What Should You Buy?

 “What should I buy?” is one of the most frequently asked questions I get while I’m teaching.  Here is a list of recommendations for the well-equipped agent.

Hardware Recommendations

• Notebook computer – Dell Inspiron 600 M – optimized for home office, 1 GB of memory, Microsoft Office Small Business
• Printer – HP 3550n gives you a fast and affordable color laser printer that is networkable so the whole team can it.  If you don’t need that feature, you can save $200 by getting the HP 3550.  
• Digital tape measure – Laser Dimension Master – this is by far the best one that I’ve used and it sells for $39.95.
• Digital camera –
  • Kodak Easy Share DX 7440 with wide angle adapter lens
  • Olympus #C-7070 Wide Zoom – this full-featured camera has an 35 mm equivalent 27 mm to1.5 mm lens which in my opinion is the most important feature for an agent to shoot rooms.

• 1 GB USB flash drive – these are very convenient ways for you transfer files between computers or even carry back-ups of important presentations or other files you need.
• USB memory reader for digital camera – this will allow you to take your pictures directly from the camera to the computer.
• Phone/PDA combination with Windows Mobile PC – imagine the convenience of having your calendar, database, To Do list, and notes on your telephone that syncs with Outlook on your computer.
  • Motorola MPx 220
  • Audiovox SMT 5600
  • Orange SPV C500
  • HP iPAQ h6315
  • More
• Auto charger for your cell phone
• Two extra 110 volt charger for cell phone; keep one on your desk and the other in your bathroom at home
• Bluetooth headset for phone – while there are a lot of different models on the market, the Motorola HS810 is the most comfortable that I’ve tried.  Nothing fits inside the ear and it is extremely lightweight so it can be comfortably worn over long periods of time.

Software Recommendations

• Microsoft Office 2003 – There are several versions and you’ll want Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Outlook.  You probably don’t need Access so save some money and don’t buy the Professional version.
• Marketing Library Collection including Marketing Library, Respond, Companions, and Making It Make Sense for Microsoft Office.  Click here to buy at special seminar prices.
• Digital Image Suite 10 – This is a superior, easy-to-use photo editing product that includes filters water color, pencil, stitching, and all of the standard corrections.  Microsoft has several versions and this is the specific one I recommend.
• Microsoft Photo Story 3 – FREE - “Share all your special occasions and everyday life moments with family and friends in a whole new way. With Photo Story 3 for Windows, your digital photos will come to life with motion, music, voice narration, and more. (Download requires Windows Genuine Advantage validation.)”
• Ulead Cool 360 – “Ulead® COOL 360™ is photo panorama software that combines ease-of-use, power and flexibility to allow even novice digital imaging enthusiasts to move beyond traditional photos into immersive imaging.  My recommendation is that if your photo-editing software doesn’t stitch pictures, this is an easy one to use.  I don’t recommend the entire Photo Impact Suite.
• SnagIt – This is the most convenient and useful screen capture tool I’ve ever used.  SnagIt allows you to copy any selected item to the clipboard or save it, which allows you to use it elsewhere.  You can take a picture of a home off the web and drop it on an e-mail message.  It has been around for years in several versions and will even install a toolbar onto Internet Explorer and each Microsoft Office product. 
• Adobe Acrobat 5.0 – “lets you easily convert any document to an Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) file. Anyone with the free Adobe Acrobat Reader™ software can open your Adobe PDF file across a broad range of hardware and software, and it will look and print exactly as intended.”
• Microsoft Windows Media Player 10 – “Windows Media Player 10 is the all-in-one media player that provides the best experience for discovering, playing and taking your digital entertainment anywhere--on Windows XP PCs and the widest choice of portable devices.”
• Microsoft PowerToy Image Resizer – Power Toys are features that were considered for Windows but not included.  Microsoft allows you to download them.  This particular one is a “must” for REALTORS®.
• Norton AntiVirus 2005 – “Symantec's Norton AntiVirus™ 2005 is the world's most trusted antivirus solution.** It removes viruses, worms, and Trojan horses automatically without interrupting your work. New Norton™ Internet Worm Protection blocks certain more sophisticated worms (such as Blaster and Sasser) before they enter your computer. Norton AntiVirus can also detect spyware and other non-virus threats.”
• Microsoft AntiSpyware Beta – “Windows AntiSpyware (Beta) helps protect Windows users from spyware and other potentially unwanted software. Known spyware on your PC can be detected and removed.”

The Microsoft Download Center is a convenient place for you to verify that you are using the latest versions of Microsoft products.

• Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack –
• Microsoft Office 2003 – “Office 2003 Service Pack 1 contains significant security enhancements, in addition to stability and performance improvements. Service Pack 1 (SP1) also includes many performance and feature enhancements to Microsoft Office InfoPath 2003.”