I might be the outlier here, but I use the desktop version of FileMaker Pro for managing deal flow. I built my own CRM in an afternoon, customized to focus on the specific areas of my funnel that matter most. This setup integrates seamlessly with other processes I use, making it easy to ingest and review deals within my framework. For instance, I use a web scraper to pull data from listings I’m interested in, which is then automatically imported into my FileMaker Pro database. From there, I can quickly see where each deal stands in my funnel and initiate automated outreach to brokers. The outreach includes my buyer profile, why the deal interests me, and other relevant details. I’ve implemented is an AI assistant using ChatGPT (not as complicated as it sounds). It summarizes deal metrics for me, generates a “why I’d buy” scenario, and prepares an email with my buyer profile and deal fit. If I decide to move forward, I just click send, and everything’s ready to go. To be transparent, I’ve only used this setup for about a dozen potential deals this year since I took a break from active searching. That said, for most people I’d recommend established CRMs like Zoho, pipedrive, Monday, or HubSpot. They’re easier to use and save time, which means you can spend more of it reviewing and advancing deals instead of building your system from scratch. But if customization is your thing, FileMaker Pro is hard to beat.

Most self funded searchers tend to use Excel. Most traditional searchers will use a variety of things - Hubspot is popular there. A good imbetween is Smartsheet. You can use one grid in your free account and their grids have a "Card" view that you can use to simulate a deal flow pipeline.