Real Estate Outsourcing: How to Take Your Career to the Next Level 

At its core, the real estate business is about buying and selling property.

Whether you are a commercial real estate agent or a residential real estate agent who specializes in luxury properties, you likely find the most joy in your profession when you are working directly with your clients and securing them the results that they are craving — regardless of the local real estate market conditions.

However, real estate agents are often burdened with an extensive to-do list of administrative tasks. These tasks keep you at your desk and away from your clients, and while they are necessary, they can prevent you from growing your business and achieving your true potential within your career.

Real estate outsourcing may be the solution that you have been seeking. Through outsourcing, you can find innovative ways to transform your real estate business, ultimately allowing yourself to focus on the parts of your job that you love the most.

Is Real Estate Outsourcing Right for Me?

Each individual real estate agent has the ability to customize their business. Some real estate agents prefer to keep it small, working exclusively with family members and friends who they know personally.

Other real estate agents are looking to become the next big name in their market. Regardless, you may find that real estate outsourcing allows you to effectively serve your client base.

You may be ready for real estate outsourcing if:

• You are not receiving the high volume of leads that you once did, or your customer base is no longer growing.

• Your investment in marketing and social media is not generating the returns you expect.

• You are spending more time behind your computer trying to coordinate logistics and finalize administrative tasks than working directly with your clients.

• You are finding that you do not enjoy working as a real estate agent as much as you once did.

• You are struggling to balance the various tasks that need to be done on a daily, weekly or monthly basis.

• You feel like you are unable to reach your goals because you are stuck managing too many responsibilities.

If you are experiencing one or more of these circumstances in your real estate business, now may be the best time to start outsourcing some of your tasks.

Many real estate professionals are surprised to find out that outsourcing is actually an affordable alternative, as many of these services are available at a reasonable rate. Not to mention, when you invest in real estate outsourcing, you are going to be able to take your business to the next level.

4 Real Estate Outsourcing Ideas

Ready to begin real estate outsourcing? Here are a few real estate outsourcing ideas that you can get started:

1. Hire a Real Estate Virtual Assistant

Sometimes, your most valuable asset as a real estate agent is your time. In order to increase the amount of time that you have to spend with your clients and to work directly on expanding your base in the local area, the best thing you can do is hire an assistant.

Traditionally, hiring an assistant would have required you to begin searching for a full-time employee. The cost of their wages and benefits would have been substantial, and it may not have been an option for you.

Fortunately, now, there is the option of working with a real estate virtual assistant. A real estate virtual assistant is a professional who works remotely and is available as needed. This allows you to enjoy all of the benefits of having an administrative assistant, without the cost or responsibility of hiring a full-time professional.

A real estate virtual assistant can manage your e-mail, work direct with all of the parties involved in your transactions and schedule showings, closings, inspections and more. They will eliminate most of the administrative tasks on your to-do list, giving you the time you need to grow your real estate business.

2. Outsource Your Marketing and Social Media Efforts

Real estate agents rely heavily on marketing and social media in order to get their name out there and attract clients.

However, most real estate agents are not marketing experts. As a result, you may spend a lot of time and money trying to create your own marketing campaigns — yet those campaigns may not generate the leads that you need.

By outsourcing your marketing and social media efforts, you can reduce your own workload while ensuring that your marketing needs are being met.

There are many marketing and social media managers who offer their services on a freelance basis. Their per-diem rates are much cheaper than you might expect, and you can enjoy the benefits of professional marketing materials.

Of course, these contractors will always be looking for your insight and input. There are still ways to personalize your real estate marketing campaigns, despite the fact that you have outsourced them to an industry professional.

3. Invest in Software to Automate Your Real Estate Business

It seems that in every industry, automation is the key to the future. The real estate industry is no exception.

Automation may be exactly what you need to reduce your own administrative tasks and provide your clients with the service that they have come to expect in our instantaneous world.

There are certain software packages that you can purchase that will help you automate your real estate business. Some ways to automate your business include:

• Automating the content that you post on social media. Certain automation tools will allow you to create, schedule and automatically post across multiple platforms. Some can even generate responses when your followers reach out to you.

• Automating the communication that your clients receive from you. Automatic updates about their real estate transaction progress, for example, are much-appreciated by clients but not possible for most agents to do manually.

• Automating your data management by investing in software that will collect and compile data for you. This improves the quality of your lead generation efforts and gives you the opportunity to respond quickly to new leads.

4. Rely on a Photographer to Take Your Listing Photos

Perhaps one of the most valuable real estate outsourcing options is hiring a professional photographer to take your listing photographs.

While it is certainly possible to take your own photos using your personal camera or smartphone, professional real estate photographs have the equipment and experience needed to truly make your listing shine.

Real estate photographers expedite the process of creating a listing, as well. These professionals will take the necessary photographs, using the best angles and natural lighting, and then quickly provide you with edited images that can instantly be uploaded to your listing.

Data shows that real estate agents who hire professional photographers for their photos end up earning more than those who do not. This is likely because professional photographs showcase homes in the best possible light, ultimately generating buzz in the community and driving up the demand for the property.

Once you have determined which tasks are best for you to outsource, you will quickly realize how easy it is to focus on serving your clients and expanding your brand in your local area. Real estate agents who truly want to reach the next level in their careers will need to outsource in order to grow their real estate business.