For on-the-go real estate professionals, technology tools can really help to make a difference in efficiency and ease when shuffling important paperwork from site to site. One tool that has an insurmountable value to the modern professional is Dropbox. This innovative application is a cloud-based storage service that enables users to store, synchronize and share files from computers, smartphones and tablets.
Any real estate professional knows that there is one mainstay to every business transaction, no matter how run-of-the-mill, and that is the sheer amount of paperwork. With countless iterations of contracts thanks to counter offers, amendments and addenda on top of tax records, MLS reports, listing photos etc., it can be nearly impossible for an agent to stay organized and barring going around with a semi-truck trailer full of paperwork, it is impossible to have these documents on hand to reference at all times.
Dropbox enables this capability by allowing users to store and access any kind of file, be it PDF, photo, video, Word document or Adobe Photoshop file. Since the application does not actually run the files, it is capable of hosting on virtually any platform. Being a cloud storage application, there is almost no limit to storage space. One of the greatest features of Dropbox is that it provides these services for free up to about 5 GB, which is a significant amount of storage.
How Agents Can Use Dropbox
The concept of cloud-storage was originally conceived in 2007 by a group of college students who became tired of emailing different versions of on-going assignments back and forth so that they could work on them from different computers. Since then, the application has grown to accommodate students and professionals alike. In order to keep that beautiful desktop wallpaper from being marred by the myriad of document icons, every real estate agent should digitize and simplify using Dropbox.
When amending contracts, Dropbox will automatically synchronize any changes made. This means that all removals and revisions of documents, regardless if performed on computer, smartphone or tablet, will be reflected on all connected devices.
Dropbox also enables agents to easily share documents with other users. This can be as simple as sharing a single file link for a one-time download or more advanced, such as sharing a folder with multiple files in multiple formats. The command format is extremely easy and works off of email to subscribe files to new and existing users of Dropbox.
Another amazing feature of Dropbox that can be invaluable to real estate professionals is that it works on any operating system. Whether the business runs on Windows, Mac or a mobile device, Dropbox can keep up. Agents can also share and collaborate with clients and other business associates easily and harmoniously from anywhere in the world.
