Choose what fits in your budget:

• < $200
• < $300
• < $400

 

 

There is such a wide variety of contact management solutions that there’s one for every budget and skill level. Before you invest, however, find out if one is already is system available in your office. Many brokerages include contact management as part of their business productivity suite. Even if you prefer your own solution, you’ll likely want to import and export data to and from your company's system.

 

Price alone should not dictate what product you buy: Your best investment will be in a product that has the features and functions that you’ll actually use. So while some may be able to get by with a bare-bones approach, others will want to splurge on a CRM that gives them all the options.

 

 

Budget Buyer

 

How does free sound? You can get started with no money down, so there’s no financial reason not to have a contact management solution. Even specialized real estate software is available for less than $200.         

 

• GENERIC SOFTWARE

Address Book

Apple

Free with OS X

 

Windows Contact

Microsoft Corp.

Free with Vista

 

Included with both Apple’s OS X and all versions of Windows Vista are these no-frills contact management solutions. These programs are enough to get you started building a database of essential contact information and notes. They give the novice a good introduction to contact management and will help develop the good habit of regularly entering and updating contact information.

        

• REAL ESTATE SOFTWARE

Agent’s 1st Choice

Howard & Friends

$199.95

 

For the money, this is a rich mix of features in an affordable package. It supports an unlimited number of contact records, e-mail send/receive, data capture from Web forms, and it has its own word processor. Several upgrade options and a Web-hosted version are also available.

 

• WEB-BASED SOLUTIONS

RealFutureCRM 2.0

Adigida Solutions

Free

 

This basic version of the company’s real estate customer relationship management system (CRM) provides an intuitive solution for building and maintaining relationships with clients. Components include the contact database, integrated calendar and to-do lists, and report functions. Step-up, fee-based versions with many additional features are also available.

 

 

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Mid-Range Buyer

 

If you have between $150-$300 to spend, you’ll find a greater range of solutions that pack a host of functions around the core contact management database.

 

• GENERIC SOFTWARE

Outlook 2007 with Business Contact Manager

Microsoft Corp.

$149.95

 

This Outlook upgrade adds a contact management system to Outlook’s core function for managing e-mail accounts and a calendar and scheduling. With the Business Contact manager, you can build an expanded database of contact information, manage sales leads, and create, launch, and track marketing campaigns. Outlook is also offered as part of the Office Suite.

        

• REAL ESTATE SOFTWARE

ACT! for Real Estate

Sage Software

$299

 

This special version of the popular ACT! contact management system for Windows was developed specifically for the demands of real estate. It comes formatted for organizing data on buyers, sellers, and property; planning and launching communications with clients; and creating marketing materials.

 

LeadCommander

DataBasix Technologies

$299

 

Available in versions for Mac and Windows, this suite combines contact management and an integrated calendar with a lead generation and marketing system. It has a customizable database and reports, an activity planner and scheduler, and it includes a library of real estate marketing materials.

 

• WEB-BASED SOLUTIONS

The Wise Agent

The Wise Agent LLC

$24.95/month

 

At the core of this virtual office solution is a contact management database with integrated time management and scheduling features. It also includes transaction management functions, support for Web forms, and tools for creating marketing materials.

        

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High-End Buyer

 

The high-end isn’t really all that expensive, considering the return on investment these solutions can provide for managing data about clients, listings, and business relationships.

 

• GENERIC SOFTWARE

FileMaker Pro

Filemaker, Inc.

$299

 

This is a full-featured and fully customizable database building application for those who want complete control over how their real estate information is set up and organized. Despite its sophistication, the emphasis is on ease of use, with an intuitive interface and contact management record templates. It includes both Mac and Windows versions and supports cross-platform sharing of data.

 

• REAL ESTATE SOFTWARE

Agent Business Builder

PowerMate Software

$399

 

Available for Mac and Windows, this software combines contact management/CRM with a sales and marketing system. In addition to its customizable database functions, it includes a real estate activity planner, letter templates, and telemarketing scripts, and support for e-mail marketing campaigns. Network and multi-user versions are also available.

 

Real Estate Success Tracker

Real Estate Success Tools

$399 for single user

 

The core of this business-building solution is its database for organizing and managing information about clients, listings, and all activity related to each. It supports postal and e-mail marketing campaigns. It can run directly off a flash drive for easy portability from computer to computer. This system is available for Mac or PC. iPhone and multi-user versions are also available.

 

• WEB-BASED SOLUTIONS

TopProducer 8i

Top Producer Systems

$39.95/month

 

This is the core module of the company’s real estate productivity and marketing suite of Web-based applications. It provides a system for organizing information, activity and correspondence with all levels of contacts; scheduling activity; prospecting; and marketing. Modules for listing and buyer presentations and listing management are also included. Several upgrade options are available.       

    

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