When it comes to software for real estate agents, we know that there are heaps of options out there to choose from. However, we also know that the best tools help you accomplish two things well: generate more leads and close more sales. With that goal in mind, we've compiled this list of 8 super useful real estate agent tools that every realtor should have in their arsenal for 2021.

The good news is, many of these suggestions are low cost or free to use — helping you to attract more buyers and close more deals while saving money, too. They're also specifically curated to help you modernise and digitise your workflow for contact-less operations. 

Our Top 8 Software Tools for Realtors

#1. Thryv (Online Appointment Scheduler)

Would you like to capture more viewing appointments, even after hours? With Thryv online appointment scheduling software, it's easy for clients to book an appointment with your office at any time of the day or night. Because the software integrates with your existing website, visitors can book appointments directly from your site. Once booked, Thryv takes care of sending automatic appointment reminders to clients via text and email. This helps reduce no-shows, while allowing clients to reschedule on the fly. 

Additionally, Thryv:

• Syncs with your existing calendar and your team's calendars.
• Offers additional functionally to handle reputation management and payments.
• Allows you to manage staff access to information.
• Helps you deal with social media posting, scheduling, and even online presence building

Offering customised pricing plans, Thryv is an easy way to provide greater convenience and flexibility to buyers while saving you the time and effort of booking appointments manually over the phone. For more information, visit Thryv.

#2. LiveTour (Virtual Real Estate Tours)

Speaking of time-savers, LiveTour is a great option for real estate agents looking to showcase their listings in 360-degree virtual reality without having to make an in-person appointment. What makes LiveTour different from other virtual reality products is that it allows you to capture professional-quality VR tours by just using your smartphone.

With LiveTour, creating virtual tours is straightforward three-step process:

• Using iStaging's "Rotator" video capturing device, record a 360-degree panoramic view of a space with your smartphone.
• Use LiveTour's online virtual tour builder to link your panoramas, adding notes, tags, and a floorplan for a fully customised experience.
• Embed the virtual tour on your website or add it to your UK MLS platform. You can even visualise it immersively with VR goggles.

Providing virtual tours is especially helpful during Covid, giving buyers an opportunity to experience a home without having to step foot in it. And it's fairly priced too, with plans starting at just $5 per month. To learn more or to get started, visit LiveTour at iStaging.

#3. YouMail (Voicemail to Email)

Too busy to stop and check voicemail? Now you don't have to. With YouMail, you can forward voicemail messages straight to your email inbox for quick and easy scanning. The way it works is simple. Whenever you receive a missed call, it's forwarded to an access number at YouMail. YouMail plays your regular voicemail greeting and transcribes the caller's message directly to your email.

YouMail can help you:

• Save the time and effort of checking your voicemail manually.
• Archive important messages or forward messages to another party.
• Discourage robocallers (robocalls get an "Out of service" greeting).

YouMail offers a free basic plan plus four tiers of reasonably priced paid packages. To learn more or to get started, visit YouMail.

#4. IFTTT (Automated Lead Generation)

IFTTT, also known as "If This Then That", is an ingenious time-saving tool that can benefit realtors in several ways. IFTTT works by facilitating communication between unrelated apps, websites, and services to trigger automated actions. For example, you could use IFTTT to send Craigslist real estate leads to your inbox. You could use it to search Twitter for leads using different hashtags or keywords. Or you could even have it cross-post to your Social Media accounts. Here are sixteen ways realtors can use IFTTT to generate more leads and increase daily productivity. To learn more, see the IFTTT website.

#5. HubSpot for CRM (Customer Relationship Building)

Along with generating leads, every realtor needs a good CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system to build strong relationships and identity selling opportunities. Enter Hubspot CRM. HubSpot is an all-in-one customer relationship management tool that enables you to manage your sales pipeline, log sales activity, and store all of your contact data all in one place.

With HubSpot CRM, you can:

• View your entire sales pipeline. HubSpot gives you an up-to-the-minute view of all of your appointments, contracts, deals, and performance in one dashboard. Views can be further refined with sorting and custom filtering options.
• Log sales activity on the fly. HubSpot CRM automatically tracks all of your customer interactions across emails, social media, or phone calls. You also sync it with your Gmail or Outlook using HubSpot Sales.
• Track your leads. HubSpot keeps a chronological history of your interactions with a lead, whether it was over a phone call, email, or in-person meeting. Because HubSpot tracks every client contact, you'll never forget where things left off.

Even better, HubSpot CRM is 100% free, which means no credit cards are required to get started. To learn more, visit HubSpot.

#6. Hootsuite (Social Media Management)

Staying in communication with prospects over Social media is a must for every realtor. The good news is, Hootsuite's social media management tool lets you manage multiple social networks all from one place—saving you the hassle of duplicating your efforts across platforms.

With Hootsuite, you can:

• Manage accounts from one dashboard. Instead of having to log into your social accounts separately, Hootsuite consolidates all of your social networks into a single dashboard.
• Respond to online actions quickly. Account consolidation means that you can quickly respond to messages, brand mentions, and comments across your different social networks.
• Track performance and grow your audience. Hubspot's reports can show you what's working with your social media marketing (and what's not). With this feedback, you can change up and improve your campaigns.

To learn more or to get started with a free trial, visit Hootsuite.

#7. Canva (DIY Marketing Graphics)

They say a single picture speaks a thousand words. Luckily, even total design novices can use Canva to create stunning graphics for social media posts, Instagram posts, emails, posters, invitations, and much more. Start with one of Canva's pre-built templates and use its intuitive drag and drop interface to add or change elements, text, and photos. Within minutes, you can have a stunning and professional looking graphic that's sure to grab attention. Canva offers over 8,000 free templates and two pricing plans (Pro and Enterprise). To learn more or to get started, visit Canva.

#8. DocFly (Professional Online PDF Creator and Editor)

And last but not least, every realtor needs a great PDF editor: DocFly. Unlike other free products, DocFly features fully professional, best-in-class editing features and a cleanly designed intuitive interface that makes creating and editing PDFs a snap. With DocFly, you can create, edit, fill out, and sign PDFs online in moments, and you need not buy an expensive software license or use space on your hard drive to make it work. 

With DocFly, you can:

• Create, edit, and fill out PDFs online and send them to your clients.
• Easily convert your Word, Excel, PowerPoint documents to PDF format.
• Conveniently access your PDF files from anywhere you have Internet.
• Convert up to three PDF Files a month for free, or upgrade to a low-cost monthly or annual subscription.

DocFly is a great option for realtors who need to create, modify, and send PDF files quickly from the cloud, and don't want the expense or hassle of a full-blown software package. To get started, visit DocFly.

Real estate agents are busy people with a lot to juggle. By taking the time to explore and make use of these free and low-cost tools for realtors, you're sure to reap huge benefits in your office productivity and get more contracts signed.