properties we are renting, and hope to acquire a third soon. I’d be interested to see how others use evernote for real estate investing. There are so many aspects. Choosing properties, capital acquisition, closing, rehabbing, finding tenants, finding buyers, managing rentals, screening tenants, maintenance of rentals, etc.

    • http://coffeewithkrisstina.com Krisstina Wise

      Mike, my husband and I are investors as well. We have a notebook for each of our properties and store all property information into each respective notebook. We scan in the lease agreements, repair receipts, etc. We store EVERYTHING in Evernote.

      Also, we use other property management technologies for managing the financials, etc. Message me personally if you’d like to know more.

    • Bob Rein, CCIM

      Hi Mike, I’m a commercial real estate broker and CCIM with NAI in Austin, TX. I specialize in investment sales. If your plans include commercial property for income generation, I can help with acquisition and disposition strategies. Please contact me at 512-818-9125. I would like to talk to you

      • http://coffeewithkrisstina.com Krisstina Wise

        Bob, I’m not sure how your post helps Mike with his question. Just saying.

  • http://www.quepublishing.com Lisa Jacobson Brown

    Hi Krisstina, I just saw this post and wondered if I could interest you in a review copy of our latest book, My Evernote, by Katherine Murray. Que is a publishing imprint of Pearson, the largest publisher in the world (home to the Financial Times, Penguin, Prentice Hall, etc.). Let me know – I’d love to get your feedback and if you found the book to be favorable, ask you to let other realtors know the book exists!

    • http://coffeewithkrisstina.com Krisstina Wise

      Sure, I’d love to take a look at your book!

  • Babs

    Hi Krisstina,
    So Glad to know someone else is as ADDICTED TO EVERNOTE as I am! Initially it was hit & miss use, but over the past two years I have made it my EVERYTHING space. Like you, I assign each client a folder and ANYTHING related to that transaction goes there. I use tags as well as notebook stacks extensively.
    I have just finished scanning most of my home office hard copy files into Evernote using ScanSnap. I’m trying to convince my Broker husband to USE it. He’s had the app on his IPhone forever, but until recently he didn’t give it much thought. Hearing from your husband might win him and other resistant men to it’s invaluable merits! Congrats and best wishes in your new role!

    • http://coffeewithkrisstina.com Krisstina Wise

      Babs, my husband LOVES Evernote too. We share a lot of notes between us, especially for organizing house hold items. I think once your hubby starts, he will acquire the addiction.

  • http://www.usinvest.com.au/services.php property sale in usa

    This tips is really a a helpful to those people who are in a real estate industry and to those who are planning to buy a property in a real estate.

  • http://www.justjodi.net Jodi

    Thanks Krisstina! I’m a NJ Realtor and this list gives me so many great ideas! Really appreciate the detailed run down.

    • http://coffeewithkrisstina.com Krisstina Wise

      Great, Jodi. I’m happy this was helpful. I will soon be posting my Evernote for Sellers so be on the look out:)

  • Ron Dunagan

    Krisstina,

    Great to see that real estate has finally received an ambassador. Found your post to be very informative. I noticed that you referred to your personal notebook and your professional notebook. Do you have two installations of Evernote or just have it divided within your Evernote application?

    Thanks,

    Ron

    • http://coffeewithkrisstina.com Krisstina Wise

      Ron ….

      No, I do not have two different installations — I just organize all of my files under either a Professional Folder or a Personal Folder. My personal folder for example I share with my husband as this is where I store household necessities like grocery/Costco lists, kids’ activities/calendars, household repair folders, personal receipts, etc. This enables my husband and I to store and have access to the same household information making coordination and finding files between us very easy.

  • Kelly Williams

    I am a commercial real estate broker and currently use Evernote for personal things. I am very interested in this webinar but have a prior commitment. Will this webinar be recorded and available for later viewing. Thanks for considering.

    Kelly W.

    • http://coffeewithkrisstina.com Krisstina Wise

      Kelly,

      We have a replay of the webinar for our paid subscribers. In the event you are interested, you can find information about the membership on my personal website at www dot coffee with krisstina dot com. Let me know if I can answer any specific questions you may have. Thanks!

  • Jean Venezia

    Krisstina,

    Congratulations on becoming an Ambassador for Evernote! They picked the perfect person to be our Real Estate voice. I just enjoyed your Evernote webinar with Michael McClure, and am using Evernote in my Real Estate business. BUT, your article has given me great ideas and look forward to your next installment.

    • http://coffeewithkrisstina.com Krisstina Wise

      Thank you, Jean. Be sure to post different ways you are using Evernote. Every time I talk to a fan of Evernote, I learn a new way to use it!

  • Kathie Moore

    Congratulations on your status with Evernote! What a great accomplishment for your company and team and indeed all REALTORS.

    I’m working on all my notebooks now and can’t wait to use it for something more than notes and checklists.

    • http://coffeewithkrisstina.com Krisstina Wise

      Yes! Evernote has SO much more application for our real estate businesses than just for some note taking and checklists. Be sure to set up all of your client files in Evernote and store EVERYTHING about your client into that folder. You can save photos of the house they are buying, inspection reports, contracts, etc. And then, once you close, you can send them the digital file and they have ALL of their paperwork in once place. They will LOVE you for it:)

  • http://www.JohnContabile.com John Contabile

    Great webinar Krisstina!!! Thank You!!!
    Looking forward to more of what you have to say on this.

    I see some killer application for my wife’s business as well in the mortgage industry!

    Thanks again!

    • http://coffeewithkrisstina.com Krisstina Wise

      Thanks, John. Send me a screen grab of how your wife is using Evernote for her mortgage business — I’d love to see how she is using it. It could be helpful to other lenders — even my own:)

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