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The History of REI Software and Why Now is the Time to Invest

    

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Forget the worm; this early bird wants deals.

Let’s face it: you’re not the only one out there searching for real estate deals. And the best way to get an edge is to work smarter, not harder. The truth is, technology has come a long way, and if you don’t want to stay in the stone ages of poring over public records and manually tracking your potential investments, it’s time to tap the incredible resources that allow you to find properties and close deals.

Sure, you’ve honed your skills for finding the right time to invest in real estate, but do you know when to invest in REI software? (Hint: the answer is now.) Of course, like any good investor, you need some data to support your instincts. Just take a look at the history compared to the current state of the industry to see why REI software is ripe for investment.  

Caller Tracking: Catch up with the Times

If you’re of a certain age (which is not that old, by the way), you remember life before caller ID. It was a gamble every time you picked up the phone. Will it be that girl you like, or grandma trying to catch up with her favorite grandchild? These days, we’re not only used to the convenience of caller tracking, we have developed ways to leverage it for business. Using a call tracking system for real estate investment seems like a no-brainer, but not all systems have powerful features that are tailored to REI professionals. If you want to close the deal, information is power. You need more than just a name and phone number. You need to know data such as:

  • Which sales campaign prompted a potential seller to call
  • What property they are calling about
  • Details that can help you quickly build rapport
  • Your conversation history with the caller

Oh, and you need to know all of this information before you even pick up the phone. If you don’t grab the attention of the caller in the first few seconds, the next sound you’ll hear is a dial tone. If you’re using basic caller ID or even a generic call tracking solution, that technology is, like, 25 years old. Are you still using that computer from 1993 that can’t even connect to the internet? Yeah, didn’t think so.      

Voicemail: Ditch the Dumb Way

Let’s face it: most people don’t pick up the phone these days, especially when that pesky caller ID we just talked about tells them that a stranger is calling. People have been dodging calls since voicemail became popular way back in the ‘80s, but now there is a better way for REI professionals to handle it.

Leaving voicemails the old-fashioned way takes time, and time is money. Why waste your valuable time making calls when you know you’re just going to leave a message anyway? REI software lets you automate ringless voicemails and drop customized, pre-recorded messages to all of your call lists. Making an investment in REI software provides immediate returns by freeing up your precious time. That’s a little thing we like to call ROI for REI software.

People Search: Skip into the Future

Remember Archie? Not the kid from Riverdale High; the first search engine created in 1990. It’s OK, we forgot about him too. You’re certainly familiar with more modern solutions like Google, but what you may not know is that scouring public records yourself through search engines and local websites is not the only way to find the owners of distressed or vacant properties. REI software can actually do the work for you.

DIY skip tracing used to take serious sleuthing skills (and all that valuable time you have on your hands). Of course, you can pay for somebody else to do the work, but that doesn’t mean you’ll actually get good results. REI software with intelligent skip tracing technology does the work for you when you need it most. For example, the data you collect on your website from potential leads can be automatically run through a skip trace system to fill in all the details they conveniently left out. When a lead calls you, a skip trace on the incoming number arms you with all the information you need to close the deal.

CRM and Data Tracking: Accelerate out of Excel

Ah, Excel. That sweet grid of color-coded cells rife with manual errors and broken formulas. What the hell is a macro, anyway? Even the most agile spreadsheet ninjas would agree that there is definitely a better way to manage CRM data. Newsflash: Excel was invented to manage numbers, not people. Should you use Excel to calculate potential ROI on a deal? Absolutely. Should you use it to organize your precious leads? Nope.

REI software was designed by REI pros for REI pros to manage and close deals. This means that there are fields for all of the information you need about your leads and you can easily sort, tag, schedule, and create alerts. Holy crap, you can even find a phone number without scrolling to Row 498, Column Q in your freaking spreadsheet.

The Total Package: Where the Smart Money Goes

REI software is more advanced than it has ever been and definitely more than the sum of its parts. You have a knack for knowing when to invest in real estate, so you should see that now is the time to invest in the REI software that provides efficiency and power to close more deals. Dig deeper into advanced skip tracing with our free e-book, Intelligent Skip Tracing.

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