Between home showings, client meetings and community involvement, today's agents are always on the go. But now that you're spending less time at your desk, you need tools that will help you get more done when you're out in the field. Enter the app brigade, an army of smartphone applications that will boost your efficiency wherever you are, whenever you choose to use them.

With something like 1,000,000 iOS and Android apps available, you could spend all day researching which ones to download. Or you could just spend a few minutes consulting our handy list below. (See? Reading the Point2 blog increases your efficiency, too!)

9 Essential Apps for Real Estate Agents

Sorted by function with suggestions for iPhone/iPad and Android users

Business Card Scanner

You're meeting, you're greeting, you're collecting business cards and contact information. But are you really keeping track of all those tiny papers? We've got a better idea – scan 'em! These apps turn your phone into a multipage scanner that allows you to scan, organize and email anything you don't want to carry around.

• iOS: TurboScan ($1.99)
• Android: CamScanner ($4.99 or try the free ad-supported version)

Virtual Tours

Well, kinda. This app lets you take panoramic shots of any room in the house, then save or share the images. You can send a flat image or an interactive 360 degree view without leaving the app. It's like your camera on steroids!

• iOS: 360 Panorama ($0.99)
• Android: 360 Panorama (Free)

Floor Plans

Use these apps to create floor plans to send to publish on your site or send to remote buyers on the fly. MagicPlan (for iOS only) measures your rooms and draws your floor plan simply by taking pictures.

• iOS: MagicPlan (Free)
• Android: ROOM+ ($3.99)

Property Info

What school goes with that house? What are prices like in this neighborhood? How much are taxes on this home? ALL of these questions can be answered with the click of your camera. Use HomeSnap to take a picture of almost any US home to find out all about it.

• iOS: HomeSnap (Free)
• Android: Coming soon

Signatures

You know how it goes in real estate: someone always needs another signature. Make the process easier on your buyers and sellers by downloading DocuSign Ink – a secure app that allows you to sign documents and get signatures electronically, eliminating the need for complicated scheduling and stacks of papers.

• iOS: DocuSign Ink (Free)
• Android: DocuSign Ink (Free)

To-do Lists

Stop the sticky note madness and manage your day the high tech way with Evernote. Create, edit and sync to-do lists across all of your computers and devices for one master, super list that will supercharge your productivity. You can also take notes, store photos and record voice reminders.

• iOS: Evernote (Free)
• Android: Evernote (Free)

Measurements

We all know how crucial measurements are to real estate. In fact, many of you probably keep a tape measure in your car. RulerPhone (iOS) lets you measure anything, simply by taking a picture. My Measures (Android) let's you add dimensions, angles and text to a photo that you can store and/or share with buyers, contractors, anyone really.

• iOS: RulerPhone ($3.99)
• Android: My Measures ($4.99)

Paint

ColorSnap is a magical paint color picker. If you see a color in another home, in a photo or even on a flower outside that would make a great wall color, snap a quick photo and ColorSnap will find you a match. It will also help you find complementary colors. Create and save color palettes. This is a great app to share with your buyers.

• iOS: ColorSnap (Free)
• Android: ColorSnap (Free)

Glossary

When all else fails, consult your phone, right? These handy real estate glossaries will keep you on top of your game with easy to understand descriptions of industry specific terms. Another good one to share with your clients!

• iOS: Real Estate! ($1.99)
• Android: Glossary of Real Estate Terms (Free)

And, of course, ShowHome makes this a top 10 list! So what do you think? Have you tried any of these? Did we miss anything?

To view the original article, visit the Point2 blog.