Do YOU go into your real estate office?

More often than not when an agent calls or emails me they are working from home. This trend has caused Real Estate companies all across the country to reevaluate their leases and question their posh offices which are usually half-empty.  Why?  The need to come into a brick and mortar office day in and day out is not as important as it used to be. Everything is available to the agents online and from anywhere.  Working virtually is not for everyone. You need discipline, planning and a few great products to make your life easier and your business a success.

Here are a few products I think are vital if  working from home:

Smartphone

I think ALL agents need a smartphone. It’s a MUST. My favorite of course is the iPhone, but there are other outstanding phones too. Phones like the Blackberry, Droid, and the Nexus One are all viable choices. Ask other agents what they like and dislike about their smartphones. Then, visit your cell phone provider’s website and do some research to whittle down your choices. With this knowledge visit their store to try out each one on for size to find the one that works best for your needs.

Laptop

If you are working virtually you need a light and fast laptop, one that you can grab and go! While Apple’s MacBook Pro is an excellent choice, it’s the most expensive and you’ll have to wait a few more months to be able to access our MLS with a MAC.  The new Dell Mini 10 netbooks are light weight and might provide you with all the firepower you need at a very reasonable price below $350.00. The jury is still out on the iPad. I can’t seem to figure out what it replaces. I suppose if I didn’t already own a laptop I might grab one.  Even though it’s still new, I WANT ONE, I just don’t know why yet!

Mobile broadband with Bluetooth headset

This is a must-have! They recently announced the newest version of bluetooth. Talking and texting on the phone is a must in this business but you must resist the urge to do it while driving. Virtually every cellular company offers “family plans”. These plans allow you to put up to 5 different phones on the same account. So, whether it’s you and your family or you and your team of agents you can all be doing business online at the same time. Most phones let you tap into Wi-Fi wireless networks too. Currently, only ATT supports the iPhone but that will change at the end of this year.

A Home Office

Ok this is probably more important than everything else. Create a dedicated, private work space in your home and use it regularly.  Working from home isn’t as easy as you would think.  It requires a great deal of discipline. Open a separate bank account for your business.  Fund it, run all expenses through it, plan out your marketing and watch the account grow.

Even though I still have my real estate license, I don’t know what its like to be out there every day. With today’s technology it seems like we are very close to having all the tools we need to do our jobs from any where.

So, how often do YOU go into your real estate office?  Every day, a  few times a week or once a month?

We’d love to hear your feedback on this subject – please leave a comment below!

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Being BOB

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