October is Luxury Month on Inman. Inman Handbooks offer deep dives on luxury marketing and agent branding, luxury staging, referrals, and more. We’re thinking about what luxury means now, examining how the pandemic is reshaping the needs of luxury buyers, and talking to top luxury agents, all month long.
The real estate market across the nation has been booming amidst — or perhaps as a result of — coronavirus. The demand and limited supply for homes has been unprecedented during the pandemic, with home sales surging at record highs.
With all this activity in the market, agents have been working diligently to safely and productively guide clients in the search and purchase of property. To keep the momentum going, here are three tips for keeping up with clients’ needs and the pandemic shifts in the markets you serve.
1. Reevaluate the needs of your buyers
The pandemic has reshaped the meaning of people’s homes. At the beginning of the pandemic, during the lockdowns, families began to evaluate the functionality of their physical home space.
Now, with social distancing measures still in place and with people spending more time than ever at home, they’re moving to better suit their current needs. It’s important to have conversations with your clients to get a full picture of what they desire in a home right now.
Ask questions like: “Do you and your partner both need an office space to work from home?” “Are your children in need of a dedicated space for homeschooling?” “Do you require a larger pantry and kitchen for preparing more meals at home?” “How about outdoor and recreational space?”
I recommend creating a list of questions and checklists to make sure you can adequately guide your client through their homebuying process. Having a realistic outline of the needs of your client will help you excel at your work and service them to the best of your ability.
2. Be active on social media
With more home searches being conducted online and through social media, now is the time to take your digital presence to the next level. In addition to posting industry-related content on platforms such as Instagram and YouTube, be sure to let your followers know about your latest listings through engaging home tours and live social streams.
With market activity at an all-time high, providing a virtual tour that’s informative and interesting will lead to great traffic to your platform and listing — especially while buyers are scrolling through for their dream home.
I also recommend compiling the best images of your listing and presenting it beautifully on your social media through a slideshow like this post on my Instagram. This will provide viewers with a quick snapshot of the property’s highlights. Try including high-quality images of the spacious home office, expansive yard or even oversized kitchen. These are all spaces that are in more demand now than ever before.
3. Stay organized
During this busy time in your career, start each day by prioritizing your tasks. By staying organized, you will be able to be more productive and mindful even on the most stressful of days.
I also recommend grouping your tasks by the specific areas of the business. If you’re working on transactional tasks, set aside a window of time to update the MLS, submit paperwork and documents to all parties, and follow up with clients.
Similarly, work on your marketing tasks such as e-newsletters, updating your website and outlining your social media in the same block of time to best accomplish these groups of tasks. Grouping similar tasks for each area of your business will maximize your time and efficiency during a busy season.
These three tips will help you keep your post-pandemic momentum going and stay on track with your clients’ evolving needs. Open and ongoing communication with your buyer will result in success, especially if there are any new pandemic or market shifts in the regions you serve.
Continue to evaluate the needs of your buyers, and if need be, adjust their criteria for their home search accordingly. Most importantly, stay organized and continue to prioritize your tasks so you can service your client to the best of your ability.
Remember to keep your digital pages and social platforms up to date to keep driving traffic to your latest inventory and recent transactions.
Santiago Arana is a managing partner at The Agency, in Los Angeles. Connect with him on Instagram.
