There’s An App For That!
There’s An App For That! Finance Management Apps For Your Appraisal Business
Americans love their mobile devices! We use them to browse the Internet for information, text our families and friends, email our business colleagues, post statuses in social media platforms, and much more.
To put things into perspective, consider the recent data provided by Business Insider. It shows the landscape of the US smartphone market, its popularity, and usage. Let’s look at the numbers.
- There are approximately 310 million people in the United States.
- Comscore.com says 114 million used smartphones in July 2012.
- Flurry.com reports that there are at least 165 million active Android and Apple iOS devices in the U.S. and are used by 78% of the adult population.
- The vast majority of the primary smartphone market, U.S. adults between 18-54, already has smartphones. Those that do not yet have a smartphone are older Americans and those who make less than $50,000 per year.
Tablets are also popular devices, especially as gifts. Business Insider also reported that tablets were a more popular gift during Christmas 2012 than smartphones with 51% of mobile activations accounting for tablets and 49% for smartphones.
Mobile technology along with thousands and thousands of apps has helped many of us become more productive, more organized, and more efficient. Here are how mobile devices and apps can help you as an appraiser and as a small business owner be more successful.
There’s An App For That
Appraisers are using apps on their smartphones and tablets to become better appraisers. While out in the field, you can check and reply to emails, map property locations, sketch dimensions of properties, compare properties and values, and manage property photos – all directly on your mobile device. This has allowed appraisers to be more accurate with their appraisal reports and most importantly save time.
But remember, you’re not just an appraiser; you are also a small business owner. And as I always say, without careful management of your finances, your appraisal business can fail. As an appraiser you are using helpful tools and technology to improve the accuracy of your appraisals and streamline your processes to save time. Why not do the same for your business finances?
Finance Management Apps
With a variety of apps available for your device, you can download them to help create invoices, accept payments, track your spending, and organize your expense reports. Here are some finance management apps to consider for your smartphone or tablet to help you be more productive on the go and save time.
Invoicing – Cloud technology is now allowing businesses to also do “cloud accounting.” Apps called FreshBooks and Intuit’s QuickBooks Mobile are simple and intuitive invoicing apps that allow you to bill your clients on your smartphone or tablet. Instead of going to your appraisal office to do billing, these apps can help you save time while invoicing on the go.
Payments – Two mobile payment apps available to smartphones or tablets can help your appraisal business get paid fast. Mobile payment apps called Square and PayPal Here allow you to get paid on the spot. They offer free mobile card readers that you plug to your iOS or Android device, which allows you to swipe major credit cards – right there, right now! Each transaction comes with a small fee, but the ability to immediately get paid is priceless.
Track Spending – Wonder where your money goes each month? Financial management apps called Mint and inDinero can help you monitor either just your checking and savings or a dashboard of all of your accounts. You have the option of receiving your bank monthly statement, but with these apps you no longer have to wait for your statements. Get one of these apps to get a real-time snapshot of your current financial status.
Expense Reports – Tax season is here and now is the time to prepare and be organized. To eliminate all the paper clutter, file folders, and shoebox full of receipts, check out the apps called Expensify and Shoeboxed. These apps help you convert paper receipts into digital data for tax preparation, accounting, bookkeeping, and expense reporting.
You’ve worked hard to be a successful appraiser. Correction. You’ve worked hard to be a successful business owner! Download these apps and try them out. Make a goal to improve your business finances and how you manage them. With your existing appraisal tools coupled with finding the right finance management app, you can ensure that your appraisal business will be successful in 2013.
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When interviewing a home inspector, ask the inspector what type of report format he or she provides. There are many styles of reports used by property inspectors, including the checklist, computer generated using inspection programs, and the narrative style