Agents are hit up daily by companies offering their services, tools, and apps. It is never-ending and exhausting. I have tried some and canceled many. In the end, here are my TOP 8 real estate tools and apps that made the cut, and that I do use daily.

1. ​Calendly: An ideal calendar tool. Calendly makes it easy to keep track of who is showing your listing and at what time. This tool documents their contact information making it easily accessible rather than buried in an email. Calendly is an excellent way to stay organized.

2. DocuSign: No matter where you or your client may be in the world, as long as each has access to the internet, documents can be signed and business performed. One can utilize Docusign on a mobile phone as well, but it is more difficult to read the fine print on a contract or disclosure, so I don't recommend it for lengthy documents unless of course the documents have been read and thoroughly understood, beforehand.

3. REveo: REveo ​All-in-one-click Real Estate Virtual Showing makes showing a home virtually, as easy as 1, 2, 3. Simply CONNECT with your client from your iPhone by sending a link to their mobile device, laptop, or smart TV. Then TOUR your clients live, as you walk through the home together. The tour can also be saved and shared again later. Now REveo has a Matterport component. Go to REveo.co to learn more. Here is an example of a big REveo win for the DiMaggio & Betta Group: During COVID our clients were in New York and unable to come out to the Bay Area. So my husband utilized REveo to show homes to our clients, virtually. Show, Share, Close! 

4. Canva: As the Marketing Director of HIGHLAND PARTNERS, and for our team the DiMaggio & Betta Group, I am simply obsessed with creating ads and coming up with marketing campaigns, CANVA makes it easy to implement while providing templates you can use, edit and adjust. CANVA can be used on both your laptop or mobile device. It is an intuitive app that allows you to resize your template from Twitter to LinkedIn, Facebook to Pinterest, and more.

5. Ladies of Real Estate: Ladies of Real Estate social media and networking platform. This platform offers a variety of stylish real estate templates that can be saved to CANVA and edited to fit your needs. It also provides a referral network where Realtors are showcased. This is just the tip of the iceberg, so go to Ladies of Real Estate to learn more.

6. RealScout: A listed alert search platform that allows an agent to share listings in their desired price range. At the same time allowing the Realtor and client to communicate through RealScout.  RealScout offers market snapshots and other valuable information that can be shared with clients. RealScout is also easy to use and displays the listings beautifully.

7. Social Media Channels - Twitter, Facebook, Linked In, Pinterest: Once you create beautiful marketing pieces on CANVA or other similar tools you have to post them somewhere. Each of our social media channels will have unique followers, so it is ideal to post across all platforms.

8. Dropbox: Real Estate is visual. Any agent who represents Sellers and their homes should always have professional, high res photos taken. Dropbox allows the easy transfer of high-resolution photographs for both web and brochures. Dropbox allows our photographers to share the images they shoot for all our listings with our marketing team so we can create brochures, websites, and upload them to the MLS. Dropbox is a convenient place to keep and categorize all of your photos, real estate related and personal.   

The post Top 8 Must Have Real Estate Apps, Tools And Platforms | Debbi DiMaggio, DiMaggio & Betta Group appeared first on Haute Residence by Haute Living.

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When decorating a space, the task of combining elements in one cohesive space can be intimidating. While there are no set rules for design, there are definitely guidelines that everyone should follow to achieve the desired product. From choosing lighting, furniture, art, objects, and paint colors, there are key considerations you should think about so that your space works as a practical and captivating design project. We listed 5 basic rules of interior design to guide you when remodeling your space. 

1. Volume, Light, and Depth 

When designing a new space, it is essential to focus on volume, light, and depth. While these elements can sound very abstract and difficult to manipulate, they can make a big difference when choosing pieces to design a space. Volume can be played with by choosing oversized windows and doors. Depth can be achieved with the right pieces of furniture, such as a small and low couch to draw attention to a large window. The lighting of a space highly depends on furniture choices as well. Light colors, such as glass, chrome, and marble, can move the light around the room. 

2. Practicality and Flow 

In any room, the space needs to make sense. The furniture needs to work together as a whole, and you need to consider things such as mobility in specific situations, for when you are home alone, with your family, or with guests. If you were having a dinner party, and there were a lot of people inside your kitchen, will your guests be able to easily get to the restroom? If you have children, will you be able to cook while keeping an eye on them? These are the types of questions you need to ask yourself so that you achieve practicality and flow in your space. 

3. Planning is Key

For everything in life, having a well-done plan is the key to success. That is especially true for design. Before starting to purchase furniture, paints, and elements that are going to pull your design together, think about what it is that you want to achieve with your design. What do you want it to reflect? How do you want the space to work? 

4. Include one Statement Piece 

Every room needs a statement piece that will catch the eye of anyone walking by. Having a piece that will surprise and make an impact in your room is key for not only impressing your guests but making you feel good and inspired. A statement piece can be a piece of furniture in a bold color, a remarkable rug, or a work of art. Use your imagination and choose something that you felt a connection to the first moment you saw it. 

5. Add Mirrors 

Mirrors can transform any room from tedious and dull to exciting and interesting. This especially applies to small spaces. Mirrors add light and depth and can make a room look bigger, by expanding the space and reflecting views. Mirrors are practical and decorative at the same time, and a great addition to walls where you are not sure what to put on.

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The video app, Tik Tok, swept the nation last year when everyone was on lockdown with nothing else to do. This app is an evolution of the Musical.ly app, that allowed users to create lipsync videos, and has now become Tik Tok, a 60-second video platform with endless creative possibilities. The app is reminiscent of the defunct app Vine which ended in early 2017 and was known for short videos that creators used mostly for comedy sketches. This app gave a lot of young influencers fame and most made their way to Youtube from the app. Now, Tik Tok has taken the Vine idea even further and created a space for all types of creators whether that be in comedy, horror, books, or even design. 

Design Tok is the name for the corner of Tik Tok all about interior design. Users can utilize hashtags such as #designtok, #interiordesign, #designers, to have their content featured on that part of the app. It is here that creators show all different sides of the design world. The creators range from someone with good taste simply showing off their house, to professional designers who share their tips and tricks with users. 

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In the design niche, there is much informative content. There are DIY tips, thrifting projects, advice on how to create a classier environment, guides on how to describe your personal design style, as well as information on what design trends they think need to end. These design tok-ers have built their own followings on the app as well as amassed influencer-type fame. 

Whether design is your passion or just a hobby, there’s a place on Design Tok for you. So next time you’re searching for inspiration, give Tik Tok a try, as it may give you new and unique ideas! 

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