best laptop for a real estate agent?

Thin & light - under 4.1lbs. Toughbooks and other laptops made of unknown alien alloys are an expensive gimmick. They are useful for people who work on construction sites where there is a high probability the laptop will get hit by a stone. I've traveled the world and the seven seas with your average sony, toshiba, hp, compaq, dell and even an acer with no problems. Those regular laptops have been dropped, poked, prodded, sent through x-ray machines. One even had soda spilled on the keyboard and kept on ticking.

I agree with the other answerer who said it really doesn't matter what brand the laptop is. Most people who experience laptop problems end up with a false attitude about it because they don't really understand what the issue was or that there was a simple fix. One bad experience with a laptop doesn't define the company. Also, a cheaper model laptop will often have compatibility issues. You have to pay for quality no matter what the brand. If anything, one should be wary of Dell. They were sued in 2007 like crazy for their alleged misrepresentations of quality and customer service.

I think any laptop that provides the programs you need will be fine. The name brand doesn't really matter. All the answers you get here will just be peoples opinion of the actual laptop, not how it is in the real estate world.

RE Agent,

Remax

DO NOT get an HP.

I made that mistake...the 24/7 tech support that they claim to offer you is filled with barely English speaking people that are reading a screen and have no real computer knowledge.

I also found out that alot of the software that I purchased had an upload expiration date on it....and was NOT preloaded onto my computer....that means that if I didn't use the program for awhile, and then needed to use it, and tried to upload it...the registration code expired and I pretty much paid for a program that I never used.

HP, when I notified them of it...was not sympathetic and refused to send me something that I could use.

Needless to say, I won't be dealing with HP again.

PS: They are also frequently not compatable with their OWN printers.

I have a big laptop with a 17" screen, because when I'm showing it to clients, some clients were having trouble seeing with the smaller screen. It's heavy though.

I see alot of different brands, but more Toughbooks lately.

The one that your three year old DID NOT drop off the counter onto the tile floor. That one is now the kitchen "table top computer", held up in a hard-back briefcase!

Panasonic Toughbook

Any computer can be configured with the right programs but considering the various places you will be using your laptop, it has to be durable.