by Jen Dillard | Jul 9, 2025 | Industry, News Feed
Systems aren’t just a tool for growth, Jen Dillard writes. They’re a foundation for sustainability in your real estate business.
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Let’s talk about something that isn’t said enough in business circles: You do not have to be everything to everyone. You do not have to be constantly buried in the day-to-day to prove you’re committed. And being busy all the time isn’t a badge of honor. It’s often a sign that something deeper needs attention.
This is especially true in the real estate industry. Agents are working hard, putting in the hours, yet they feel stuck in the daily chaos. The overwhelm becomes the norm. But here’s the thing: It doesn’t have to be.
Most of us were never taught how to scale sustainably. We’re told to hustle harder, but not how to structure smarter. And that’s where systems come in — not complicated, rigid structures but simple, intentional systems that protect your time, reduce stress and make your business easier to run.
If you feel like your business is running you instead of the other way around, here are five steps to success:
1. Get clear on what you’re repeating
Before you can build a system, you need to identify the tasks that are repeatable. Start by paying attention to your week. What are you doing over and over again? Perhaps it involves following up with leads, scheduling appointments, onboarding new clients or writing repetitive emails.
These are not one-off tasks. They’re patterns. And patterns are where systems are born. When you start seeing your work through that lens, you’ll find a dozen opportunities to save time and simplify.
Sometimes, simply making a running list for a few days can open your eyes to how many tasks are consuming your time. You don’t need to organize them right away — notice them. That awareness alone is powerful.
2. Document the process (even if it’s messy at first)
One of the most significant barriers to building systems is the idea that it must be perfect. But that idea is false.
Start by writing things down step-by-step, just the way you do them. Whether it’s how you respond to new inquiries, set up listings or manage your calendar, get it out of your head and into a document. These become your checklists, your templates, your standard operating procedures.
This step is about clarity, not perfection. Once it’s documented, you can tweak it, improve it and most importantly, delegate it.
And the best part? Once it’s documented, you don’t have to rely on memory. You’ve created something that can be used again and again, by you or someone else, which saves energy and mental space.
3. Automate and delegate where it makes sense
There is no trophy for doing everything yourself. Once you’ve documented your process, look for areas where a tool or team member can assist.
Use a CRM to automate lead follow-ups. Use a scheduling tool to eliminate the email ping-pong. Create email templates for FAQs. And when the time is right, hire support, whether that’s a virtual assistant, transaction coordinator or marketing help.
One practical tip: Pick one central platform to house everything. When your systems are all in one place, your team knows where to go, your clients get a better experience, and you eliminate unnecessary confusion and expenses.
Consider the tasks that drain your energy the most and start there. Can a tool do it? Can someone else? If the answer is yes, take the next step to delegate those tasks.
4. Structure gives you freedom
It might feel counterintuitive, but structure doesn’t confine you. It frees you up. Every system you put in place buys back your time, reduces stress and builds a stronger business that isn’t dependent on you doing everything.
And this isn’t just about efficiency. It’s about peace of mind. When you have systems in place, you can take a vacation without your business falling apart. You can focus on higher-level strategy. You can be more present in your life outside work.
Freedom in business isn’t about doing less work. It’s about doing the right job and trusting the rest will be handled because you took the time to create a foundation that supports it.
5. Start small, but start now
You don’t need to overhaul your entire business this week. Start with one repeatable task, checklist or template. It’s the accumulation of those small changes that will transform the way your business operates.
Remember, systems aren’t just a tool for growth; they’re a foundation for sustainability. And building them isn’t about being more robotic; it’s about creating space for greater clarity, creativity and control.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, let that be your cue — not your excuse — to start simplifying. Your future self will thank you.
Jen Dillard is a top-producing real estate agent serving the Columbia River Gorge region of Oregon and Washington. Connect with her on Instagram and LinkedIn.
by Jen Dillard | Aug 22, 2024 | Industry, News Feed
Learn how this Bay Area broker and her 100 percent woman-owned brokerage create exceptional outcomes and provide award-winning service.
Whether it’s refining your business model, mastering new technologies, or discovering strategies to capitalize on the next market surge, Inman Connect New York will prepare you to take bold steps forward. The Next Chapter is about to begin. Be part of it. Join us and thousands of real estate leaders Jan. 22-24, 2025.
“As far as brokerage size goes, we are on the smaller size with only four office locations and 160 agents. Yet we have a big voice, and we aren’t afraid to use it,” CEO Vanessa Bergmark writes about Red Oak Realty. “Every agent and staff member speaks up when it comes to local politics, community planning and real estate industry standards. You don’t have to be big to think big and speak confidently. Great things come in small packages.”
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As the industry changes and some models become obsolete, Bergmark said that Red Oak Realty is living proof that “high-touch human support” is still relevant for real estate transactions. “Our high staff-to-agent ratio continues to support our agents in every aspect of the transaction, and in doing so, increases their productivity, close ratio and local market rankings that prove we outperform much of the competition.”
Find out why Bergmark says “you can have a huge heart, and still run a savvy, influential business” and how her agents create and honor high standards for themselves, their staff, agents, clients and community.
Name: Vanessa Bergmark
Title: CEO and owner
Experience: 21 years
Location: East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area
Brokerage full name: Red Oak Realty
Rankings: No. 158 independent brokerages, RealTrends 2023
Team size: 160
Transaction sides: 886 (2023), 501 (through July 2024)
Sales volume: $997,588,510 (2023), $613,247,482 (through July 2024)
Awards: Best brokerage in Oakland Magazine, East Bay Times, El Cerrito and Richmond Chambers of Commerce
What do you wish more people knew about working in real estate?
It is a complex career. It’s so much more about people than houses. Understanding houses is not a prerequisite, but understanding people is. Don’t underestimate your responsibility. Your clients’ assets, their future, are in your hands. Take care of them.
Tell us about an epic fail you’ve experienced since you’ve been a broker
When I first started out running a brokerage, my former partner and I split the duties. I ran front of the house — sales, training, recruiting, deal doctoring — and he ran back of the house — ops and finance. I believed this created efficiencies and that I did not need to have personal oversight of our finances. Wrong!
No matter what, it is on the CEO or owner to know what is going on when it comes to the finances of the business. A few bad turns can decimate a company. If you care about your agents and staff, your brokerage sustainability, then you should always be paying attention to the financials.
Know where your flaws are, and move quickly to correct them. If you’re not running the accounting, that’s fine, but it’s no excuse to ignore that domain. Stay engaged. The success of your company depends on it.
How did you choose your brokerage?
I worked at a large franchise for a few years before I interviewed with the original founders of Red Oak. I thought back then that an independent local brand would not offer me the resources or the reach I suspected I needed for a successful career.
I got tired of traveling to a headquarters halfway across the continent, especially once my children were born. I felt disconnected from the message and compromised in my ability to inspire others when explaining it.
When I made the move over to Red Oak, so many more opportunities opened up. I had permission to get creative with the brand, our message, our relationship with the local community — all of which sometimes gets buried under a bigger, national brand. Now almost 18 years later, I still feel the same way.
What makes a good leader?
Someone who is willing to tell the truth, even when it is difficult. Someone who inspires their team to use their voice and bring their creativity and their passion to the job. Someone who can admit when they make a mistake, knows when changing their mind is a good thing and can own their failures, not only their successes.
What’s one thing you wish every agent knew?
How to transact in this new world. There are a lot of changes and very little direction provided from the associations on adopting new standards. Each brokerage is going to do it differently, at least for a while. I wish us all luck. It’s going to make for an interesting fall housing market.
Email Christy Murdock
by Jen Dillard | Aug 21, 2024 | Industry, News Feed
The average loan balance for first mortgages rose from $345,761 in the first quarter to $356,993 in the second, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported.
Whether it’s refining your business model, mastering new technologies, or discovering strategies to capitalize on the next market surge, Inman Connect New York will prepare you to take bold steps forward. The Next Chapter is about to begin. Be part of it. Join us and thousands of real estate leaders Jan. 22-24, 2025.
Independent mortgage banks notched a profit on loan originations in the second quarter for the first time in two years, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported this week.
After eight straight quarters of net losses on loans, IMBs reported earning a pre-tax profit of $693 per loan origination in the three months that ended June 30. That was up from a net loss of $645 per loan in the first quarter of the year.
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“With a pickup in quarterly volume, productivity, and closings-to-applications pull-through, production costs dropped by about $1,800 per loan,” Marina Walsh, MBA’s vice president of industry analysis, said in a statement. “These developments contributed to better net results, even as production revenues decreased from the previous quarter.”
“Almost 80 percent of mortgage companies in the sample posted overall profits, including both production and servicing business lines,” Walsh said. “After two of the most challenging years in the mortgage business, many companies are seeing light at the end of the tunnel.”
Seventy-eight percent of the firms that reported production data in the quarter reported earning a pre-tax profit for both production and servicing, up from 59 percent in the first quarter.
Companies reported earning an average of $492 million in production volume on 1,503 loans in the quarter, up from $384 million on 1,193 loans to start the year.
The average loan balance for first mortgages rose from $345,761 in the first quarter to $356,993 in the second, the MBA reported.
Email Taylor Anderson
by Jen Dillard | Jul 29, 2024 | Industry, News Feed
EXp’s Russ Laggan offers tips for identifying your personal and professional style and putting it to work for you as a memorable differentiator with clients and colleagues.
At Inman Connect Las Vegas, July 30-Aug. 1, 2024, the noise and misinformation will be banished, all your big questions will be answered, and new business opportunities will be revealed. Join us.
Do you need to dress to the nines to be taken seriously as a real estate professional? Is professional decorum the same in every market — or even in every brokerage?
As the VP of growth for eXp Realty and a contributor to Inman News, I’ve witnessed firsthand the diverse ways professionalism is perceived in our industry. Unfortunately, real estate agents often grapple with a poor reputation.
According to a recent study by Clever Real Estate:
- 54 percent of recent homebuyers believe their agent cared more about making a deal than their best interests
- 29 percent of buyers went unrepresented, and of those, 32 percent did not hire a real estate agent because they don’t trust them.
This highlights a crucial point: professionalism is not a one-size-fits-all concept. It varies significantly by region and clientele, demanding that we align our image and behavior with the expectations of our market.
To navigate this complexity, consider the following insights:
1. Know that authenticity is crucial
In real estate, authenticity is key. You want to attract clients who resonate with your genuine self, not everyone else. Your presentation should reflect your personality and values. For instance, I often sport a dress shirt, tie, and, if you’ve met me, you know, a vest. I even jokingly wore this attire floating down the lazy river at San Antonio’s JW Marriott. This is my style, and it works for me.
Tony Robbins once emphasized the importance of developing a distinct brand. Embrace what makes you unique — be it a specific style or approach. In a world full of vanilla, be the Rocky Road or Superman ice cream. It’s not about being all things to all people; it’s about being the best version of yourself.
2. Find your tribe
Building successful business relationships is easier when you connect with people who appreciate you for who you are. Pay attention to the unique traits of the people you attract.
Early in my career, many of my clients were fellow mountain bikers. This shared interest fostered trust and solidified our relationships. Consistency — whether in regular meetings or engaging in personal interests — builds reliability and trust. If you aren’t consistent, you’ll struggle to establish yourself as a trustworthy expert.
3. Embrace your uniqueness
Take, for example, tattoos. While my wife might disapprove of tattoos in a professional setting, I proudly display mine — a wedding ring tattoo, a life mantra in my handwriting and my anniversary date.
If a tattoo turns away potential clients, they likely aren’t the right fit for me. I’ve never had issues with clients because of my tattoos, and my style resonates with those who appreciate it.
Jordan Hill, a real estate professional from Oregon, shares similar sentiments. She has visible tattoos and hasn’t faced significant pushback since becoming self-employed. Her experience underscores that tattoos, as long as they aren’t harmful, don’t impede professionalism. The key is to embrace your uniqueness and attract clients who value you for who you are.
Building your brand
Professionalism involves being true to your authentic self. Define your style and align your target market to match. Tailor your messaging to support the client base you are building. By focusing on how you can add value, you’ll attract the right clients and build a supportive community around you.
Embracing authenticity, finding your tribe, and consistently presenting your unique style are guideposts to professional success in real estate. By staying true to who you are and focusing on adding value, you’ll naturally attract the right people and achieve lasting success.
Russ Laggan is a speaker, trainer and eXp’s vice president of growth for the U.S. West. Connect with him on Instagram and LinkedIn.
by Jen Dillard | Jul 18, 2024 | Industry, News Feed
At Inman Connect Las Vegas, July 30-Aug. 1, 2024, the noise and misinformation will be banished, all your big questions will be answered, and new business opportunities will be revealed. Join us.
Most agents don’t need more time. They simply need to use their time more efficiently. The best way to accomplish this is to eliminate the mindless ways we waste time. Here are the seven most common ways I see agents wasting time and how to reallocate that time in a way that leads to substantial business growth.
1. Consuming content instead of creating it
According to Statista, the average person spends two hours and twenty-four minutes every day on social media. That means the average person is spending over one hundred twelve hours each month consuming content on social media. These platforms continue to evolve into one of the most distracting time wasters ever created.
Imagine if you just carved out thirty minutes a day to create content instead of consuming it? What would that do for your business over the next few weeks? How would that turn this inefficiency into a productive activity?
This all starts by thinking about the content your ideal client would love for you to create for them. What are the pain points for your ideal client? What are the most frequently asked questions they have? What do they aspire to do and how can you show them you can help them achieve their goal?
When you focus on creating content more than consuming it, the momentum in your business begins to build.
2. Being busy instead of being productive
There is a significant difference between being busy and being productive. Busy is frantic while productivity is focused. But most agents have filled their days with busyness, giving them a false sense of accomplishment.
A solution to this epidemic is to practice the “Rule of Five” taught by John Maxwell. The principle is based on his example that if you have a tree in your backyard that you wish to cut down, consistency is the best way to ensure the tree comes down. He states that if you pick up an ax each morning, strike the tree five times, then put the ax down and do this every day, sooner or later the tree will fall. This principle applies to our businesses as well.
If you can identify the five activities that have the highest probability of helping your business grow, then prioritize doing them every day, you will achieve the success you are looking for in your business. So, what are those five activities for you? Make a list of them and stay focused on eliminating the inefficient things you do that keep you busy and initiating those high-priority activities daily.
This one step of refocusing your efforts on productive activities instead of busy activities can change your business forever.
3. Doing tasks instead of delegating
Similar to doing busy activities that are not the highest and best use of your time, many agents spend time doing tasks they should be delegating to others. Roughly speaking, for every $100,000 of annual income you make, that breaks down to an hourly value of $50 per hour. In other words, if you make $150,000 per year, your average hourly value is $75 per hour.
Understanding this, why do you keep stuffing envelopes for mailers, trying to figure out a description for your social media post, or calling to get showing instructions for your appointments? Those are tasks that could be delegated to an assistant or social media specialist who can be paid much less than the $75 an hour of value you have.
Delegate as many lower-cost tasks as possible. Reallocate that time to calling past clients or hot prospects. When you understand your value and do the tasks that are of the highest value for you, your net income and productivity will go up.
4. Perfecting a logo instead of having real estate-related conversations
People do business with people and not with logos. Yes, marketing plays a role in how you are perceived in the marketplace, but the lack of a logo is not the reason your business has slowed down. Your business has slowed down because you are not having enough real estate-related conversations.
Additionally, the number of transactions in most markets has slowed down. In this part of the cycle, you need more conversations than you needed when the market was hot. Based on this information you will need to work harder than before, just to maintain the business you have become accustomed to doing.
During a slowdown, it is human nature to look for ways to give your business a fresh look or to blame your slowdown on something your business doesn’t have. The only thing you really need to increase your business is to have more real estate-related conversations. Focus less on how you want to be perceived and more on the value you bring. In doing so, the business you desire will become a reality.
5. Being reactive instead of being proactive
How many days do you wake up without a plan of action for that day? Do you find yourself waiting on the phone to ring or are you making outbound calls? If you don’t control your schedule, the whirlwind of this business will keep you busy instead of productive.
The solution is to create a to-do list of activities the night before. This list should include your top five activities that we discussed above along with daily objectives you have for yourself. They should be time-sensitive and added to your schedule as appointments. These times should be uninterrupted until the task is completed.
Time is your most valuable asset. The more proactive you are with your schedule, the more predictable your success will be.
6. Focusing on quantity instead of quality on social media posts
Before posting anything on social media, ask yourself if the post is something that brings value to your ideal client. Wishing everyone a Happy 4th of July clutters your ideal client’s feed, and because it will lack engagement, these posts hurt your page more than they help. The algorithm is looking for content creators that post quality posts more than it is looking for people who post quantity.
Engagement and sharing are what drive social media success right now. Although every post or Reel is not going to perform great, by focusing on producing content that leads to engagement and sharing, your social media performance will be enhanced.
7. Spending time with unproductive people
The easiest way to guarantee yourself an unproductive day is to spend it with unproductive people. The people you surround yourself with are who you will become. If you’re the most productive person you spend time with, get a new group.
- Are you surrounding yourself with people who are avoiding making phone calls or people who hold each other accountable for being productive?
- Are you a part of a mastermind group focused on growing their businesses?
- Do you have a coach holding you accountable for the activities you need to do daily to achieve the level of success you desire?
The single most important factor in your success or failure in life is who you choose to spend your time with. Choose wisely.
We all aren’t as efficient as we should or could be, but there is another level for your business. The key is to refine your schedule to make sure you are limiting the time-wasting activities and focusing on the activities that help your business grow.
Jimmy Burgess is the CEO for Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Beach Properties of Florida in Northwest Florida. Connect with him on Instagram and LinkedIn.
