About Hooquest
Why Hooquest?
I’m a member of all the great real estate agent Facebook groups, forums, and in an agent circle myself. I see question after question about the best CRM, the best website, the best, the best, the best! I thought to make a site reviewing the top products and services in our profession for the benefit of agents.
Coupled with my product reviews are my articles, in which I talk about my own real estate tech experiences, advice for new agents, what to spend money on, what not to spend money on, how-to articles, and sometimes whatever is on my mind about real estate.
About Brian
I am a licensed Texas real estate agent who has spent most of my time as an agent working with either investors or military families. I have been licensed since 2013.
A West Point graduate, I bought a home every time I PCSed or deployed while in the Army, and enjoyed my experience with real estate. I left the Army and became a full-time Realtor with StarPointe Realty, an independent brokerage in Killeen, TX!
I’m a bit unusual for a Realtor in that I am a high C on the DISC scale – very analytical! Maybe too much so. But hopefully my analytical personality can help other agents find the solutions they are looking for in their own business, as well as avoid the solutions that will be both time and money wasters.
In April of 2019, I took a role with Zillow Offers pricing homes. In 2021, Zillow shuttered its iBuyer. I wrote a little about how that came about. Zillow was an amazing experience for me and I thoroughly enjoyed my team and time there.
Not done with iBuyers, yet, I spent a short stint with Offerpad before landing with Hudson Homes, an institutional landlord. I price and market their single-family rentals. Pricing is my passion, and I am incredibly lucky to be doing something I enjoy.
Nothing I share here is endorsed by Hudson Homes nor should reflect on them. This is just my side hobby.
I have a British wife whose only familiarity with Texas prior to meeting me was via the film “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”, four young daughters who love dressing up and Britney Spears, and a son. The Cowboys are America’s Team, I’m a history buff, and I love a good-spirited political debate, which is best had with someone who disagrees with me! (but no politics at work!)
How I Support the Site
I began this site as a hobby and passion project, writing about real estate software and best practices based on my real-world experiences as well as research.
Some of the products I talk about on Hooquest include affiliate or referral programs in which I might participate.
My goal for Hooquest is to include all the products in the residential real estate sphere. I generally focus on the most popular and widely used products first. I hope I give each a fair shake. I believe there is no perfect product for every situation. It’s all about finding the right tools that fit your need and avoiding the tools that don’t.
I also have a network of real estate professionals that I speak with and trust like SEO experts, website designers, virtual assistant companies, and software developers, and will often include their expert opinions on products’ strengths and weaknesses.
Many of the products and services on my site earn me nothing, and I include them simply because I think they are good products worthy of your consideration!
Personal Investments
I also sometimes invest in the companies or products I might talk about here. Currently, the only real estate-related investments I have other than some single-family rentals are stock or options in Fannie Mae ($FNMAS). I do not recommend for or against any security.
The Products I Personally Use
[full_width]
I am a Realtor, and therefore I use some of these products! Just because this is what I use doesn’t mean it is the right solution for you, so read up on my product reviews to help determine what is best for you!
[/full_width]
Website
Below are the WordPress tools, hosts, paid plugins, stock photos, tracking, and everything I pay for to maximize my site.
- Bluehost (Hooquest) and WPEngine (Hood Homes Blog)
- Gravity Forms
- Yoast SEO Pro
- GoDaddy
- iStock
- Adobe Photoshop
- Formilla Chat
- SEM Rush
- IDX Broker
- Agent Evolution
Real Estate Tools
Below are the CRMs, TMSs, and other real estate specific tools I personally use in my real estate business. I am currently a single agent, not a team or brokerage, and, of course, might recommend different solutions for agents in different situations.
- Realvolve
- DocuSign
- Adobe Acrobat
- RealtyZam
- QuickBooks
- DropBox
- Zapier (because I use Realvolve)
- Google Workplace (formerly G Suite)
Contact Me!
If you have questions about this site, reviews, articles, you can contact me at [email protected] or text me at (512) 763-7912.