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.

Real estate transactions have a lot of moving parts, and during a transaction, you may wear many hats as you work to get the deal to a successful close for your customers. 

Staying in your lane is a must to be sure that you are doing what you are licensed to do, no more, and to avoid creating issues for yourself and your broker. Sometimes the lines can be blurry.

5 ways to stay in your lane

Here are five things you can do to stay in your lane and avoid trouble.

1. Never be the source of information for things like community rules and regulations, building assessment information, school district information or property tax information

Instead, be a resource for the source of that information. Direct your customers to the direct source of the information that they are asking you for.

Have them contact the building directly for assessment information. Give them the property appraiser’s number for property tax information and direct them to the local county website for the most recent school information regarding grades and boundaries. Be the source of the source.

2. Never fill out the application for the association that your clients are applying for

Many customers will insist that you do this for them, but this is their job. If you give them the application, be sure to include the association’s number, and let them know that they can call the association’s office with any questions they may have.

Not only do we want this to be their responsibility, but also your time is valuable, and it should not be wasted on tasks like these.

3. Never complete the seller’s disclosure

Your seller may say things like, “You have been to the property more than me,” or “I have spent very little time in the property,” but in reality, it is their job and their job only to complete this information for the buyer.

Also, the disclosure is very easy for them to fill out regardless of the time actually spent at the property.

4. Never do a final walk-through for your customers

Let them know how important the walk-through is and suggest that they be there for it. An alternative for them would be for a friend or relative to take care of it.

When they are unable to arrange to be there or to have a friend do it, they need to sign off on not doing a walk-through, and this should be documented. You doing it is never an option. How you communicate this to them is key so that they don’t get upset with you.

5. Never hire a tradesperson or inspector for your customers

When they need some type of service, it’s always best to recommend three vendors to them and let them see which one works for their needs. The relationship should always be between the customer and the vendor. You never want to be in the middle of those relationships. 

As Realtors, we are by nature helpful people, and sometimes, we try to solve every problem for our customers, which is how trouble can begin. Always communicate to your customers that you want to be sure that they get the best information possible and that you are directing them to the right source so that they don’t feel as if you are blowing them off. 

Remember that everything is good until it’s not. When trouble arises, everyone will look to blame the easiest target, which is you, the Realtor, and your broker.

We are always only the Realtors on transactions. We are not the inspector, contractor, attorney, tax appraiser or any of the other people involved in a real estate transaction. Stay in your lane, and direct traffic when necessary. Your transactions will be easier with much less trouble, and you will have more time for the things that will generate income for your business.

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.

There are many things that determine if a real estate brokerage will be successful, but perhaps none of them are as important as the office culture that you create. This is something that you do have to work on and what goes on in your office daily will have either a positive or a negative effect on your culture.

You can feel it in every business that you visit and when you enter a space, the temperature of that environment is very evident. Take notice during your daily travels to different businesses and you can always sense the ones that are thriving and the ones that are struggling with the feeling that they give you when you are there.

The culture always starts with the broker/owner/leader and by meeting these people you can tell right away what you can expect from their businesses.

The first thing to do is to decide what type of culture you want for your office and then work to create it. The main ingredient of great office culture is the personality and attitude of the leader.

Can this be changed if it is not where it should be? While personalities do not change much, behaviors can change. Read on to find out what will help your office culture and what will harm it.

Great office cultures have these 5 things in common

A positive leader: When the leader is positive, you can be sure that all the staff and the agents brought into the office will be positive.

A stable environment: The office is stable regardless of the market or how stressful things are. The staff is consistently good, and the whole office sees good in everything.

Lots of fun: The staff is always smiling and having a great time doing their jobs. You will find the agents will be doing the same. Fun events are always going on in and out of the office.

The ‘temperature’ of the office is good: The feeling that you get when you walk in is warm. When this is going on you will find agents hanging around the office, working more and being more successful.

A productive environment: The office is productive, and everyone is moving forward — the staff, the broker and the agents. Productivity makes people feel good. This is expected, and this is what you get.

5 things that have a negative effect on office culture

Driving the numbers and ignoring everything else: Good relationships, fun and good communication are some of the key elements that will keep staff and agents engaged. These things can’t be ignored.

Toxic agents: You really won’t see these often if you select your agents carefully but now and then it happens. These agents need to be removed as they will cause big issues with your other agents, with your staff and with you. Don’t hesitate to have that conversation to move them on and protect your office.

Hiring the wrong staff: Staff who have a negative view will not be good for business or contribute to your culture. They will change the whole temperature of your office, so hire carefully.

Negative atmosphere: Keep your office light and bright. Great furniture, great lighting, fresh flowers, etc. All these things set the stage for a positive, fun culture.

Not focusing on production: This is a business. Set the expectation for production, and you will attract agents who produce. Without this, your office will be filled with non-producers who will have a negative view of the business.

Final thoughts

Sometimes office culture just happens and other times you may have to work at it more, but your office culture will play a big part in the success of your brokerage. Pay attention to it and make it part of what you do every day.

Everything really does start at the top as people will take on the leader’s attitude on just about everything in the office. Try it out and you may be surprised to find just how much you, as the leader, control your environment.

Joseph Santini is a managing broker at Coldwell Banker Realty in Boca Raton, Florida. Connect with him on LinkedIn.

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.

Office meetings are important for many reasons. They keep your agents updated on what’s happening in the business, and they also keep all of your agents connected to you, your staff and your office.  

With everyone being mobile and a lot working from home post-COVID, your office meeting is probably one of your few opportunities to get everyone into the office together on a regular basis, so it’s important to take advantage of this time.

Most agents are not big fans of office meetings. That mindset is why they chose to sell real estate instead of working in an office and have a more traditional job. 

After doing this for a while, I’ve found that it’s not necessarily the meeting that’s the issue, as they do like to come into the office and see everyone. Who doesn’t like free food? The real problem is the way that the meetings are conducted and the content that is presented. 

5 ways to keep meetings fresh

Below, you will find five ways to make your office meetings standing-room only. Underneath that, I have also added five things that you should avoid at all costs. After implementing these simple but very effective ideas, you may need to buy a few more chairs. 

1. Deliver exceptional content

There is a very big difference between throwing a meeting together in 20 minutes and winging it versus taking the needed 2-3 hours to put together a valuable, 1-hour presentation that the agents will be thanking you for as they are walking out the door. 

Start collecting topics and supporting materials way in advance of the meeting so that when you sit down to do the planning, you have many topics and materials in front of you to choose from. Only feature valuable, useful information to share with your agents at your office meetings. 

2. Think new voices

Outside speakers are super valuable, and selecting the right ones will give a nice boost to your meetings. Select speakers who will add value to your agent’s business, and be sure to preview exactly what they will be sharing with them. Agents will have little tolerance for long infomercials from outside vendors. Get this wrong, and you will have many empty seats.

Have your speakers bring the food, and be sure to ask them ahead of time what they will be providing to get the opportunity to speak in front of your agents.

3. Don’t let ’em go hungry (or hangry)

Great food and refreshments are key, and why not let the agents take care of their breakfast or lunch while attending your meeting at the same time? Put some thought into the food. Make it nice for the agents. Switch it up so it doesn’t get boring, and always spend a little extra to make it great.

4. Change locations

Getting agents into the office is important, but having your meetings at outside locations will also really boost your attendance.

Try having your meeting in one of your spectacular listings. What seller doesn’t want a lot of agents to come to preview their property? Places like new construction projects and interior design firms also work well. Keep things exciting for your agents by using different locations. 

5. Keep things fun, upbeat and moving

Strategically plan how you will roll out your content to your agents, and keep things moving along. Long-winded speakers and lots of slow, off-topic questions are probably the top two reasons people avoid office meetings.

Keep the pace up and switch topics to keep the energy up, especially after that big breakfast or lunch that you provided. Keep it positive.

Why agents don’t like office meetings (avoid at all costs)

What you stop from happening is just as important as what you do when trying to have a great meeting. Here’s what should not be happening at your office meetings. 

1. Starting late: Nothing bothers busy agents more than this. They are busy, and their calendars are full, so respect everyone’s time. When you start on time, your agents will be eager and ready to listen. 
2. People who talk too much: Good, timely information is great, but when it starts to be a monotonous, boring, self-serving monologue, it’s up to you to shut it down. If left uncontrolled, people will avoid your meetings like the plague.
3. Uncomfortable seating and room temperature: Make it a pleasure to be at your meeting by setting up the room ahead of time. Ensure everyone gets a good seat.
4. Running overtime: When you say 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., don’t let anyone prolong the meeting. Wrap it up on time, and your agents will always look forward to supporting you at your office meetings. Nobody likes being held hostage when they have things to do. This takes skill and discipline, but you can get good at it.
5. Too many off-topic questions and interruptions: Questions are good, but you have to learn how to move the irrelevant ones on. Be diplomatic, and make sure that what’s being discussed is relevant and valuable. Keep control of what’s happening at your meeting, and your agents will love you for it.

When office meetings are done correctly, your agents will look forward to these monthly events and the information they provide. Your top producers will be regulars, and it will be standing-room only. 

Become a meeting expert, and use these simple tips. They’ll make a big difference in your attendance. Nothing could be more important as more and more agents work from home these days. Happy agents who come into the office a lot make more money and stay with you.

Joseph Santini is a managing broker at Coldwell Banker Realty in Boca Raton, Florida. Connect with him on LinkedIn.