Victoria's Tech Tips

App Du Jour ~ GPS Drive by MotionX for iPhone & iPad

Victoria Linton — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 18:58:46 +0000

A couple years ago I started working in a new sales territory. The first order of business was locating the various offices of my clients. Not having navigation in my car, I found the “Maps” app on my iPhone a lifesaver.

Last fall I started working closer to home. Although I’m very familiar with the location of the business offices, I still need a navigation tool to locate properties when I drive on tour with clients. Although the “Maps” app has good basic features, I longed for the advanced features on other programs. This lead to some investigating of the various devices and apps available.

After some research, I was surprised to find a very highly rated app for less then a buck. I couldn’t resist trying it out. What I found was pleasantly surprising. GPS Drive by MotionX is a very easy to use and accurate program. For just 9.99 for 6 months, I was able to add live voice guidance as well. The turn by turn directions are very helpful. I put the destination address in the program and set my phone down and it will walk me through the directions in a very easy to follow way.

If you do not have a Garmin, TomTom, or other portable device, I highly suggest you try this app out. I didn’t pay for the voice guidance at first because it came with a trial. This means you can try this app out for only .99 to see if it’s the right solution for you. The only catch is it is only available for the iPhone and iPad at this time.

If you have a similar app for your Droid or Windows phone, please leave a comment and let us know. Please do not hesitate to let me know if you have any questions, or would like more information.

Victoria Linton is a Business Development Specialist with Ticor Title in Salem and specializes in helping Mid Valley Real Estate Agents and Loan Officers integrate technology into their business and marketing plans.
Victoria Linton, Business Development Specialist
Ticor Title – Salem, Oregon
Email: Victoria.Linton@TicorTitle.com
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The posts on this site are my own and don’t necessarily represent FNF’s positions, strategies or opinions. The ideas expressed in my posts are my opinions and are not meant as a substitute for advice from attorneys, tax preparers, real estate agents, lenders or other professionals. Always confirm information and seek advice from qualified professionals.

Facebook Tip ~ How NOT To Look For Love On Facebook

Victoria Linton — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 21:00:07 +0000

Ok, I admit it. I was on Facebook the other day and I let my guard down and clicked on an app I shouldn’t have. I shouldn’t feel ashamed, many of us have done this, right? The next thing I know, I’m not really seeing what I expected, and the app is trying to spam all my friends!

I clicked on what I *thought* was a photo sharing app, but in reality I think it was a spammy dating app. Just to clear things up: I am not looking for love on Facebook. Not that there is anything wrong with that when others do, but I was a little worried about what it was actually sending to people! (You can imaging my initial panic, but luckily it all blew over pretty quickly and no real harm was done.)

So now what? The first thing I recommend you do if an app starts to misbehave, is change your Facebook password. This will prevent most apps from sending out more messages you didn’t authorize.

I also recommend that you go to your account settings and check your list of Apps and delete any apps you are no longer using. There are many very useful apps, but hackers have created some apps, (or hacked others), that cause problems. It’s a good habit to review your currently installed Facebook apps periodically and delete the ones you don’t use just to prevent issues.

Once this is done, you might want to notify Facebook about the issue as well. This is how they request you do that: “You can report an app for abuse by clicking Report/Contact this App at the bottom of any canvas page within the app.

If you are not currently using the app but would like to report it, simply go to the app’s profile page on Facebook, and click Report App towards the bottom of the left column.

In addition, we’d recommend that you contact the developer who created the app directly so they’re aware of your report. You can report this to the developer by going to the app’s profile page and clicking Contact Developer towards the bottom of the left column, or by clicking Report/Contact this app at the bottom of any canvas page within the app.”

If you happen to have a problem with an email account, such as Yahoo sending spam to your Facebook contacts, change your email password as well. This happened to me a few days after the app incident, and I think it might be related. I also had the Yahoo Contact Importer app installed on Facebook, so I deleted that as well.

If you continue to have problems, seek professional help from a trusted computer company.

Please do not hesitate to let me know if you have any questions, or would like more information.

An App A Day For 10 Days ~ 10 Great Apps For Real Estate Professionals

Victoria Linton — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 18:25:21 +0000

Did you catch the recent series I wrote on helpful apps for real estate professionals? In case you missed it, here is a summary of the tips and the links to the information on my blog.

An App A Day For 10 Days ~ Day 1 ~ CardMunch
An App A Day For 10 Days ~ Day 2 ~ ScanLife
An App A Day For 10 Days ~ Day 3~ Gas Buddy
An App A Day For 10 Days ~ Day 4 ~ Where
An App A Day For 10 Days ~ Day 5 ~ Realtor.com
An App A Day For 10 Days ~ Day 6 ~ TicorAgent Lite
An App A Day For 10 Days ~ Day 7 ~ Evernote
An App A Day For 10 Days ~ Day 8 ~ Dropbox
An App A Day For 10 Days ~ Day 9 ~ Flipboard
An App A Day For 10 Days ~ Day 10 ~ Ticor Pocket Profile

Please do not hesitate to let me know if you have any questions, or would like more information.

An App A Day For 10 Days ~ Day 10 ~ Ticor Pocket Profile

Victoria Linton — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 14:58:53 +0000

For the real estate professional on the go, get property information right on your smart phone. Property details, tax information, schools, and more. Check out the “near me” feature to view information about listings close to you. (It works with your phones built in GPS technology.)

This program requires a smart phone or tablet and is available for Android, Blackberry, Windows, iPad and iPhone.

Why I like this app: Why not?! In an age of clients who demand instant information, this is a handy tool to have at your fingertips. Plus, this app is Free!

At Ticor, our staff is professional, friendly and knowledgeable.
Give us a try on your next escrow!

Victoria Linton is a Business Development Specialist with Ticor Title and specializes in helping Real Estate Agents and Loan Officers integrate technology into their business and marketing plans.

Victoria Linton, Business Development Specialist
Ticor Title – Covering Yamhill County & Woodburn Oregon
Email: Victoria.Linton@TicorTitle.com

Please subscribe to this Blog and ”Like” our Facebook Page for news, tips, tricks & tech:
http://www.facebook.com/TicorTitleMidValley

An App A Day For 10 Days ~ Day 9 ~ Flipboard

Victoria Linton — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 14:58:12 +0000

This app is specifically designed for the iPad. (If you don’t have one, check out Adobe Photoshop Express for a cool way to add some bling to your photos.)

Flipboard is a fast, beautiful way to flip through the news, photos, videos, and updates your friends are sharing on Facebook, Twitter, Google Reader, LinkedIn, Flickr, and Instagram. See your social media in a magazine layout that is easy to scan and fun to read. Catch up on the latest stories, videos and posts from popular publications and people. Customize your Flipboard with sections created from your favorite news, people, blogs, and topics.

Why I like this app: You can customize your Flipboard with sections created from your favorite news, people, blogs, and topics. It’s a beautifully designed layout as well. At the time this post was written, this app was Free!

At Ticor, our staff is professional, friendly and knowledgeable.
Give us a try on your next escrow!

Victoria Linton is a Business Development Specialist with Ticor Title and specializes in helping Real Estate Agents and Loan Officers integrate technology into their business and marketing plans.

Victoria Linton, Business Development Specialist
Ticor Title – Covering Yamhill County & Woodburn Oregon
Email: Victoria.Linton@TicorTitle.com

Please subscribe to this Blog and ”Like” our Facebook Page for news, tips, tricks & tech:
http://www.facebook.com/TicorTitleMidValley

An App A Day For 10 Days ~ Day 8 ~ Dropbox

Victoria Linton — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 14:58:17 +0000

Access “The Cloud”. Bring all your photos, docs and videos anywhere. After you install Dropbox on your computer, any file you save to your Dropbox will automatically save to all your computers, your smartphone and even the Dropbox website.

This program requires a computer, smart phone or tablet and is available for Android, Blackberry, Windows, iPad and iPhone.

Why I like this app: If you have ever forgot to save a file to your flash drive to work on at home or the office, this is a life saver. Some of us have smart phones, tablets and multiple computers. Just trying to remember where we saved a file can be tricky. This simplifies the process of sharing files among devices with the added benefit of backing up your files online. At the time this post was written, this app was Free!

At Ticor, our staff is professional, friendly and knowledgeable.
Give us a try on your next escrow!

Victoria Linton is a Business Development Specialist with Ticor Title and specializes in helping Real Estate Agents and Loan Officers integrate technology into their business and marketing plans.

Victoria Linton, Business Development Specialist
Ticor Title – Covering Yamhill County & Woodburn Oregon
Email: Victoria.Linton@TicorTitle.com

Please subscribe to this Blog and ”Like” our Facebook Page for news, tips, tricks & tech:
http://www.facebook.com/TicorTitleMidValley

An App A Day For 10 Days ~ Day 7 ~ Evernote

Victoria Linton — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 14:58:28 +0000

Lets you gather notes, voice memos, ideas, or snapshots on your smartphone, and it syncs them with your computer. Capture anything, save your ideas, things you like, things you hear, and things you see. Access anywhere and find things fast.
This program requires a smart phone or tablet and is available for Android, Blackberry, Windows, iPad and iPhone.

Why I like this app: With so much to remember these days, (a barrage of passwords, to-do lists, etc.) we can all use a little help. At the time this post was written, this app was Free!

At Ticor, our staff is professional, friendly and knowledgeable.
Give us a try on your next escrow!

Victoria Linton is a Business Development Specialist with Ticor Title and specializes in helping Real Estate Agents and Loan Officers integrate technology into their business and marketing plans.

Victoria Linton, Business Development Specialist
Ticor Title – Covering Yamhill County & Woodburn Oregon
Email: Victoria.Linton@TicorTitle.com

Please subscribe to this Blog and ”Like” our Facebook Page for news, tips, tricks & tech:
http://www.facebook.com/TicorTitleMidValley

An App A Day For 10 Days ~ Day 6 ~ TicorAgent Lite

Victoria Linton — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 14:58:37 +0000

TicorAgent LITE is the most powerful real estate tool on the market today. Get net sheets, quick estimates, closing costs and much more all in the palm of your hand. Check out TicorAgent Pro for even more calculations such as Rent vs. Buy, PITI ratio and more. Check out the video here for more information: TicorAgent Lite.

This program requires a smart phone or tablet and is available for Android, Blackberry, Windows, iPad and iPhone.

Why I like this app: I have been sharing this app for over 8 years and quite simply, it is my clients favorite tool. Even clients who start out skeptical, or have another way to come up with calculations, become big fans of this app. The Lite version is Free, and the Pro version is $13.50.

At Ticor, our staff is professional, friendly and knowledgeable.
Give us a try on your next escrow!

Victoria Linton is a Business Development Specialist with Ticor Title and specializes in helping Real Estate Agents and Loan Officers integrate technology into their business and marketing plans.

Victoria Linton, Business Development Specialist
Ticor Title – Covering Yamhill County & Woodburn Oregon
Email: Victoria.Linton@TicorTitle.com

Please subscribe to this Blog and ”Like” our Facebook Page for news, tips, tricks & tech:
http://www.facebook.com/TicorTitleMidValley

An App A Day For 10 Days ~ Day 5 ~ Realtor.com®

Victoria Linton — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 14:58:31 +0000

Features include: map search, saved searches and listings synchronized with the website, private ratings and notes and the ability to share listings with your friends, agent and social network. Sign in to access your saved searches and listings (automatically synchronized between the phone and your REALTOR.com® account)

This program requires a smart phone or tablet and is available for Android, iPad, iPhone and Windows 7 devices. (Similar Blackberry App – Homes For Sale)

Why I like this app: At the time this post was written, this app was Free!

At Ticor, our staff is professional, friendly and knowledgeable.
Give us a try on your next escrow!

Victoria Linton is a Business Development Specialist with Ticor Title and specializes in helping Real Estate Agents and Loan Officers integrate technology into their business and marketing plans.

Victoria Linton, Business Development Specialist
Ticor Title – Covering Yamhill County & Woodburn Oregon
Email: Victoria.Linton@TicorTitle.com

Please subscribe to this Blog and ”Like” our Facebook Page for news, tips, tricks & tech:
http://www.facebook.com/TicorTitleMidValley

An App A Day For 10 Days ~ Day 4 ~ Where

Victoria Linton — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 14:58:17 +0000

Local information including weather, news, restaurant reviews, a store locator for top brands of your choice, cheap gas, traffic updates, movie show times and trailers. It also offers the ability to connect with other people anywhere for a quick chat.

This program requires a smart phone or tablet and is available for Android, Blackberry, iPad and iPhone.

Why I like this app: If you have been reading the other posts in this series, you probably know by now that I like apps with multiple purposes. This one provides a variety of neighborhood information all in one place. At the time this post was written, this app was Free!

At Ticor, our staff is professional, friendly and knowledgeable.
Give us a try on your next escrow!

Victoria Linton is a Business Development Specialist with Ticor Title and specializes in helping Real Estate Agents and Loan Officers integrate technology into their business and marketing plans.

Victoria Linton, Business Development Specialist
Ticor Title – Covering Yamhill County & Woodburn Oregon
Email: Victoria.Linton@TicorTitle.com

Please subscribe to this Blog and ”Like” our Facebook Page for news, tips, tricks & tech:
http://www.facebook.com/TicorTitleMidValley