5 time saving tips for real estate professionals
As a real estate professional, time is your most valuable asset. There are never enough hours in the day, with endless people to call, homes to find, and contracts to sign. That doesn’t even mention advertising, meetings, maintaining your client relationships, and more. There are so many things to do; it is often overwhelming.
Being in the real estate industry may feel like a constant struggle, trying to figure out how to maximize every minute of your day. Here are some easy and actionable tips for realtors and brokers to save time and maximize your schedule.
1. Avoid Multitasking
As a real estate agent, you have SO MUCH to do... but don’t try to do it all at once. Studies have shown that people are not very good at multitasking. It affects your memory, causes you to make mistakes, and results in decreased productivity.
The majority of people take more time multitasking on two different things than if they were to finish them one at a time. We know it's hard to avoid, but it can truly make a difference!
The most efficient way to "multitask" is to work on a single task for 30 minutes at a time, then switching to the next. This allows your brain to fully engage with the task at hand.
2. Finish tasks
This goes hand in hand with the last point. Real estate agents should be aware of the Zeigarnik Effect (it's a mouthful, but super simple to understand). Your brain remembers and fixates on unfinished tasks, decreasing your productivity.
Your brain hates unfinished tasks
Ever had a song stuck in your head? Or the last scene of a movie or show? The human mind has tension when something is incomplete, causing you to fixate on it.
One incomplete task causes intrusive thoughts which can cause you to leave more tasks unfinished. This creates a positive feedback loop that can hurt your productivity. Everyone should be aware of this and finish one task before moving on to the next.
3. Use Inspectify
As all realtors know, home inspections are a must. Inspectify’s online inspection booking platform takes all of the hassle out of scheduling home inspections. You can save 2-4 hours on every single transaction, completely free.
Save 2-4 hours on every transaction with Inspectify
The inspection booking process is extremely outdated: scheduling, rescheduling, phone tag, and email chains. Real estate professionals spend on average about 2-4 hours dealing with the logistics of booking an inspection.
With Inspectify, you can book an inspection in 60 seconds. Our customer success team works 7 days a week to take care of any logistical issues. Rest easy while we take care of the legwork.
A few reasons to use Inspectify:
1. We work with your trusted inspectors (that's right, you can still work with Greg who you've known forever)2. We proofread the report and summarize the important points (saving you hours of reading unimportant info)3. We provide free repair estimates for the entire report (some guys charge over $100 for this)
4. Routines and Time Blocking
Creating a routine has some great benefits. It can decrease procrastination and stress while increasing productivity.
We know every day in real estate is different and it can be hard to create a routine, but adding structure to your day will help keep you organized and on top of your responsibilities.
Time blocking is an effective way for realtors to create a routine. It is an easy time management strategy that helps you assign specific tasks to specific times of the day (and it stops you from multitasking).
A few tips to help you successfully schedule your time:
- Focus on more important things first
- Give yourself enough time to complete each task
- Set reasonable goals and deadlines
5. Don’t overwork yourself.
Real estate professionals are some of the hardest working people, with most working late nights and weekends. Many agents report that they work 50-60 hours a week.
However, that does not necessarily mean that more is better. Studies show that productivity greatly decreases after 50 hours of work.
Additionally, any hour over 55 hours is essentially wasted time. Working fewer hours results in higher energy levels, longer attention spans, and more productivity.
Your brain gets tired just like your body. For example, imagine running a marathon. The first mile probably seems like a breeze, but mile 21 will be slow and painful. Staying within a healthy range of 30-50 hours is optimal.
Summary
Here are the 5 things you should do to save time:
- Avoid multitasking
- Finish tasks
- Book inspections through Inspectify
- Build routines and time block
- Don't overwork yourself