Desktop
iMac		The Apple-user's option for the office computer. The current model includes a massive 3 TB hard drive and 4K monitor display.	CHECK PRICE
Dell Optiplex		Dell Optiplex is a series of several well reviewed business desktops that can fit your needs and budget.	CHECK PRICE
Laptop
MacBook Air		A lightweight laptop from Apple with all the power you need for most real estate business needs.	CHECK PRICE
Dell Inspiron 17 3000		Do away with the frivolous to get just raw power in an affordable business machine.	CHECK PRICE
2-in-1
Microsoft Surface Pro 7		A favorite 2-1 option for a portable laptop that can seamlessly double as a tablet for listing presentations or open houses.	CHECK PRICE
HP Spectre x360		A well-reviewed 2-1 with impressive battery life and power that can serve as your all-purpose computer solution.	CHECK PRICE
Tablet
iPad		Apple's affordable entry level tablet that is capable of meeting most needs in a tablet device. Upgrade to the Pro if you want a quasi-2-1 solution.	CHECK PRICE
Samsung Galaxy Tab S6		As powerful as the iPad Pro, the Galaxy Tab S6 is your #1 destination if you want an Android tablet/computer combo.	CHECK PRICE
Video Editing
iMac Pro		Very expensive, but necessary if you are going to be deep into video, especially 4K video (E.g. aerial drone video!)	CHECK PRICE
Microsoft Surface Studio 2		Slightly more affordable option to the iMac Pro is the Surface Studio 2. Make sure you get the 32 GB RAM version, though.	CHECK PRICE

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Updated November 16, 2020; Originally published September 18, 2018

Best Computer for a New Agent

If you are a new agent, or looking for gifts for a new agent, I believe the best starter computer is an affordable laptop like the Inspirion that I bought. This will be powerful enough to run your business for several years while you get your feet under you, and still an affordable option.

For Apple users, their cheaper products have plenty of horsepower already. The MacBook Air is ample for a new agent.

Desktop, Laptop, 2-in-1, or Tablet?

Desktops

Desktops probably aren’t the ideal computer for a real estate agent because they are not portable.

But because their technology doesn’t have to be compact, it’s cheaper. You can get more power in a desktop for the same price that you could in a laptop.

And if you need an especially powerful computer for, say, video editing, then a desktop is probably your best choice. You might want a laptop or 2-in-1 in addition to your video-editing desktop.

Laptop

The best feature about using business laptops for real estate is that you most closely replicate the desktop experience, usually with a bigger screen than 2-in-1s or tablets, a more robust keyboard, and more ports than a convertible laptop or tablet.

2-in-1

2-in-1s are convertible laptops that can serve as either a tablet or a laptop, generally with a keyboard that can fold away and make it useful as a tablet. These can be great for turning your computer into an easy listing presentation or open house sign-in sheet.

There are a few sacrifices, however, versus the traditional laptop, like fewer USB ports.

Tablet

A major difference between tablets and the rest was the operating system. Tablets once used the same system as your phone. They were just giant smartphones. Those operating systems aren’t great for actual computer work.

Some of the newest generations of tablets often can use the computer operating systems, which solves that problem.

That said, a tablet probably isn’t going to be your ideal total solution as a businessperson.

	Desktop	Laptop	2-in-1	Tablet
Touchscreen?	NO	MAYBE	YES	YES
Ports and Docking?	LOTS	SOME	SOME	FEW
Portable?	NO	YES	YES	YES
Power Per Dollar	HIGH	MEDIUM	LOW	LOW
Weight?	HEAVY	~2.5 LBS	~2.5 LBS	~1.5 LBS
Operating System?	PC/Mac	PC/Mac	PC/Mac	PC/Mac/Android/iOS

Don’t pay for what you don’t need. If you aren’t likely to need to use your computer as a tablet, don’t bother with a 2-1. Skip the touchscreen if you don’t care much about it. These features add significantly to the cost of a computer.

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Apple or PC?

Apple and PCs are just completely different styles. You are going to be most comfortable with whatever you are the most familiar.

For example, I can’t comprehend having a mouse with only one button and no right click. The few times I’ve used Macs, I didn’t understand how to navigate at all. No doubt that learning curve can quickly be overcome, but the biggest difference is style and simple preference. There are great machines for both users.

Apple has fewer products than PCs, which means less selection, but also better support.

Also, if you are deciding one on over the other for your entire real estate technology suite, Apple has a few advantages. Real estate technology developers usually build to Apple’s and iOS specs first, and then PCs and Android.

PCs, meanwhile, are more diverse than Apple, meaning you can get more bang for your buck, or more powerful systems than Apple. But you’ll have to shop around to do it. The industry leaders in PC are always changing, whereas you know that Apple almost always builds a solid product.

The only Apple product I’ve ever bought was an iPod ten years ago. I’m just a PC guy, and I’m happy with that.

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The Unique Computer Needs of Real Estate Agents

What should you be looking for in a real estate computer that makes it different than other business professions?

Portability

You might have a desktop computer as part of your tools, but you’ll almost surely need at least one portable computer option. Be it laptop, 2-in-1, or tablet, keeping your business with you on the go is essential to agents who are always moving during their day.

The key ingredients to portability are lightweight and a long battery life. Many laptops and quality devices are getting 12+ hours of battery life, and under 2.5 lbs.

SSD Hard Drive

Related to portability is durability.

SSD (solid-state drive) is all the rage, and definitely worth it for real estate agents. SSD has a number of benefits including processing speed, but of particular concern is the hardiness. It’s quite a bit more difficult to break an SSD than the old mechanical hard drives.

Your smartphone has an SSD and, as you’ve probably experienced, is a reasonably durable contraption (the phone’s screen, however…).

RAM

Everyone wants a fast computer.

I find that, in real estate, I tend to have a lot of things going on my computer at once. As I write this, I have my email, WordPress, phone, calendar, Facebook, Photoshop, and pdfs all running on my computer. I find that even the more tabs I open in my browser, the slower my computer performs.

RAM (random access memory) can help handle the multi-tasking. 4GB RAM would be an absolute minimum in this day and age, and 8GB RAM even better. For extremely intense computer activities like 4K video editing, you probably are going to want 32GB RAM.

A dedicated graphics card can help your computer speed even more.

Touch Screen

Touch screens add a fair amount to your computer’s cost, so ditch it if you aren’t likely to use it. But it might be a big boost for many agents who want a slick touch screen listing presentation they can swipe through.

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Best Computer for Real Estate Agents

This is Apple! As always, if you are an Apple user, they make it easy. This is your desktop choice!

Apple’s iMacs now come in a larger variety of configurations, and the 27in desktop can go as high as 128 GB RAM (!!!), and 10-Core processor with 5K display if you want to just bask in Apple computing power glory.

The downside of the iMac is actually its power. You don’t necessarily need that power for a property manager or office receptionist. And you can find more power for the same price, or significantly cheaper options that can do what you need.

Dell has a highly regarded line of business PCs called the Optiplex. They have numerous different packages in different configurations, include SSD hard drives.

Their highest configurations won’t rival iMac on resolution and power, but they far surpass what most brokers would plausibly need in a business environment.

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Best Laptop for Real Estate Agents

MacBook Air or MacBook Pro?

The two are very similar, so why not go with the cheaper, lighter, and longer battery life?

The Apple MacBook Pro includes more Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports and the “Touch Bar” panel, which doesn’t seem very useful to me. So just stick with Air!

The size, power, durability, and battery make it ideal for transporting with you and quickly wielding in the field or between your home office and business office. It has a larger screen size for those who want a more usable screen space to work with (like me!).

The display is smaller than what you can get from other laptops. I like my 15″ Dell, for example.

The Inspiron 17 3000 is perhaps the best laptop for real estate agents and a model similar to my own laptop. The Inspiron series packs a lot of usable power at an affordable price. It has a good i7 processor and starts at 16GB RAM, and one of the larger screen sizes.

It has few other frills, and promises a computer that is very functional for your business, and not so much a hip device to wow your friends.

It has a sampling of all the ports you would want, but only a single USB 3.1.

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Best 2-in-1s (Laptop/Tablet Combo) for Real Estate Agents

The Surface Pro is a very affordable all-in-one option for any agent and has been a favorite for agents for a long time, now. It includes a completely detachable keyboard and USB-A and USB-C ports.

While the basic package will get you everything you need, you can easily upgrade the RAM and hard drive if you need. You don’t need more hard drive (the cloud has you covered there), but more RAM is definitely worth considering.

For a more powerful alternative to the Surface, enter HP Spectre x360. This is a family of 2-1 laptops that feature much stronger processing power in their starting package,

Their site suggests a shocking 22.5 hour battery life. But reviews seems to think this number is more modest depending on common usages (though still above average) ranging between 10-16 hours.

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Best Tablets for Real Estate Agents

Apple doesn’t have a 2-1 computer product because they believe their iPad is more than capable at serving this purpose. If your goal is really to replicate the 2-1 experience, you’ll want to spring for the larger iPad Pro with 12.9″ display.

Counterintuitively, both the iPad Mini and iPad Air are upgraded products over the basic iPad. The Mini is for those who want a more compact device. The Air is only slightly larger than the iPad at 10.5″ display, and I don’t see a lot of compelling reasons to fork out slightly more for the air over the basic iPad.

For Android users, Samsung continues to impress in the tablet category. The Galaxy Tab S6 packs a lot of punch for the price and is a worthy competitor with the iPad for the best tablet for Realtors. It’s a powerful contender or even vanquisher of Apple’s iPad.

You can get a keyboard add-on (at extra cost) that make this, like the iPad, a potential 2-in-1 solution. It also comes with a surface pen.

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Best Computer for Real Estate Graphics and Video

All the stuff above is great for your basic laptop needs, and will do everything  a normal agent could possibly need from their computer.

Except for high end creative media.

Especially in the era of drones with 4k video, normal laptops aren’t going to be able to cope with that kind of editing power. If you are into media – drone videos, Photoshop, and more, you are going to need quite a bit more power than the standard computer.

You will want 32GB of RAM in order to smoothly edit intensive files like 4K video. You might be able to get away with 16GB, especially if you know how to use proxies. But for your peace of mind, go 32GB.

The iMac Pro is the Cadillac of computers and by far the most expensive on this list at $4,999 retail (max out every feature and it comes in at a cool $13,000).

It starts at 32GB RAM, enough to edit in 4K, and can be upgraded to an astonishing 128GB RAM. The base 32 GB is enough to smoothly run Adobe Premiere Pro, Photoshop, and everything else you’ve got going on even in 4K.

If you aren’t editing in 4K, then it is probably overkill, though the device is designed to be “future-proofed” with things like 4 Thunderbolt 3 docks and you won’t need another desktop for a long, long time.

Studio’s most noticeable feature is how it is able to lay at approximately 20 degrees to the surface, acting more like an interactive drawing space rather than a computer.

The picture above looks like just a monitor. But it’s not. That is the whole computer. That tiny little base is the computer processor and hard drive. It’s an incredibly sleek and forward-thinking computer coming from Microsoft.

There are numerous configurations, but if you want to handle 4K video without the hassle of proxies, you’ll want the 32GB version (the most expensive, of course).

Resources

A great resource for the most current technology trends is Craig Grant, the “Real Estate Tech Guru” and team member with Real Estate Technology Institute (RETI).

Perhaps you’ve already seen him as he is a frequent presenter at the State and National convention. They are one of the best resources specific to our industry on the current technology and hardware.

Conclusion

Computers are only getting better and better, which is necessary to keep up with better and more powerful applications and needs like 4k video and ultra-slim mobility and durability.

I hope this was a useful starting point in your journey to find the right computer for your real estate business. If you have other computers, questions, or suggestions, please comment below!