The iPad has become a popular device in just a few short weeks since it’s launch. Rentec Direct staff has confirmed compatibility with our application and the iPad. Yes, Rentec Direct can be used on the iPad (or virtually any other mobile platform) for access to your tenant information anywhere! You are no longer limited by the bounds of your desktop.
As with any new device the iPad has it’s exciting new features and drawbacks. There are some bugs Apple still has to work out on the iPad, and once they do it will make using the iPad work better for not only Rentec Direct’s online property management software, but websites across the web.
Here are the items which we’ve noticed affect Rentec Direct users.
Apple removed scrollbars from their browser for in-browser divisions. I believe because iPad users use their finger rather than a mouse, Apple unanimously decided for all their users that they are better off without scrollbars within web pages. A search on Google finds over 1.5million results of the term “ipad scrollbars“. At the top of the list are many complaints about Apple changing this common-sense browser functionality, and various suggested workarounds.
Workaround: Within the scrollable frame, place two fingers on the screen and drag. This will scroll the window within Rentec Direct. If two fingers does not work, try three fingers.
No Flash Support. Apple and Adobe (the creators of Flash) currently have bad blood, and as a result Apple chose to exclude Flash support from the iPad. Apple is unlikely to overturn this decision anytime soon despite nearly 80% of the web currently using Flash. It means very little however for Rentec Direct users. The only flash component of the site is the file upload status bar. Generally file uploads are going to come from your desktop machine anyways which does contain full Flash support, so this will affect very few. File downloads should still work fine within the iPad.
We anticipate Apple will address both of these issues (and other bugs still part of the iPad platform); however, in the meantime we’re publishing these workarounds to assist you in using Rentec Direct with the iPad. If you have any questions or comments about mobile access to Rentec Direct, please let us know.
Here at Rentec Direct we’re always testing out the capabilities of web browsers. Our application makes use of some of the latest web technologies so it is important that browsers perform to make sure users’ experience is not just good, but great!
For a very long time the best combination of performance and security has come from Firefox. Firefox is an open source application which has the most community support behind it for a web browser. Because of the ample community support, and excellent programmers, Firefox leads the way still in performance and security.
Google Chrome just yesterday released version 5 of their new browser. We’ve been using and testing with Chrome since version 3 and it has come a long way. Chrome takes the cake in performance, even over Firefox. Google Chrome 5 can rightfully claim the title as the fastest browser in the world, at least for now. In our testing, Chrome 5 is noticeably faster all around the web. It has native Flash support to give you the full web without installing any plugins and works very well with all websites we’ve tested it with, including Rentec’s BackOffice which makes use of many new web technologies. Of note, with Chrome version 5, they now support plugins including some one of our “must have” favorites: Xmarks.
Other popular browsers include Microsoft’s Internet Explorer (IE) and Apple’s Safari browsers. Neither has the performance and security that Firefox and Chrome have and while Rentec Direct is fully compatible with both, we recommend using one of the above.
If you are looking to speed up your web experience, try out the new Chrome, or if you are currently using IE try them both and see which fits your style best. You will find your internet experience will improve significantly when you release that old slow browser.
Most existing Rentec users have already dramatically reduced their time and effort when managing their properties with Rentec Direct. Chris over at software advice have written up a good read on some of the benefits of using property management software and he covers some items we have not previously written about.
The article covers six important items and only briefly mentions the very best property management software (Rentec Direct) <grin>, but he makes some excellent points. We have independently polled and asked thousands of landlords what is important to them. Visit our main website to review what we have consistently found to be the most important tools for landlords.
We’ve received quite a few inquires from our customers about the federal home buyer tax credit and how it might apply to them. We’re not an expert on the topic; however, here’s an excellent FAQ published online with most of the same questions we’ve fielded. It should prove useful.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 authorizes a tax credit of up to $8,000 for qualified first-time home buyers purchasing a principal residence on or after January 1, 2009 and before December 1, 2009.
The following questions and answers provide basic information about the tax credit. If you have more specific questions, we strongly encourage you to consult a qualified tax adviser or legal professional about your unique situation.
I believe many of us who are frequently on the internet and in the realestate business in one sense or another have run across Trevor’s website (thereibrain.com). I’ve watched and read his reviews of the various property management software applications out there in the past, and he does a very thorough and unbiased job in each and every one. In fact, thereibrain is the only company doing current reviews on property management software that I have seen. I’ve always been impressed, and Trevor is certainly an authority in the market. To learn more, visit www.thereibrain.com.
The REI Brain has recently completed a review of Rentec Direct as well. The video review is attached here, and the complete review can be seen here.
Special thanks to Trevor and thereibrain team from the Rentec Team.
The iPad has become a popular device in just a few short weeks since it’s launch. Rentec Direct staff has confirmed compatibility with our application and the iPad. Yes, Rentec Direct can be used on the iPad (or virtually any other mobile platform) for access to your tenant information anywhere! You are no longer limited by the bounds of your desktop.
For a very long time the best combination of performance and security has come from 
s the cake in performance, even over Firefox. Google Chrome 5 can rightfully claim the title as the fastest browser in the world, at least for now. In our testing, Chrome 5 is noticeably faster all around the web. It has native Flash support to give you the full web without installing any plugins and works very well with all websites we’ve tested it with, including Rentec’s BackOffice which makes use of many new web technologies. Of note, with Chrome version 5, they now support plugins including some one of our “must have” favorites: