A real estate to-do list indicates that an agent is on the correct track. A tight routine is what distinguishes an average agent from a high producer. Unlike a corporate position, where a manager looks over your shoulder to ensure that everything is done correctly, owning a real estate business requires you to move the needle alone. It’s simple to do comfortable duties, but that’s not what drives your business forward. This is where your successful daily program must do the heavy lifting.
Real estate agents can feel like they are working around the clock, especially with social media and other pervasive technologies. Your calendar will serve as a life raft, keeping you from drowning in tasks and allowing you to devote more time to family and personal hobbies.
Let’s start with some best practices for creating your own schedule:
Focus on Productivity
In the unorthodox life of a real estate agent, there are numerous tasks that can pull on your schedule. By the time you realize it, it’s too late to do any of your high-value chores.
Consider which hours of the day you feel the most awake and productive, and then plan your time accordingly. Design your days to allow for the unexpected while prioritizing your most important responsibilities. Remember that no two realtor routines are identical.
Get the Important Stuff Done First
Connecting with previous clients, generating leads, hosting open houses, and developing content are all examples of high-priority chores that you should finish before settling into the afternoon slump.
Stick to Your Goals.
Consider your “why” for getting into real estate. Was it for a more flexible schedule? Generate a high income. Become a real estate entrepreneur with several offices. Make sure your daily agenda includes modest steps that lead you in the right path. For example, if you want to become a force in the national real estate sector, you need set aside more time for networking.
Preserve Your Energy
Your energy is important, so keep an eye out for any leaks! Stay away from those who do not respect your commitment to time management and setting aside specified hours for work. These folks frequently fail to recognize the value of structure in your work, making it more difficult for you to stay on track. Unfortunately, relatives and friends are the most common abusers. Make it obvious that you will block out your time to achieve your job goals, and that discipline is vital.
If It’s Not Scheduled, It Doesn’t Exist
Time blocking is the most effective technique to keep on track and have a realistic expectation of how long it will take you to accomplish each work. Multitasking may make you feel busy, but it reduces the efficiency and quality of your job. The University of Southern California discovered that multitasking caused people to waste time mentally switching from one task to the next.
Blocks of time enable you to know exactly where you should be, when you should be doing something, why you are completing a task, and how you will complete your tasks in each hour of the day.
If an unforeseen occurrence occurs, you may easily reorganize your time blocks rather than being caught off guard.
Remember that there is no such thing as “free time”; only unrecorded time. Even relaxation and leisure activities should be planned to ensure that you maintain a balance between work and play in order to perform at your best.
Your Daily Sample Schedule
You can write out and track your schedule however you choose. Some agents prefer a pen and paper agenda, while others benefit from the alerts and accessibility of a Google or Apple calendar. The most essential thing is to take a few minutes each day to review your plan and check off each item as you go about your productive day.
Morning Routine
Every morning routine will be unique. Some agents like to begin their days with a quick workout, while others spend time getting their families ready for the day. The most important thing is to get up early to enjoy some peaceful time and calm before diving into demanding chores. You should begin your day with a clear, peaceful mind, ready to process the turmoil of the day ahead.
Unfortunately, most agents do not incorporate morning routines into their daily schedules. However, soothing your mind, replenishing your body, and preserving your general health begin in the morning and are one of the most valuable competitive advantages you have over “hustle culture” agents in business.
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM: Prep + Review
We recommend that most agents begin their day by catching up on loose ends, such as examining their CRM to review missed texts, emails, and phone calls, and then evaluating what they did the day before to plan what lies ahead. It’s a simple concept: the first 10-20 minutes of each morning are an excellent time to complete critical chores, allowing you to be more productive, focused, happy, and overall happier for the remainder of the day.
If you have an assistant, now is a good time to check up with them and go over your calendar as well as the objectives and outcomes from the previous days.
Next, analyze the hot sheets and current real estate market statistics to stay on top of the market.
9:00 AM – 10:30 AM: Appointment Setting
After you’ve covered your bases, focus on accomplishing the least pleasant or most difficult activities of the day. For many agents, this means prospecting and scheduling appointments.
Prospecting is an essential component of any successful real estate agent’s schedule. These non-negotiable activities, while inconvenient, contribute to the structure and concreteness of your real estate agenda. You cannot afford to ignore the importance of maintaining an influx of hot leads.
The real estate leads you generate today will help your business move forward tomorrow. Include the acquisition of fresh leads in your daily routine to ensure that it is fulfilled.
Lead generation is especially crucial for new real estate agents, who are more inclined to focus on acquiring clients than on servicing existing ones.
We recommend prospecting early in the day because everyone is awake and more likely to pick up the phone or check their emails. Furthermore, because the majority of clients work full-time, real estate brokers have minimal interruptions in the morning, allowing them to focus only on lead generation.
Don’t be tempted to schedule prospecting and client calls throughout the day. Try to arrange them one after the other. This way, you won’t waste brain energy switching between different jobs, like building a PPC campaign, answering calls, sending an email newsletter, and then returning.
If you prefer not to make phone calls or knock on doors, you can prospect by email or text. You can also improve your inbound marketing by focusing on internet marketing through social media, blog writing, and online advertising.
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM: Break and Lunch
It is time to rest! A successful real estate agent does not always work long hours. As previously said, maintaining a healthy work-life balance is essential for longevity and productivity. Take the time to move your body, divert your concentration to anything other than real estate, and eat a good meal.
12:00 – 4:00 pm: Advance Your Real Estate Business
This is the time when each real estate agent’s schedule differs the most. Depending on where you are in your real estate transactions, you may opt to spend your afternoons scheduling appointments, producing listing presentations, attending listing appointments, showing properties, supervising photoshoots and staging, attending networking events, and so on. Even minor chores, such as examining real estate hot sheets or calling the photographer, require attention.
If you have some free time during these hours, we recommend using it to enhance your studies and perfect your scripts.
Educate Yourself
As their businesses grow, most real estate agents neglect education. However, continuing your real estate education and expanding your real estate knowledge may be the advantage they’re searching for.
To stay up to date on industry developments, education can be as simple as scanning new market listings, reading real estate journals, or scrolling through social media. Alternatively, you can go the formal route and attend a real estate class that will directly boost your worth in the real estate sector, such as obtaining a mortgage broker license or a certificate in a certain real estate niche.
This area of your real estate agent schedule should include everything that will help you improve your talents and stay current in the business.
Rehearse Client Interactions
Real estate agents sometimes underestimate the value of scripts in their day-to-day interactions. You will encounter similar scenarios with many of your clients, and understanding how to answer will help you appear competent and experienced.
For example, if you consistently practice your listing presentation, you won’t have to worry about stumbling through it. With a confident and well-rehearsed script, you’ll be able to identify seller worries and emotions during your presentation.
When was the last time you practiced how to manage objections? Your FSBO scripts? What about your scripts for cold phoning expired listings?
Try recording yourself delivering your script on your phone and then reviewing or listening to it to identify areas for improvement. This review will assist.
4:00 pm- 5:00 pm
One of the most important jobs on your real estate calendar is to go over your entire day to evaluate what you did well, what you may improve on, and to ensure that you are prepared for what may come tomorrow.
Before you sign off, double-check that you haven’t left any loose ends that will make the next day chaotic. You may need to phone other agents, perform some further prospecting, confirm your assistant’s schedule for tomorrow, and so on. To ensure that these things are completed, make some time for them in your daily calendar!
5:00 PM – 7:00 PM: Home + Dinner + Family Time
Congratulations! You’ve finally arrived at “personal time” after a long day. This is the time to be present and enjoy a wonderful supper with your loved ones, get the kids ready for bed, or catch up on your favorite pastime. With your career right on your phone or laptop, it’s tempting to conduct fast administrative tasks, but resist! If you have successfully completed your day’s tasks, they will be waiting for you tomorrow.
Leave your to-do list at your desk and focus on anything else. Work-life balance is too vital to sacrifice.
Conclusion…
If you’re not used to working in a schedule, be kind with yourself as you get started. Begin by allocating time in your day for critical work, and then adjust those time blocks as you discover more about your high-energy times and the times required for difficult tasks. Then, ensure that these adjustments are effective and gradually add or remove more phases.
The recommendations above will assist you in striking a balance and establishing a comfortable daily rhythm. Prepare and stick to your timetable, and your real estate firm will soon become a well-oiled machine!
Mistakes to Avoid in Your Property Listings
Avoiding Common Mistakes in Real Estate Listings
Creating the perfect real estate listing can be challenging, even for the most experienced agents. However, there are common oversights and easy improvements that can make all the difference. Let’s explore the essential tips to ensure your listings stand out and avoid costly mistakes.
1. Not Sharing the Right Information
Make your listing stand out by highlighting its unique selling points. Go beyond the basics like price, number of bedrooms, and bathrooms. Consider what will attract your target buyers. What features make your property special? Answering these questions can steer potential buyers toward your listing.
2. Using Misleading Language
Real estate is a significant purchase, and using fancy words to make a listing seem more luxurious can backfire. Misleading language wastes buyers’ time and can lead to poor decisions. Be truthful and clear about the property’s features. Use flattering but accurate descriptions, and provide specific details like approximate distances to nearby amenities.
3. Using Low-Quality Photography
High-quality photography is crucial. Prospective buyers expect excellent images, and poor photos can deter them from viewing a property. Hire a professional photographer to capture your listing during the day when lighting is optimal. Organize photos to guide viewers through the home, mimicking an open house tour. Even for fixer-uppers, provide clear photos that showcase the property’s potential.
4. Too Many Photos
While you want to highlight your property’s best features, avoid overwhelming viewers with too many photos. Poorly organized photos can be tedious to sift through. Focus on quality over quantity, and ensure each photo adds value to your listing.
5. Not Using Drone Photos
Drone photography offers unique perspectives that can make your listing stand out. Aerial shots can highlight the property’s location and surroundings in ways traditional photos can’t. Drone technology is more affordable than ever and can provide cinematic views that attract buyers.
6. Skipping Necessary Renovations
Address glaring issues before listing the property. Most buyers will have an inspection done, and it’s better to proactively handle repairs. Fixing minor issues like loose door knobs or chipped paint can prevent buyers from assuming there are larger, hidden problems.
7. Ignoring the Importance of Staging
Staging is essential for both online listings and open houses. A well-staged home looks better in photos and attracts more buyers. Professional stagers can depersonalize and declutter the space, making it more appealing. Ensure the home is clean and organized to help buyers envision themselves living there.
8. Too Much Text in Listings
Avoid overwhelming buyers with excessive text. Focus on clarity and conciseness. Highlight the most important features and benefits of the property. Short, focused descriptions are more effective than long, dense paragraphs. Write with intent and make sure each word adds value to the listing.
9. Overusing Industry-Specific Words or Acronyms
Remember that not all buyers are familiar with real estate jargon. Avoid overusing abbreviations and industry-specific terms. Spell out terms when possible to keep your listing accessible and easy to understand.
10. Messy Copy
Proofread your listings carefully. Spelling and grammar errors, typos, and unclear phrases can make your listing look unprofessional. Edit your work thoroughly to ensure a polished and professional presentation.
Wrapping Up
Property listings are a critical part of the selling process. Paying attention to the small details can make a big difference in attracting buyers. By avoiding these common mistakes, you can create compelling and effective real estate listings that stand out in a competitive market.