As a real estate professional, you may not have the luxury of spending your day working peacefully on your computer. Meeting with clients, juggling showings, staging homes, and even using your car as your portable office between showings and client meetings is all in a day’s work. A schedule like this requires technology that can not only keep up, but that’s specially designed for use on-the-go.
Type of computer
Your day-to-day tasks truly dictate the type of technology you need to run your business successfully. Lenovo takes all of this into consideration when engineering and designing devices for every user. The following form factors provide insight to what device could be the best fit for you.
- Laptop – Laptops offer the same portability as a tablet, but with advantages like a physical keyboard and more complex processing capabilities to run specialized programs. Laptop computers are also available at various price points to fit any budget – from affordable entry-level PCs like Chromebook, starting in the hundred-dollar range, to premium Ultrabooks around $2,000. Ultrabooks are faster, sleeker, and lighter than your typical laptop, making it a solid contender if you need the lightweight portability of a tablet, with the full processing power of a laptop.
- 2-in-1 laptop – A 2-in-1 laptop (sometimes called a convertible laptop) is a laptop-tablet combination – and it can offer the best of both worlds. It’s versatile and can be used in various modes, including laptop, tablet, tent, and stand mode. This can make things easier when reviewing a contract with the client, watching a video tour, or looking up a listing. A 2-in-1 laptop typically has touchscreen displays with stylus pen functionality, which is great if you like to take quick notes. If you’re constantly pulling out your laptop at client meetings and sharing what’s on your screen, this is a great option.
- Tablet – Some real estate professionals find tablets to be versatile, easier to manage, and extremely useful in the field for anything from pulling up a listing on the web to showing a client a home’s floor plan. This makes a tablet a valid option for your new technology device. However, some find that their smartphones often get more usage, and they pull out their tablet for tasks that require a larger screen. Tablets are great if you’re used to this style of device, but tech advancements have come a long way in creating laptops that are just as slim and portable as a traditional tablet.
What to look for
For any real estate professional, there are 3 areas to consider when deciding on a new computer:
Portability
Whether a tablet, laptop, or 2-in-1 laptop, it’s important to find something that accommodates your day-to-day activities. Do you carry a backpack or purse with you from meeting to meeting? A lightweight or 2-in-1 laptop can slip right into your bag to take with you wherever you go. Do you keep things minimal and don’t like to lug around extra things? A tablet is more compact and can be more affordable than a PC. Don’t forget: battery life is a big factor when determining portability. Anything less than 5-6 hours per charge will only hold you back.
We also consider durability and portability when a PC is transported especially the wear-and-tear. Lenovo’s patented Mil-SPEC testing ensures the rugged-ability of your laptop throughout your busy day.
Performance
We can’t forget what’s inside. The CPU (processor), RAM (amount of memory and storage space), and internal parts determine your PC’s performance. At least 32GB RAM and Intel i7 Core processor is recommended if you’re looking to do anything more than simple file viewing or word processing. Most quality technologies can be purchased with upgradable options, even if these requirements are not standard on the model you’re eyeing. Sifting through the tech specs can quickly become cumbersome but there are some basic specifications to use as a guideline:
- Powerful Intel core processor options depending on your level of use.
- Opt up to 1 TB RAM of memory, or 32 GB at an absolute minimum.
- A solid state drive (SSD) is typically preferred over a traditional, spinning hard drive. A 256 GB SSD is the lowest you should go.
Design
While the internal components are important (i.e. hard drive, storage), you also don’t want to pull out a laptop that’s clunky and beat up in front of a potential client. Look for a device that is thoughtfully designed and that reflects your professionalism. There’s also more to a laptop’s design than how professional it looks. You also need to keep an eye out for a device with ergonomic features, such as a full-sized keyboard with number pad, a TrackPoint (that little red round spot found on most Lenovo ThinkPad laptops), or a blue light reduction mode for long periods of screen time.
Lenovo has some of the best computers for real estate professionals
Here are some of the laptops, 2 in 1 laptops and tablets for a busy real estate professional like yourself.
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Laptop
The ThinkPad X1 Carbon is the flagship laptop in the premium ThinkPad X1 line-up. Named “the best business laptop” by LaptopMag.com, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon is the definition of an Ultrabook. Ultra-slim, ultra-portable, and ultra-sleek, it easily checks out in all of the main laptop buying criteria. Weighing less than 2.5lbs, and with a battery life of 15 hours, this 10th generation PC is a sure choice for any role in real estate.
ThinkPad X1 Yoga 2-in-1 laptop:
With so much emphasis on Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 series, it’s an easy guess that the ThinkPad X1 Yoga would be one of the best 2-in-1 laptops out there. We have another favorite to share: the innovative ThinkPad X1 Yoga. This 2-in-1 computer boasts industry firsts, such as a new sound bar design for optimal audio quality. Similar to the X1 family, the ThinkPad X1 Yoga is also extremely lightweight, sleek, and powerful. It features a garaged pen – meaning there’s a built-in place to store your stylus pen – which has 4,096 points of pressure sensitivity for a true pen-on-paper feel. This razor-thin 2-in-1 can easily move with you throughout your busy day from showing to close.
Best tablet: Lenovo Tab 4
Depending on your price range, we have two favorite tablets: the higher-end Tablet and the affordable Tab 4. Part of the SmartTablet family, the is held to the same high standards as the laptop. The difference? The Tablet provides the benefits of a tablet form factor. It also includes a full-sized detachable keyboard, which helps alleviate the frustrating task of typing long documents on a tablet. At over $1,000, the X1 Tablet may be more than you’re willing to shell out for a tablet.
For a more affordable tablet, our next pick is the (add the name of the product and hyperlink). With options starting in the $100 range, this tablet is both professional and family-friendly – great if you plan on using your tablet beyond the 9 to 5 duties.
There’s no doubt the importance of having the right technology is key to successful real estate career. Lenovo provides everyday exclusive discounts on its entire product line to members of the National Association of REALTORS® through the REALTOR Benefits® Program.
Weekly, monthly, and seasonal promotions are available to members at www.lenovo.com/nar. Log in with your Member ID and last name.Forgot your Member ID#? Check your REALTOR Magazine label or look it up. Need additional assistance, our sales specialist is here to help, contact us at 800-426-7235.
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