10 essential iPad Apps for real estate professionals

It’s only been a month… but what a month.

By some estimates Apple is now selling over 200,000 iPads a week in the US. And international sales kick in at the end of this month.

People are realizing that there may in fact be a need for a device that sits between their notebook and their smart phone. For real estate professionals this is even more resonant. Who really wants to lug around a huge, heavy laptop? And who really wants to hunt and peck on a tiny screen? Tablet computers morph magically from one task to another and, in nearly every case, provide a compelling experience.

My iPad has not left my side in over 30 days. Here’s just a few reasons why – 10 iPad Apps real estate professionals (or any mobile professional, for that matter) would do well to investigate:

1. Things ($19.99)

Things for iPad

Spendy, yes. Invaluable? Without question. If you’re already using the desktop app or iPhone app, Things for iPad is a must have. It is an incredibly powerful task manager that helps keep your day on track. I keep it running next to my laptop all day as I check off my completed to-dos. Over-the-air background syncing between Things installs is the one missing piece to this puzzle however.

2. Gmail (Free)

Gmail is not a native iPad app but rather an incredibly slick web app. It provides darn near everything you need if you’re a Gmail acolyte. Labels and archiving – wrapped in a snappy interface – can help you get to Inbox Zero while you’re out and about. This one deserves a Home Screen bookmark all of its own.

3. Pulse News Reader ($3.99)

Pulse for iPad

Pulse creates a visual mosaic of all your news sources. Scrolling both horizontally and vertically its a beautiful way to scan your morning headlines. Tap a link to get the full story. Right now the app requires manually importing your feeds, which is limited to 50 sources – but the developer is promising full integration with Google Reader in the future. I can’t wait.

4. WordPress (Free)

Wordpress for iPad

Ah-mazing. The WordPress app is clean, no-nonsense and intuitive. You can moderate comments and create or edit posts and pages on your WordPress blog straight from your iPad. Blogging has never been easier.

5. Sociable ($4.99)

Sociable for iPad

Get all your favorite social networks in a single app. Twitter and Facebook are mainly what I use this for, but you can also add Flickr, Reddit and Digg accounts as well. I love that I can keep my social streams separate while keeping business (Twitter) and personal (Facebook) together in a single glance-able app.

6. Beejive IM for iPad ($5.99)

BeeJive IM for iPad

BeejiveIM rocked on the iPhone and the new design for the iPad makes it feel even better – like there’s more room to breathe. You can add a slew of IM accounts – AIM/MobileMe, MSN/Windows Live, Yahoo!, GoogleTalk, Facebook, MySpace, ICQ and Jabber – and yet manage them all in a single interface. Push alerts tell you when you colleagues come online or when you get a new message.

7. Penultimate ($2.99)

Penultimate for iPad

The virtual keyboard on the iPad was surprisingly easy to get used to. But sometimes you just want to scribble something down when you’re out in the field. Enter Penultimate – a virtual notebook that allows you to jot down your thoughts using just your finger. Couple this app with a Pogo pen and you have a winner.

8. Analytics HD ($6.99)

Analytics HD for iPad

Analytics HD hooks into your Google Analytics account so you can quickly fire it up and check your website’s traffic. Also it’s great for meeting with clients if you want to show them how their listing pages are are doing online.

9. Memeo Connect Reader (Free)

Memeo Connect Reader for iPad

We’re huge Google Docs users here at 1000WATT and think real estate pros should get on board too. Memeo Connect Reader automatically syncs with your Google Docs account so that you can view all your Google Docs files in the cloud. The one bummer here is that the app is read only – so you’re unable to edit or create new docs – but this seems to be a limitation with Google itself and not the app. Still, it’s great for reviewing docs or pulling up a presentation when you’re away from your desk.

10. Keynote ($9.99)

Keynote for iPad

Apple calls Keynote “the most powerful presentation app ever designed for a mobile device”. It’s hard to disagree. This app is a must for anyone who sits down with clients on a regular basis (like real estate pros!). Running a presentation is dead simple. And the transitions and animations will knock their socks off.