Netbooks For Real Estate 10
You will inevitably encounter a moment in your real estate career when you wish you had access to the internet and all your office documents but found you were conveniently void of all mobile internet devices.
You may be sitting in the middle of a closing, or showing a gorgeous 3-2-2 your clients are falling head over heels for. Sure; you could have your clients squint at a 3 inch cell phone screen, or perhaps take a 30 minute trip back to your office and make them late for dinner. Is there anything out there to help with this inconvenience?
I’d like to introduce you to an affordable mini-laptop: the Netbook. Netbooks were a big hit this year at the Consumer Electonics Show, and they may very well be the next tech purchase for your real estate business.
What Is A Netbook?
A Netbook is basically a miniature laptop. They’ve become popular because they’re remarkably affordable. A decent Netbook won’t run you over $400 online, but name brands can run a bit more expensive (Sony, for example).
The screen sizes are smaller, and max out at 10″ diagonally. I’ve personally used a 10″ netbook and have been pleasantly surprised at the amount of screen real estate you get for the price.
Weight is also a common issue with laptops. The nice 17″ laptop you love to sit on your desk probably weights a good 7 – 8lbs. Sure you can lug that big boy around, but realize that a Netbook only weighs a measly 2-3 lbs! These babies are small on purpose, and bode well when tucked away into a suitcase or handbag.
As it stands, most Netbooks come with Windows XP Home edition, but I’ve been hearing reports that the next version of Windows (after Vista), named Windows 7, plays very nicely with Netbooks so you will have the option to upgrade the operating system in the future.
The investment is small, and the mobility you achieve is pretty large. I’ve created a list of the best Netbooks from my favorite online retailer, Newegg.com, below. My recommendation at this time is the white or black ASUS Eee PC EPC1000HA (10″ screen, 1GB of RAM, and 160GB hard drive).
Newegg Netbooks Sorted by Rating
Do you own a Netbook? What do you like/dislike about them?
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You can find Netbooks for sale both online and in stores (just checked Best Buy). Though, I think you’ll find better prices online (with Newegg for example).
I’ve never heard about Netbook before.. sounds interesting though. I will check this out.
Notebook is a small laptop and it is avilable at computer store as well online also. Choice is yours from where you want to buy.
yea note book is an important tool for not only real estate to save data, and keep all the related information you need.its easier to show pictures/presentation when its needed.
Great Post. Thank you very much
That is kinda cool! and very handy. Nice post!
Netbook sounds new to me… but sounds interesting. I will check it out.
A netbook looks like a very useful tool to have around when out of the the office. A simple solution for time management as well…meeting clients on location, can make it difficult without all the tools available on hand, and driving back to the office can be cumbersome. Most clients expect you to be well prepared, and the netbook can help with this. Thanks for a great tech tip!
I bought a netbook for an overseas tripI took back in December. My Acer Aspire One AOA-150 (8.9″ screen), was a little hard to use because of the small screen, but was incredibly portable. I was able to keep in touch with my office, even making free voice connections via Yahoo Messenger.
The Aspire one line now includes 10″ and 11.6″ models that weren’t available last year. My only complaint with netbooks is that they typically come with 802.11b/g WLAN cards, and not the new, and longer range, 802.11n versions. I will be upgrading my Aspire one with more memory and a new wireless card soon, and I may add 3G cellular broadband internet as well. That combination makes these little PC’s great for accessing the MLS wherever you are showing homes.
I bought a netbook for an overseas trip to Eastern Asia, I took back in December. My Acer Aspire One AOA-150 (8.9″ screen), was a little hard to use because of the small screen, but was incredibly portable. It fit in my camera bag, along with my HD camcorder and digital camera. Making use of free WiFi, I was able to keep in touch with my office and family, even making free voice connections via Yahoo Messenger from half-way around the world. This saved me a lot of money compared to using my cell phone.
The Acer Aspire One line now includes 10″ and 11.6″ models that weren’t available last year. My only complaint with netbooks is that they typically come with 802.11b/g WLAN cards, and not the newer, faster, and longer range, 802.11n versions.
I will be upgrading my Acer Aspire One with more memory and a new wireless card soon, and I may add 3G cellular broadband internet (WWAN) as well. That combination makes these little PC’s great for accessing the MLS wherever you are showing homes.