Google is the most recognized name in search engines but Google provides more tools than just searching online. One of our favorites is Google Docs. Google Docs are free online documents (think online Microsoft Office) that are stored and created online. Google Docs can be shared with anyone and can be accessed by any computer so you can cut that cord. 

What kind of documents can you create with Google Docs?

• Spreadsheets – think Excel
• Documents – think Word
• Presentations – think PowerPoint
• Forms – yeah, Microsoft doesn’t do that with an Office product
• Drawings – think Publisher but a much more scaled down version. 

How can you use Google Docs in your day-to-day real estate business?

• Listing marketing plans for sellers - Use Google Spreadsheets to give your sellers an easy way to see how the marketing is going for their home. Provide links to any online marketing so they can see it at any time. You could even create separate tabs in your workbook for showing feedback, inspection responses, etc. You can grant your sellers access so they can view this doc from the comfort of their own home – or the movie theater with their phone! 
• Listing maintenance – The marketing plan for sellers is just as valuable to you! Stay informed about your listing marketing status from anywhere you go! This is a GREAT tool for real estate teams or for collaborating with your real estate virtual assistant.
• Contact databases - Create and maintain your contact database with a Google spreadsheet. Contacts can even be easily imported from Outlook. (P.S. If you are still using Outlook we should talk.)
• Forms - Would an online questionnaire help you figure out what your buyers want? Would you like an easy way to gather testimonials? Google Forms allows you to easily create custom forms and provides a link to the form for you to send to people. You can even embed the form in your own website. The really cool thing about Google Forms is that once a response is entered on the form, Google creates a spreadsheet and collects and organizes all of the data for you. Uber easy. 
• Office sharing - Google Docs provides an easy way to share all of your office forms with your real estate agents, whether they work in the office or from their home office.

Getting started is simple.
Go to Docs.Google.com
You will need to create a Google account if you do not already have one for Gmail, YouTube, Docs, etc.
Create your first document by clicking on ‘Create’.
After you create your first document, you can click on the ‘Share’ button to share with the world or selected people you know. 

Do you have any other ideas about using Google Docs for real estate business? We’d love to hear them!