The Life of a ‘Virtual’ Real Estate Agent

This article primarily adresses  real estate careers and real estate agents wondering what all this shifting around in the real estate ‘virtual’ world is about. However, the general public (yes, those terrific people whom we serve!) may find it just as fascinating…

So what exactly is all this talk about ‘out of the bricks and mortar’ and ‘into the virtual world’? Well, as the song goes, “The times, they are a changin’…”  Technology has come a long, long way since the days of people having to walk in to a real estate office (or telephone, for that matter) to get information they wanted on buying homes. In fact, I am willing to bet that unless you have a high end real estate office located on the boardwalk of a resort city, it is rare indeed for a “walk in” client to appear in a real estate office.

So, why do they still exist? Well, it’s a great place to file papers!  And also to pump up the sales staff and have meetings.  It gives people a place to go to feel important and be seen doing what they are supposed to be doing….or does it?

What an agent with a successful real estate career is supposed to be doing is helping people buy and sell real estate. That involves face to face contact with clients and/or doing appropriate marketing activities. All the rest of the work is secondary. And, don’t kid yourself….there is plenty of it!  Lots of paperwork, marketing of properties, marketing of one’s own ‘self’ as a business entity, follow through with sales, inspections, etc.

So, why an office? Well, Inman News, the leading independent real estate source, recently pointed out in a key article, “the days of bricks and mortar” are waining.   More and more real estate offices are realizing that the need for fancy, impressive office space is dwindling. Impressing the public is simply not as important as getting the job done!  High overhead to keep all of those papers filed and staff running around is forcing many offices, large and small, to close their doors or downsize.

But, wait!  There must be another way!  Enter eXp Realty, LLC, “the world’s first fully immersive Web 3.0 Real Estate Brokerage!”  And what, exactly, does that mean?  Goodbye “Bricks and mortar”!  That’s right…most agents have home offices and/or work on the fly wherever they are using laptops, smart phones, etc. Yes, did you know that you can log in and write a contract online or from your mobile, send it via electronic signature to your clients (in many states) for legal approval, then forward that to the other agent, etc. without ever touching a piece of paper?

But what about going into the office, waving that accepted sales contract around, and letting everyone know you’ve got a new sale? With Twitter, Facebook, and yes, now Google Plus (go ahead, try those links!), there are plenty of options for sharing all the good news about success in your real estate career. Why get caught up in the facade of feeling important to the other agents? The really important people are your clients!  So focus on them and the rest of your success will follow….

While we are at it, exactly how much time does the average agent spend running into that office?  Well, I can’t really speak for others, but I can tell you that, since I joined eXp Realty and have gone totally virtual, I no longer get all dressed up, get in my car (at almost $4.00 per gallon), and spend 15 minutes each way just to pass in some paperwork or discuss something with the Admin folks at the office. Guess what?  I put on my headset, log into our amazing virtual office building (yes, it’s three stories, complete with classroom auditorium, board and meeting rooms, a tech center, administrative offices, and even a coffee shop!), and go to work.

Papers? No more!  Entirely paperless systems that file and store everything (without ever printing anything….truly green!), and are shared automatically with the appropriate parties. Classes and meetings? Absolutely! eXp offers about a dozen classes and high end tech topics a week, along with other learning sessions, meetings, etc.  Here’s a snapshot of some of our Broker’s from around the country at a recent eXp Realty Leadership meeting:                   

Yes, a real time meeting in our eXp Realty virtual office! (Zrealestateman on far right)

The Inman News article quotes eXp Realty CEO and founder Glenn Sanford, describing how “eXp employs ‘virtual’ offices in the truest sense of the word. Managers, agents and transaction staff conduct meetings online from home offices, entering a virtual setting that’s like playing a video game.”

NOW HERE’S THE GOOD NEWS…..We’re not sitting around playing video games! All of that time saved running around for seemingly important busy tasks is time that I can now spend, as an active real estate agent serving my clients, on more important things!  As a former RE/MAX agent trainer, I can tell you that a typical agent may appear to put in 40-50 hours of work per week, but when all is said and done, essential time doing “A” tasks to service their clients is only a fraction of that time.  By eliminating unnecessary travel and staying focused, I have been able to increase my own efficiency and productivity, learn more unique and effective marketing methods from others in our eXp Realty collaborative environment, and overall have a more happy, balanced personal life! (My garden speaks the truth of that!) 

'Zrealestateman' at home in his garden!