Chrome OS for Real Estate

Hello all, It's been a little while since I made a post on here. I just wanted to touch upon a few things: 1) HP is holding a virtual Chromebook event! I will be viewing that presentation myself and will be writing a post about what they have to say and how the products they are going to unveil will help real estate professionals. If you want to see it as well, it's a public event, and you should go to  Chrome Unboxed  for more information. The event is May 5th at 1 PM Eastern Time. 2) Office 365 is now Microsoft 365. Other than a name change, I am wondering how that is going to go into effect on Chrome OS devices. Once I know, you will know. 3) Google's Hangout branding is dead as they are going to take the old Hangouts products such as Meet and roll them into G-Suite. I think this is a great idea and can really help us real estate professionals who already use G-Suite! That's all I got for now. Stay safe and more importantly, if you can, stay home! Until n...

Hello All! Let's talk about some basic hardware requirements needed to successfully run your real estate business on Chrome OS. Minimum Requirements: Intel Celeron/AMD A4 Processor, 4GB RAM, 64 GB Hard Drive (I say 64 GB because we take our fair share of pictures, though with using SD/Micro SD Cards, 32 GB is doable), USB Port(s), SD/MicroSD Card Reader, HD Screen Resolution. I think these requirements would work for the vast majority of people in real estate who use Chrome OS. Since most of our contract work is all online in web applications and use e-signatures, they don't really require any hard drive space. If you need file storage, you can always use an external hard drive or a flash drive. The reason why these specs may seem low to some is because they do not realize how lightweight of an operating system Chrome OS is. My Chromebook has similar specs to this (though the processor is made by Mediatek, but it's similar to an Intel Celeron or AMD A4 processor) an...

Hello All, One thing Realtors and Brokers have to consistently do is train and earn CEUs (Continuing Education Units). The cool thing is that this can all be done completely online and since every online learning platform for Real Estate that I have encountered is completely web-based, that means you can do it on Chrome OS! A couple great places to get real estate training done online are: The CE Shop NAR Online Learning Center I am aware that there are other sites out there; I just personally have not used them yet so I am not going to recommend a site that I have not personally used yet. Another thing I might add is that we should not just be focused on what is just required in terms of CEUs, we should also be constantly learning about different types of technology and how they may help (or in some cases not help) how we conduct business in the Real Estate industry. Usually I have a little more to say than this, but with the current pandemic situation things have been a ...

Hello All, Let's talk about some new and upcoming Chrome OS devices! The future is bright for Chrome OS hardware. Asus Chromebook Flip C436: This is the new flagship 2-in-1 Chromebook Model from Asus. Starting at $799, this Chromebook offers all the necessities and then some for a Real Estate Professional (or well anyone for that matter). It has a 10th Gen Core i3 processor, 8 GB of RAM, and 128 GB hard drive to start (more expensive price points have different specs, this is the $799 model). It has USB ports, a Micro SD card reader (which is huge for those of us who do BPOs and other photo related activities), and a 14" Full HD display, which is more than enough to get work done. Price point might be a little high for many real estate professionals and the tech specs are definitely overkill for the vast majority of real estate professionals in terms of Chrome OS (these would be mandatory on certain operating systems), but on paper this delivers all the goods. Samsung Ga...

Hello All! It's time to talk about apps on Chrome OS and which apps are the best ones for Real Estate Professionals! The best apart about this is that the same apps that are available in the Google Play Store for your Android phones are also available to use on devices that run on Chrome OS such as Chromebooks (laptops), Chromeboxes (desktops), and Chromebases (all-in-one desktops).  Microsoft Office: Yes, all your favorite Microsoft Office applications work on Chrome OS. Word, Excel, Powerpoint, One Drive, and Outlook all have apps that are easy to use on Chrome OS. All you have to do is download them, log into your Microsoft Account, and you are all ready to go! Microsoft did a great job in making these apps functional. Google Apps: Docs, Slides, Sheets, Gmail, and Google Drive work seamlessly on Chrome OS. For those out there who prefer Google's applications to Microsoft's, Google's applications come pre-installed on Chrome OS computers ready for you to go...

Hello, let me do some FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) on Chrome OS here: Q: So, What Is Chrome OS? A: Chrome OS is an operating system by Google that is based on Linux. Q: What types of devices does Chrome OS come on? A: Chrome OS can come in the form of a Chromebook (Laptop), Chromebase (All-In-One), Chromebox (Desktop) or a tablet. These devices are made by leading computer manufacturers such as HP, Asus, Lenovo, Acer, Samsung, and Dell. This entry for example is being made on a Chromebase made by Acer. Q: What types of programs and applications can be run on Chrome OS? A: Any web-based application can be run on Chrome OS such as Zoom, DocuSign, Transaction Desk, MLS Software, Realist, RPR, etc... You can also run any Android App on Chrome OS through the Google Play Store including Microsoft Office Apps like Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook, and One Drive. Q: Why would I recommend Chrome OS for Real Estate Professionals? A: There are quite a few reasons. First is th...

Hello All! Welcome to my new Chrome OS For Real Estate blog. I've been posting about Chrome OS for Real Estate on my professional Facebook page (link will be below) but now I have decided to turn it into a full-fledged blog! Seminars are still coming but have been delayed (well not scheduled at all) because of the current situation with COVID-19. I am going to use this blog to discuss how Chrome OS is a great option for Real Estate Professionals like myself in a world dominated by Windows. I look forward to being able to educate you all on Chrome OS, why I personally use it for my Real Estate business, and why I think you should do the same as a real estate professional. As far as COVID-19 goes, please follow all safety precautions made by the CDC and related local authorities. May everyone stay healthy and safe during this difficult time. May we be back to normal sooner rather than later and may we be stronger than we were before this situation. Thanks for reading! I look fo...