Buyers Guide

Slick Headset

Only slightly longer than an AA battery, the Novero Lexington Bluetooth headset has brushed-steel and piano-black accents and ships with an Italian leather case. The device’s dual microphones reduce noise, making for more pleasant conversations. With a fully charged battery, the Lexington allows 20 hours of talk time. Included are car and wall chargers, car mount, USB cable, and eight ear loops. Contact Novero for cost information.
Contact Novero at www.novero.com or (678) 338-4423.

Cash-Flow Compass

Projection is a commercial real estate software program that provides cash-flow forecasting, transaction analysis, and property valuation features. The program organizes rent rolls, stores qualitative information related to asset valuation, and compares up to four years of historical data. Using various assumptions, a present-value discounting matrix runs sensitivity testing calculations to determine the value of money throughout the analysis. Projection’s reporting interface allows users to drag and drop individual windows to customize the program’s look. After a 15-day free trial, the program’s price ranges from $1,295 for one license to $3,995 for a server version, which includes three floating licenses.
Contact Influx Software at (830) 446-3589 or www.influxsoftware.com.

LoopNet on Your iPhone

Accessing LoopNet’s 745,000 listings, the company’s iPhone application gives users location-sensitive, on-the-spot commercial property information. When the iPhone’s built-in GPS is activated, the app displays nearby for-sale and for-lease properties. A custom search function also allows users to retrieve information about properties in other locations and filter by property type, price, or size. After selecting a property, users can view images, listing information, and directions. Currently only available for iPhones, the app is free.
Contact LoopNet at (888) 567-7442 or www.loopnet.com.

Portable Printing

Measuring 1 inch by 2 inches by 11 inches and weighing less than two pounds, Planon’s PrintStik PS950ME portable black-and-white printer fits neatly into glove boxes and laptop bags. The printer uses direct thermal printing, eliminating the need for bulky toner cartridges. Fully charged, the printer can print about 30 pages at three pages per minute, so it isn’t intended for multipage STDB reports, for example. It’s also compatible with USB and Bluetooth devices, including Blackberries. PrintStik’s price ranges from $199.99 for a basic unit to $349.99 for a model that includes a 12-volt car charger.
Contact Planon at (888) 507-3926 or www.planon.com.

Milking the Cash Cow

“Check’s in the mail.” That’s what Brian Patton, CCIM, wants you to hear after reading his book, Mailbox Moo-La: How Real Estate Cash Cows Put Money in Your Mailbox. Through personal anecdotes, Patton explains how you can recognize commercial real estate opportunities and successfully manage them after purchase. Commercial real estate isn’t just a matter of understanding net present value and cap rates, according to Patton. It also requires a firmness in dealing with tenants, described in Chapter 6, and other people skills. The second half of Mailbox Moo-La contains practice problems to test readers’ understanding of the strategies outlined in Part 1. An easy-to-read resource for first-time property investors, the book costs $14.99.
Contact the author at www.mailboxmoo-la.com.