Help with Outlook as a Database

After having trouble with Outlook, I had to create a free gmail account. Create folders for buyers, etc. You can also have that account forward to outlook, so you will be alerted to incoming e-mail.

Hi Dave,

I use ACT! by Sage Premium for Real Estate. If you google it you will find the software. I can create multiple databases and the Real Estate version starts off with datapoints like product type, price low/high/etc. So less customization needed.

You can also customize the contact fileds to capture specific questions based on your investment strategy.

What I like best is that you can create groups and track last conversations/history. I might be old school but I still think it's about the relationships.

I have databases set up for Single Family business and multifamily business.

You can export the data to .csv and upload into a broadcast/contact manager for mailings/emails.

Hope this helps...

@patrickantrim

Thanks Patrick

Several years ago,I used a program called REA, which I believe is similar to ACT. I have lately been trying to use Outlook, since now Outlook 7 allows you to set up categories and such. Im wondering if this will be good enough, or if it is worth me making the extra expense to pourchase a real estate-based database program. I guess I will have to see how I get along with Outlook. Thansk for your reply!

Dave

Thanks Kathy!

If you're just looking to keep track of contact info, you can use either a spreadsheet or an actual database.

With a spreadsheet you can use the same layout/fields (name, phone #, etc) and use a different sheet for different types of contacts. A sheet for buyers, sellers, team members, etc.

With a database you could put everybody into one big database, have a field that delineates their relationship (I use C0010 for 1st cash buyer, B0020 for second retail buyer, T0100 for team member number 10, you get the idea). Then you can run and save separate queries for each class of contact: cash buyer, seller, etc. Once you've saved the separate queries, they are updated as you enter new info into the main database.

I also like to have fields "1st contact" and "next contact". That way I know when I originally first talked to that person and next contact will remind me when I'll need to contact them by for follow-ups, quotes, etc.

I don't use Outlook myself so I can't give you any personal tips there.

Hope these tips give others new ideas to work with.

Mediocre for e-mail and organizing e-mail contacts. Worthless for anything else. I like Microsoft Access because I know how to program databases. It's easy for what you'd need it for, and there's guides and "wizards" to help you through it. A spreadsheet is easier, but has limits that may turn you off to it - Microsoft Excel or Lotus 1-2-3 are pretty good.

What's far better is to use specifically-designed software to track and organize them. Most REI websites have this, but downloader beware... A majority of the free ones are worthless or have tons of ads and add-ons. The ones you have to pay for? Could range in price from $50 to over $10K depending on which "guru" swears up and down you'll fail without it.

Check with multiple search engines, like Yahoo!, Google, and Bing. If anything pops up in the top 10 of ALL 3 engines, check them out. Also look at download dot com. There's ALOT more chaff than wheat out there when it comes to this type of software, but you should be able to find something that will suit your needs in under 30 minutes of honest-to-goodness looking. Best of luck to you...