What’s The Best Real Estate Questionnaire for Your Needs
When choosing the perfect real estate questionnaire type, every Realtor has their own preferences and requirements.
While some prefer pen and paper, other Realtors love digital real estate questionnaire solutions.
Often clients’ misconception when requesting a custom questionnaire design is that they want to be able to do it all with a single final product. Their request is to print the questionnaire, their clients being able to fill it out electronically, share it with a link, embed it on their website, and edit it themselves in the future.
Unfortunately, there are tech limitations we all have to cope with, meaning one product cannot satisfy all your needs.
So please keep in mind that each app a designer uses to create a product has great possibilities but also a few limitations to consider upfront.
Let’s see what apps can create four different types for the same printable or digital client questionnaire.
1. Google Forms real estate questionnaire
Google Forms is the free Google app you can use to create an electronic client questionnaire if you wish to embed it on your website and share it via link or email.
Some of the pros of using Google Forms for creating a Realtor questionnaire are:
Best for online questionnaires you can edit at any time.
It’s free.
It’s simple to use.
It’s easy to embed it on your website, and no coding is required.
It’s a done-by-Google form, so you don’t have to worry about the design and technical side of it.
You can create as many questions as you want, change the fonts, and choose the answer type (short/long text, yes/no checkboxes, multiple/single answers, etc.).
You can also change the colors and add your own cover image.
Your clients can fill out the questionnaire on any device and submit it electronically.
No printing is required.
No hard-to-read handwriting situations.
You can print submitted forms as PDFs or export them as Google Spreadsheet and Excel.
Some of the cons:
Lacks a short PDF export option. In case of many questions, your printed PDF will have many pages.
You will not have a handy, printed questionnaire to give your clients if needed.
2. Canva real estate questionnaire
Canva is an excellent free online tool for non-designers if you want to create a Realtor questionnaire very simply and intuitively.
Some of the pros of using Canva are:
Best for the printed questionnaires you can edit at any time.
You have complete control and maximum design options to create a questionnaire.
You can create and edit absolutely everything - text, fonts, colors, layout, etc.
You can use pre-made templates to cut down the creation process.
You can download the questionnaire as a high-quality PDF for free and without a quantity limit.
You can print the questionnaire, send it to your clients via email, or set it up as a download from your website.
Some of the cons:
You might need some time to learn Canva.
The questionnaire needs to be printed.
Future changes will require new prints and throwing away old ones.
Your clients will not be able to fill the questionnaire out on their devices.
Sometimes, you might struggle with reading lousy handwriting.
You will need to use additional tools or hire a designer to make the questionnaire electronically fillable on devices.
3. Fillable PDF Form real estate questionnaire
Fillable PDF Form is a feature developed by Adobe and provided in their paid version of their Adobe Acrobat PDF editor. Today, all major PDF apps and internet browsers can read fillable PDF forms. But, at the same time, most of those tools cannot produce such PDFs.
Therefore, to create a fillable real estate questionnaire, you need a paid Adobe Acrobat or find its paid or free alternative. Adobe Acrobat is an industry-standard tool that professional designers use.
Some of the pros of converting a printable Realtor questionnaire into a fillable PDF form are:
No printing is required.
Your clients can fill out the questionnaire on their devices.
No hard-to-read handwriting situations.
You can print a fillable PDF form the same way as a standard PDF.
Some of the cons:
To create a fillable PDF form, you need an additional tool or software or to hire a designer.
If you want to make changes in the future, you will need to go back to the original file, make a new PDF, and then convert that PDF into a fillable version again. Or to hire a designer again.
4. Standard PDF real estate questionnaire
The simplest way to create your own client intake is by using any text editor tool on your computer and exporting a standard PDF.
Alternatively, finding a pre-made Realtor questionnaire online and printing it in minutes is a perfect last-minute solution if you’re meeting a client on short notice.
Some of the pros of a standard PDF real estate questionnaire are:
It’s free.
It’s simple to use.
It’s immediately ready.
You can print as many copies as you need at any time.
You can send it to your clients via email or set it up as a download from your website.
Depending on the PDF tool you’re using, you might be able to add clickable links, make minor text changes, add your logo, etc.
Some of the cons:
Your clients need to print the questionnaire.
Your clients need to scan the questionnaire to send it back to you.
Sometimes, you might struggle with reading lousy handwriting.
What to do when you’re looking for an all-in-one solution
As explained at the beginning of the article, it’s almost impossible to cover all usage options with a single product. Some compromises will have to be made.
Alternatively, you need at least two products to cover most usage options. We recommend listing the top 3 priorities from your client's point of view to decide what type of questionnaire works best for you.
Here are seven situations where the questionnaire can be used differently, so you can decide what solution (app) works best for your needs.
For printing only:
Use PDF, Fillable PDF Form, or Canva.
For sharing with a link/email w a downloadable attachment only:
Use PDF, Fillable PDF Form, or Canva.
For filling out on any device only:
Use a fillable PDF Form or Google Forms.
For sharing with a link/email w online filling only:
Use a fillable PDF Form or Google Forms.
For uploading on the website only:
Use any version.
For embedding on the website only (online filling):
Use Google Forms.
For editing yourself:
Use Canva or Google Forms.
Download our done-for-you questionnaires in minutes
If you want to cut down the creation process, we have all four types of pre-designed questionnaires for Realtors in our Templates Kiosk HERE.
There you can find residential and commercial client questionnaires for buyers, sellers, landlords, and tenants.
You don’t have to worry about design, as all our templates match in style and are professionally designed to fit any high-end real estate brand.
Choose your favorite app, download and print the questionnaires immediately after the purchase, or customize the template to your requirements, branding, local specifics, and regulations.
If you need our assistance with product customization, we are always happy to accommodate your needs. Please submit your inquiry HERE.
We hope this article will help you decide which real estate questionnaire is the best for your needs.