Real estate agents are working harder than ever this year to keep up with increased demand from buyers while juggling the complexity of transactions during the pandemic. While entrepreneurial agents may hesitate to hire help out of fear of losing control over their business, outsourcing can provide additional control over your time. That extra time can be spent building important relationships with your clients and other real estate professionals that will pay off with increased transactions.
Easing your stress with outsourcing
A fast-paced housing market can quickly lead to agent burnout. After all, if you’re working too many hours every week, you don’t have time to take care of yourself physically and emotionally or to spend enough time with the people you love. You also may be neglecting essential elements of your business while you take care of tasks that could be handled by someone else. Consider outsourcing some or all of these responsibilities, particularly if you don't enjoy them or take too much time:
1. Bookkeeping and scheduling
A virtual assistant or an assistant on your team can handle the vital but time-consuming task of tracking your business's finances. An assistant can effectively manage the details of scheduling showings and coordinating closings while you nurture client relationships and network.
2. Organizing your customer relationship management (CRM) program
If technology is not your forte, an assistant may be better equipped to take advantage of your CRM tools and keep it consistently updated. An assistant can make sure your clients get the market updates they want as well as personalized messages.
3. Marketing content creation
Unless you are a marketing whiz, chances are you are spending too much time creating a marketing campaign for each listing. By outsourcing these tasks, from creating flyers and single property websites to writing a blog and posting video tours on social media, hiring freelance help may make more time to focus on what you do best: client relationships.
4. Social media postings
While some agents enjoy uploading photos to Instagram and adding market tidbits to Facebook, others prefer in-person interaction when possible. Hiring an assistant or contracting a freelancer to manage your social media will keep you in the public eye without demanding too much of your time.
5. Photography
The majority of buyers (93%) search for homes online, according to the 2019 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers by the National Association of Realtors, and 87% said that photos are very useful in the search. Hiring a professional photographer means you don’t need to spend your time prepping the house for a shoot, taking photos, and editing them. Besides, unless you're a highly skilled photographer, the photos taken by a pro are more likely to have the right lighting and angles to show off each listing at its best.
While outsourcing has the immediate benefit of providing you with more time to spend on other parts of your work or with your friends and family, reducing your workload can also bring new vitality and enthusiasm for your business. You may find that doing what you love brings emotional and financial rewards beyond gaining a few more hours every week.