Data shows actual health benefits to working in a team environment. I cannot think of any other way to work without my real estate team. Growing my team didn’t happen overnight, and it didn’t go as smoothly as I desired. But, it is all part of the process, and I’ve learned that timing is key to building a successful real estate business. 

Before jumping into the hiring process of team building, it’s essential to ask yourself a few questions.

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF BEFORE GOING INTO THE HIRING PROCESS OF A REAL ESTATE TEAM

What can you afford? 

• What are your expectations for the position that you want to add? 
• Are you prepared to train? 
• How will you communicate the team to your clients? 
• How will you divide labor and tasks? 
• What positions should be part-time or full-time? 
• Are there some tasks you can outsource to another company rather than hiring?

When you get to a place where you think you are ready to expand, it is paramount to remember that you are still responsible for training. 

I see many real estate brokers fail when team building because they feel they “need an extra set of hands” and don’t have a plan in place. They don’t have a playbook. As a result, they lack the discipline and systems to train and manage the people they bring on effectively. Lacking discipline often leads to unmet expectations because a goal isn’t set. It can quickly cause a breakdown in any working relationship. 

Positions to consider when building your real estate team

Administrative Assistant

An administrative assistant can assist in the details of your operation, help organize and manage your schedule. An administrative assistant can also assist with marketing efforts and plan business events. The administrative assistant can be a great first position to add.

Listing and Transaction Coordinator in order to build a successful real estate team

A transaction coordinator is different than an administrative assistant. This team member may be one person, or you could grow this into two positions as your business expands. It would be best to build these jobs around managing the listing and transaction process. A good administrative assistant could move into one of these roles. The Listing and Transaction Coordinator positions are both client-facing roles where the team member will interact with the client to assist with dates, timelines, and events for their listing and sale. You want those filling these roles to be highly organized and detail-oriented.

Experienced Agent Partner to build a successful real estate team

Bringing on experienced agents as agent partners is where I have a unique perspective. I enjoy the collaboration with other producing agents. We all have different personalities, which allow us to work with various clients. Don’t be disillusioned on this concept as being a no-brainer, though. Providing benefits to the agents that you bring on is a responsibility. You have to bring value to them, have systems, a good foundation, and deliver marketing tools that they can use to grow and expand. Having these tools in place is a responsibility that we do not take lightly.

Showing Assistant

Finally, as you gain more clients and add buyer’s agents, it can become challenging to juggle multiple showings – that’s where your showing assistant will come in. The showing assistant will help manage your agents’ showings and the details of the home buying process for clients – responding to phone calls, relaying the necessary information to the clients, and being present during the scheduled showings.

Working and growing together as a team takes time. Refer back to your Playbook often, and if you don’t have a Playbook, you should start there. Also, remember to review your goals with the real estate team to ensure you are all aligned with your vision. 

Are you ready to expand? What position do you need to fill first to work more efficiently? For more tips on completing your team and tribe, read “Finding your tribe in real estate.” 

I’m incredibly proud of our team for the hard work in the last month! Here’s a quick SEPTEMBER RECAP.