Check out these business-changing real estate agent resources!

Here you’ll find a list of the resources I recommend to my closest friends and family. In fact, I personally use each of these recommended resources in my different income streams.

Before we jump in, you should know that I receive a small commission from some of these companies if you use my links below to purchase their products. This doesn’t cost you anything extra. In fact, some of these companies let me offer special deals on their behalf through these links so you can get a better rate than if you just used Google to find their websites.

These links are called “affiliate links”, and this is one of the ways I make money so I can continue providing so much free information on this site. It’s a win, win, win. You get easy access to the best resources I can find, I earn a commission on products I truly believe in, and the company makes a sale! Oh, and there’s a fourth winner: 10% of all Real Estate Side Hustles profits are proudly donated to Habitat for Humanity! Click with confidence knowing that I stand behind these recommended resources, and you are contributing to a good cause.

By the way, if you want to learn more about how you can make money with your own affiliate links, check out How to Make Money Blogging About Real Estate.

For Blogging

According to Demand Metric, blog content costs 62% less than traditional marketing, but generates 3x more leads! If you’re a real estate agent, you need a real estate blog.

Of course blogging can be time-consuming. And some of us just aren’t writers. So here are a few shortcuts to help you build a killer real estate blog quickly and easily:

• A done-for-you Real Estate Blog Content Calendar. A full year of blog post topics with suggested titles and researched keywords. No more wondering what to blog about!
• Ready-to-Publish Blog Posts. If you need to publish some quality blog content asap, these posts are a lifesaver.
• Custom Blog Content. Would you rather leave the writing to a pro? Ghostwriting real estate blogs is my specialty! And I’m currently accepting new clients.

For Marketing Materials

We have several stellar resources for real estate marketing materials.

DRIP by Key Real Estate Resources

DRIP by Key Real Estate Resources is your source for real estate marketing content, delivered fresh every month! Get curated Instagram and Facebook posts to publish to your accounts and a relevant newsletter to send to your contact list every month.

We offer three tiers to best suit your business. The higher tiers offer customization of all market materials plus a monthly content calendar to keep you organized. With the top tier, you can even get early-bird access to products before they hit our partner Etsy shop. Which leads us to our next paid real estate resource…

Premium Digital Resources on Etsy

We partner with Key Real Estate Designs on Etsy to provide premium real estate resources.

These templates, workbooks, calendars, and printables will give your business a head start. Prices start at just $5 for printables. And go up to $39 for individual workbooks. You can also purchase bundles to get discounts on multiple products.

Designing Your Own Marketing Materials (or Editing Those from DRIP and Etsy)

Canva is the best tool I’ve found for designing all your real estate marketing materials. From social media posts to flyers, brochures to presentations, Canva can do it all. The free version of Canva is perfect for agents who just need to design promotional material each quarter. But if you’re posting on social media, publishing to a blog, or creating newsletters for your audience, upgrading to Canva Pro is well worth the small monthly fee. I upgraded after two years of using the free plan, and I wish I had upgraded sooner. There are so many more templates and time-saving features with Pro. Try it free for 30 days to see if the Canva Pro upgrade is right for you.

For Websites

If you’re a real estate agent, you need a website (and no, your Broker’s site doesn’t count). Why? Because today’s buyers and sellers are online. Serious prospects aren’t going to stop by your office on a whim or call because they saw your sign in the neighbor’s yard. They’re going to Google something like “best real estate agent in Woodland Hills” and look at the websites of the first few Google results. If you don’t have a site with a strong web presence and professional design, you are missing a huge segment of the market.

Side note:  You also need a solid blog on your site. It’s one of the best ways to boost your web presence and your client/prospect engagement. Not sure if blogging is right for you? Take a look at these five compelling reasons every Agent needs a strong blog before you dismiss the idea.

With that, let’s talk about what resources you need to launch your website and your blog.

Bluehost for Web Hosting

Web hosting is sort of like leasing virtual land. You’re essentially paying for a vacant space on which to build your website.

Bluehost is my recommended web hosting provider. I use Bluehost for all of my current websites. Here’s why:

• Affordability. The monthly cost of service could be less than a fancy coffee. Use our Bluehost links for an introductory discount!
• Ease of use. I am tech-challenged, and I was able to figure it out. I can’t say the same for the other web hosting providers I’ve tried.
• One-click WordPress installation. You’ll want WordPress to manage all the content on your site, and Bluehost makes it really easy to install.
• Free domain name for a year. If your web hosting is like your lot, your domain name is your situs address. It tells people how to find your site.
• Exceptional customer service. You can actually get a human on the phone if you need them.

WP Residence for Design Theme

Your design theme is your website blueprint. It details where everything on your site will go and how it will all be structured.

What will your standard font be? Will you have an image in your page headers? Will you have a menu at the bottom of your home page? All of these tiny details are handled by your design theme.

I’ve searched literally hundreds of design themes, and there’s only one I can fully recommend for real estate professionals: WP Residence. Here’s why:

• Flexibility. 1,000 agents can all have the WP Residence design theme, and all thousand sites can look completely different. The theme looks great as-is (out-of-the-box so to speak), or you can adjust the many, many settings until you have a completely customized website. To show how versatile this theme is, I’m currently using the WP Residence design theme for RecessionProofRealtor.com.
• Track record. WP Residence has nearly 11,000 downloads and 1,000 ratings, with a 4.76-star average. This theme has been tried and tested. All the kinks have long been worked out.
• Affordability. This is one of the most robust themes I’ve found, but you can buy the license to use it forever for just a one-time fee of $59.
• Features and functionality. I said the theme is robust, and I meant it. You can do so much with this site, including advanced property searches, floor plans, user log-ins, and even payment collection systems. As a newbie, this will have way more features than you need, but as your practice grows, you’ll be glad these options are ready and waiting for you.
• Responsiveness. WP Residence won’t take forever to load, and it will look great no matter what device your clients and prospects use to view your site.

WordPress for Content Management

Content management is a little confusing, but let me try to explain it. You’ll be writing a bunch of content for your website, like the verbiage on your homepage, your “About Me” page, and all your blog posts for example. All this content needs to be stored and managed so your theme knows where to display it. That’s what your content management system (CMS) does.

The industry standard is WordPress. WordPress is used by around 75 million websites. It’s extremely customizable with over 50,000 “plug-ins” to add features like contact forms, image sliders, and even e-commerce functions. It might look intimidating at first, and will take a little time to get comfortable with. But once you start using it, you’ll appreciate that it’s designed to be used by average humans with no programming experience.

And it’s free!

Content management is almost a no-brainer. If you want professional-grade content management, go with WordPress.

A How-To Guide

If this website stuff is all new to you, you need a step-by-step guide to walk you through the process of launching your first website. Something written in plain English with no tech jargon. Something that can help you get your website up and running as quickly and painlessly as possible. Check out How to Build a Real Estate Website for completely free step-by-step instructions on building your own website. It’s easier than you might expect, and DYI-ing your site will save you thousands of dollars!

For Accounting

Tracking income and expenses is entirely necessary, but it takes away from the time you could be spending generating more income. For an efficient, user-friendly accounting solution, you need to check out FreshBooks.

FreshBooks for All Your Accounting Needs

If you’re adding income streams to your real estate business, you’re going to need more than an Excel Sheet. You’re going to need to generate financial reports for your tax accountant. You’re going to need to invoice service clients and accept credit card payments. Or you might need to track your admin’s time on a project. And you may need to do it all from your phone or tablet while you sit an open house. That’s where FreshBooks comes in.

There are lots of great reasons to love FreshBooks, but here are my personal favorite reasons:

• It grows with your businesses. Start with a Lite plan and grow as your client base grows.
• It’s great for managing multiple streams of income. Maybe you have income from stock photo sales, a real estate blog, and your property tax appeal services. FreshBooks can keep everything organized for you.
• It’s cloud-based, so even if your computer crashes, you’ll still have access to all your data with no downtime.
• It’s mobile-friendly. You can pay bills and invoice clients right from your cell phone.
• There’s a short learning curve, so you don’t need to waste hours trying to figure out how it works.
• You can receive credit card payments without hassle.
• They offer a FREE 30-day trial so you can make sure the software suits your life and your business.

More Resources Coming Soon!

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