Real estate is a lucrative and competitive business, perfect for people who work hard and are willing to go the extra mile. However, running an agency successfully can be difficult, especially if you lack clear action plans, have poor strategy, or continuously manage your time. The real estate industry is fast paced and time consuming, which means that in order to be successful you will need to spend your days efficiently.
Forget 9-5 – real estate is a 24 hour job. Planning is a balance between in-person projections and office management. When you are not out of town to showcase unique properties, you will be spending a great deal of your time marketing, advertising, and generating leads. Ultimately, real estate is a hectic and time consuming profession that requires attention to detail and dedication to your craft.
With an endless supply of responsibilities, agents, especially fresh-faced salespeople, can be overwhelmed and exhausted without proper time management techniques in place. The phrase “time is running out” has never sounded truer than in the real estate industry, because deadlines are rigid and delicate. However, successful agents have mastered the intricacies of planning, which keeps them on track and prioritizing customer satisfaction. If you are looking to embark on a lucrative profession with endless benefits, consider these time management strategies to jumpstart your career.
Time management strategies for real estate agents
Despite popular beliefs, working 80 hours a week can slow you down and drastically reduce productivity. In fact, exhausted employees are more likely to make unnecessary mistakes, which creates extra work for them in the long run. Instead of exhausting yourself with unnecessarily long hours, work smarter, not harder, by implementing practical time management strategies especially for realtors.
Set up an easy-to-read schedule to organize your workday in advance, allowing you to identify schedule conflicts ahead of time. Delegate tasks to trusted assistants who can handle the smallest details behind the scenes, streamline processes and save you time. Or, if all else fails, consider investing in a virtual office to make task management easier.
If you’re still struggling to manage your time as a real estate professional, consider the following wastes and eliminate them from your daily routine.
Disorganization
If you frequently lose track of emails, misplace customer documentation, and have trouble remembering appointment times, it might be time for an organizational upgrade. Every day before you go home, organize documentation, sort emails, and jot down notes in a diary to keep track of essential information. Use CRM platforms to manage leads and documentation quickly and efficiently, allowing you to spend more time on customer satisfaction.
Unhealthy obsessions with social media
While social media is a powerful tool for discovering new leads, it’s easy to get carried away and focus on irrelevant comments or scroll from post to post during working hours. Set time limits for using social media, and make sure you focus your efforts on responding to feedback from serious buyers instead of sifting through comment after comment, wondering where the day went.
An inability to set limits
One advantage of being a real estate agent is being your own boss and choosing your schedule. However, with great freedom comes great responsibility. If the line between work and home is blurred, you might find yourself overworked and exhausted. On the other hand, selecting your schedules increases the risk of poor time management. Be sure to set limits and go through with it to avoid burnout or unprofessional tendencies.
Netflix at midday
Many real estate agents currently work from home, and while remote offices have their advantages, they also increase the risk of distractions. To escape the wasted hours, avoid activating Netflix during your breaks because it’s easy to get caught up and forget about your return to work.
Plagued by bargain hunters
While your goal is to find the best deal for your customers, there is no such thing as the perfect deal, and wasting your time searching is unproductive and tedious. Instead, focus on working with clients who have a set budget and steer clear of house hunters with small budgets and big house dreams.
The bottom line
Getting into real estate is both exciting and stimulating. Unlike typical 9 to 5 occupations, real estate agents schedule and manage their time independently, resulting in poor time management and chaotic work weeks. Don’t fall prey to common real estate mistakes and avoid wasting time preparing for success.
