What specialist software do you use and how much does it cost?

[Mark T]

Just wondered what specialist software some of the members here use. Could be anything from accounting to graphic design software.

The company I manage is a Residential Letting agency. We use software called Vebra Premise which helps to manage all of our incoming rents and expenditures. It also handles our clients tax liabilities and service charges.

The cost of the software is approximately £6,000 which includes two user licenses and 1 years support. The support fee is £500 after the first year. Additional licences also cost £250 each.

The software also requires a USB dongle to be left in the machine while the software is running. If you take it out while the software is running it shuts down.

Just a brief description from the Vebra website

From simplifying complex accounting tasks to eliminating repetitive routines, you will find that Vebra’s Property Management Software speeds up standard procedures, delivers new levels of efficiency and offers tighter accounting controls. And the solution we deliver is determined according to your individual business needs.

Manage client and tenant relationships more effectively
Handle overseas clients as easily as UK clients
Manage client payments and production of statements
Comprehensive property, repair and supplier management tools
Eliminate arrears with better management fees control
Deal with all your bank reconciliation and audit trails
Manage the entire service charge routine process
All forms of property management – Block management, service charge handling and commercial property management
Better business control through comprehensive management reporting

 

[TheCracker]

Quark, Photoshop and Acrobat Professional mostly. We also produce property magazines using software called Property Net which costs around £35k plus a fairly substantial monthly charge.

 

[Robin]

I use....

PTC Pro Engineer Wildfire 4.0 CAD Software
Alias Image Studio 3 (Maya) 3D Rendering
Boxford 2D CAM Design
Photoshop CS2
Illustrator CS2
Adobe Flash CS3

Cost quite abit, but most are student licence stuff so its reasonable...

Robin

 

[Jondot]

PTC Pro Desktop
Adobe Photoshop CS2
(Macromedia) Adobe Dreamweaver CS3

Everything else is standard word processing, really.

 

[Wolfe]

I have Sony Sound Forge 8 (if I'm recalling the version number correctly), Jasc Paint Shop Pro 9, and NoteWorthy Composer 1.something. All three were, uh, "acquired."

 

[Sprite]

Logic (express not pro)
Reason

Photoshop CS3
Aperture
Lightroom

@ work

SAP

 

[Flerbizky]

AnyDVD HD - Best App Ever if you're a HTPC nut....

 

[Event]

Mathworks MATLAB
Working Model (horrible, terrible, mind-bendingly stupid piece of software, but I need it for my Mechanical Design class)

 

[somebody]

At home - Paint Shop Pro X

At work - A whole heap of security software that I know nothing about, which is why they give me the keys to a car and make me drive halfway over Sydney every night.