+44 1302 260467
BOOK A DISCOVERY CALL

Tag: estate agency

HomeAll PostsTag: estate agency
Estate Agencies

Your 2025 Business Growth Blueprint

4 days ago

Your 2025 Business Growth Blueprint

The start of a new year offers a clean slate—a time to turn reflection into action and lay the groundwork for a successful year ahead. For estate agents, 2025 promises fresh opportunities in a rapidly evolving market. But success requires more than just ambition; it demands a clear strategy, measurable goals, and a cohesive team to bring your vision to life.

Here’s your 2025 Business Growth Blueprint, designed to help you transform your year-end reflections into actionable plans for a stellar year.

Step 1: Reflect on December’s Insights

Before you look ahead, take a moment to review the goals, successes, and challenges of 2024. December may have been a busy month, but it’s rich with insights.

  • What went well? Identify the strategies and efforts that paid off, such as a marketing campaign that generated quality leads or a successful client onboarding process.
  • What didn’t work? Pinpoint inefficiencies, such as time-consuming tasks or missed opportunities, and think about how these can be avoided in the future.
  • What feedback did you receive? Client and team feedback often highlight areas for improvement or new opportunities worth exploring.

The lessons you uncover here will serve as a foundation for your 2025 strategy.

Step 2: Set Strategic and Measurable Goals

Once you’ve reflected, it’s time to chart the course for the year ahead. This is where setting S.M.A.R.T. goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) comes into play.

  • Specific: Instead of vague ambitions like “grow the business,” aim for clear objectives like “increase lead generation by 20% in Q1.”
  • Measurable: Use metrics to track progress, such as the number of new clients onboarded or the percentage of listings sold above the asking price.
  • Achievable: Aim high but stay realistic. Consider market trends and your current resources.
  • Relevant: Align your goals with your long-term business vision.
  • Time-bound: Set deadlines to create urgency and maintain momentum.

For example, you might decide:

  • “By the end of Q2, improve our social media engagement rate by 15%.”
  • “Reduce administrative workload by 25% by onboarding a dedicated Virtual Assistant by February.”

Step 3: Align and Empower Your Team

Your team is the engine that drives your business growth. Aligning them with your goals ensures everyone is working toward the same vision.

  1. Communicate Your Vision: Share your 2025 objectives during a team meeting or strategy session. Help your team understand how their roles contribute to achieving these goals.
  2. Delegate Strategically: Identify key tasks to delegate to team members, including Virtual Assistants. A VA can manage lead generation, CRM updates, marketing campaigns, or even client follow-ups, freeing up your time to focus on high-priority areas.
  3. Invest in Training: Provide opportunities for skill development. Whether it’s a crash course in digital marketing tools or a refresher on CRM software, empowered team members are more confident and efficient.

Step 4: Streamline Operations for Efficiency

Growth demands efficiency. Reducing bottlenecks in your processes will free up valuable time and resources.

  • Audit Your Tools and Systems: Are your current systems enabling or hindering your operations? Consider upgrading to cloud-based CRMs, online project management tools, or advanced analytics platforms.
  • Leverage Automation: Automate repetitive tasks like appointment scheduling or email marketing. This not only saves time but ensures consistency.
  • Delegate Routine Work: Enlist a Virtual Assistant to manage day-to-day admin tasks, allowing you to focus on strategic decision-making.

Step 5: Maintain Momentum

Strategic plans often falter when they’re not reviewed regularly. Schedule check-ins—monthly or quarterly—to assess progress, celebrate wins, and adjust strategies as needed.

  • Use Data to Drive Decisions: Analytics tools can help you monitor KPIs like client engagement, lead conversions, and revenue growth. Use this data to refine your approach.
  • Adapt to Change: Market conditions can shift quickly. Stay flexible and be ready to pivot your strategy if necessary.

Your Path to Success

The key to thriving in 2025 is starting the year with intention and focus. By reflecting on past performance, setting strategic goals, empowering your team, and streamlining operations, you’ll position your estate agency for success in a competitive market.

If you need extra support to execute your 2025 vision, a skilled Virtual Assistant can make all the difference. Whether it’s managing your CRM, enhancing your marketing efforts, or freeing up your time to focus on growth, VA Central is here to help.

Book a discovery call today to explore how our bespoke Virtual Assistants can drive your business forward in 2025.

Estate Agencies

5 Things every estate agent should do before the end of the year

December 6, 2024

There are certain activities that we maintain are important not to overlook before you close for the holidays. One or two of them may appear to be of lesser importance in the greater scheme of things, but they all have far-reaching implications when it comes to supporting your agency’s brand awareness, a happy team and clients, safety, and your handle on the well-being of your company and team.

Here is our list of 5 things every Estate Agent should do before the holiday break:

  1. Make sure your marketing does not come to a halt

Just because most people are on holiday does not mean that prospective property buyers are not spending time online. Surveys show that every year on Boxing Day UK property searches surge. Use the relatively quiet period before the holidays to review your previous year’s marketing campaign. Take stock of what worked well and what did not. Implement a well-planned holiday marketing strategy to attract genuine buyers over year-end as well as to stimulate business in the New Year.

Over and above your regular marketing you can :

  • Target your existing database with a personalised email campaign that wishes your clients and prospects well over the festive season. Including the right call to action and link will help drive traffic to your website.
  • Create and preschedule a calendar of social media posts that cover December and January. Include feel-good, holiday-themed social media posts that engage and inspire your followers and spread festive cheer.
  • To help momentum, run a competition or giveaway in the New Year once the buzz of the festive season is set to fade.
  1. Plan staff appreciation

Recognition is a powerful tool in building morale and a positive work environment. Year end is a great time to acknowledge and reward your team for their support and hard work over the past twelve months. For example:

  • Build an appreciation ceremony into your year-end event. In the case of a virtual team this will be online. Acknowledging your hard-working team members – and even building in peer-to-peer recognition – works well to encourage and motivate your people and support a quality team dynamic.
  • The rewards your give your team do not have to be financial. Consider giving each of your team members valuable non-monetary rewards like the opportunity to take their birthday off or receive specials skills development and training.
  1. Plan client appreciation

Client appreciation goes a long way to helping you build strong relationships with the very people who help your business thrive. In the digital era, personalised client appreciation can be a powerful reminder of a genuine connection. You can:

  • Send your clients personalised holiday greeting cards.
  • Deliver festive gift baskets with a personal note of thanks.
  • Host a meaningful client appreciation event linked to a charitable organisation. For example you can set aside two days over which you invite your clients to pop in for a hot chocolate and cookie as they drop off animal food or warm blankets to donate to animal rescue or a shelter.
  1. Always plan for the unexpected
  • Make sure all your company’s insurance policies and important documents are up to date and easily accessible.
  • In the case of a bricks and mortar office, check your security systems are functioning properly. Should you claim, your insurers will check if your security system and electrical fencing were properly maintained and functional at the time of an incident.
  • Remain aware of cyber risk – especially over the festive season. Organise and back up your data and have everyone in the team update their passwords before they take a break.
  1. Allow time for qualitative reflection

Before you turn your mind and energy toward family and the festive season, it is as important to reflect on the holistic health of your business as it is to set next year’s budget. There are important aspects that are a litmus test of the health of your business that hinge on employee well-being and a positive workplace culture. These can be observed but are more difficult to measure. As the year draws to a close, ask yourself these questions:

  • How were overt stress and anxiety levels within your team and company this year?
  • Did people show signs of burnout?
  • Was there any sign of a toxic culture developing inside the company?
  • Did teams collaborate well?
  • Did you witness creativity and innovation at work within the company?
  • Did business outcomes this year align with, and support, the company’s mission?

Don’t assume your clients know you will be out of office

And finally – on a very practical note – if you are shutting down during the festive break, before you close your office for the last few days of 2024, it is important to let your clients know when you will be out of office so that you don’t just disappear. Send them an e-mail or a text message notifying them about the dates of your holiday break and activate an out-of-office notification on all your communication channels – including the date when you are back, as well as an emergency number.

Estate Agencies

VA Central’s Guide To Avoiding Burnout During The Holidays

December 6, 2024

So, you’ve made it through the year-end crunch and it’s time to hang the closed sign on your office door and take a break over Christmas and New Year. Let your holiday workload begin! There is so much to do – decorating, buying gifts, planning festive meals, preparing food and dealing with family issues that escalate when everyone spends a lot of time together. Putting too much pressure on ourselves over festive season can cause major stress that leads to mental and physical fatigue. The last thing you need is to reach the end of the break feeling more tired than when you shut up shop.

Here are 5 useful tips to help you manage stress and avoid burning out even though your holiday to-do list rivals your one at work:

  1. Budget wisely

The festive season can be the most expensive time of the year. It is important to budget wisely to avoid a January debt hangover. Decide upfront what your holiday priorities are and then draw up a holiday budget. Categorise festive season expenses, such as gifts, food, special events, travel and everything else, big or small. Once your budget has been set don’t be tempted to throw caution to the wind and spend up a storm. Track your spending and make sure you have sufficient allocated to see you though to the end of January.

  1. Plan ahead

No matter what holiday plans you have in place, getting organised early will help with stress levels. At the start of your break – or even before – plan your holiday schedule and set aside time to make a list of must-do tasks with deadlines. For example:

  • Plan your festive menus in advance.
  • Create a gift list rather than selecting gifts on the fly.
  • Schedule to do food and gift shopping early to avoid last-minute dashes.
  • Plan your outings and make sure necessary bookings are sorted.
  • If you’re hosting the family Christmas dinner, preassemble a team to help with prep.
  1. Spend your time on people and activities you love

Who do you love spending time with and what are your favourite festive season activities? It is important to consider your happiness when planning how you spend your holiday time – and to ask your family what’s good for them, too. Plan to do the things that you really enjoy doing and say no to the things you feel pressured to do. Focus most of your energy and time on people you love and do your best to avoid or limit the time spent with toxic people.

  1. Schedule “me time”

Keep your schedule flexible and give yourself the gift of regular “me time” over the break. You may feel under pressure to make the holidays the best time for everyone else. It is important to know that it is okay to schedule time for yourself. It is not time-wasting to relax and do nothing but flop out on the sofa in front of the fire, read a book, or take an afternoon nap. Unwinding and taking time for yourself will help to restore your energy and manage stress – and you’ll feel happier.

  1. Pay it forward
    The festive season is about giving. It provides a fantastic opportunity to help others and teach your children about the importance of making a difference in someone’s life. And giving is a win-win. The physical and mental benefits of helping others can be long-lasting, having an impact on both the giver and receiver that goes way beyond the act itself. So find a way to pay it forward this festive season. You could:
  • Volunteer your time at a soup kitchen
  • Help local charities by contributing to their care packages
  • Contribute food to an animal shelter
  • Invite someone who is alone to join your festive celebrations
  • Donate winter clothes, hats and mittens to a local shelter.

Your support team is your secret weapon

One of the most important means of not burning out over the holidays is to have solid work-life boundaries in place. There is no peace in feeling guilty because you should be working, then working and feeling guilty because you are neglecting your loved ones. Being able to take a proper break is made so much easier if you know that day-to-day business is being taken care of by your support team. This is where having a competent, trustworthy Virtual Assistant can make all the difference. Your VA will make sure that day-to-day work continues, and no opportunity is missed while you take a proper break. So you can return to work in the new year feeling full of energy and ready to take on the world.

Estate Agencies

Top 10 Productivity Hacks To End The Year Strong

December 6, 2024

In the same way that busy Estate Agents wish there were 36 hours in a day, they wish that there were 13 months in the year. There is always so much to do at year end – servicing the socks off current clients, attracting new clients, making sure that time-critical routine work is completed, and finding the time to plan and set up to thrive in the New Year.

Without a good plan, as a hard-working Estate Agent, you may find yourself both succumbing to year-end fatigue and dreading the holidays. However, with some sensible planning and help from your team, there are ways to combat the year end crunch.

Here are our top 10 productivity hacks to have a productive and successful end-of-year before taking a few well-earned days off:

  1. Prioritise your tasks

There will be many tasks you would like to complete before you close shop for the year-end holiday. It’s important to make sure you know which tasks are the most important. Ask yourself these five questions:

  • What’s the risk or impact of delaying this task?
  • What would happen if this task wasn’t done?
  • How many hours does this task entail?
  • What other tasks will fall by the wayside if you prioritise this task?
  • Who else could do this task for you?
  1. Make lists

Once you are clear as to what is most important, make a list of what you need to achieve and put your tasks in order of priority. This will ensure you get all the important tasks done first. Make your list more effective by adding a deadline for each task, so that you don’t only know what to do but also when it must be completed.

  1. Time-block your schedule

Assign specific time periods for each task or group of tasks. Some tasks will take longer than you planned for, so build in some buffer time for tasks that overrun their deadline. It has been proven to be productive to work in one-hour blocks and to take short breaks between each. Stick to working on the task assigned to each block. If you don’t finish a task, move on and move the remainder of the task a future time block.

  1. Say “no”

There are always an overabundance of tempting and not-such-fun invitations to field in the festive season. If a request or opportunity doesn’t align with your goals to end the year strong, give yourself permission to say “no” without feeling guilty. This will protect your time and energy, so you can prioritise what matters most.

  1. Change up your routine

You may typically start you day getting to grips with important emails and getting back to clients – and before you know it the morning has run away with you. For the final two working weeks of the year, use the time blocks in your diary to change that. Start your working day by tackling the tasks that need you to be fresh and focused. The outcome is that you will have made progress on completing an important task without being distracted.

  1. Take regular breaks

It is not only important to manage your time, it is crucial to manage your energy. When setting up time blocks in your diary, Include time for personal errands and breaks. It may seem counter-intuitive, but this helps clear thinking and productivity. Breaks can help you maintain consistent productivity throughout the day and reduce the risk of physical and mental exhaustion.

  1. Declutter

When your office or home is filled with clutter, trying to tackle a demanding workload can be quite overwhelming. Sorting out your space before year-end may seem to be a low-level priority compared to other mission critical tasks on your to-do list. However, making small wins each day can make a remarkable difference to your energy and productivity. We recommend spending 10 minutes a day sorting and making inroads into the clutter.

  1. Start making goals for the New Year

Working through your priority tasks and sorting through clutter is an excellent vantage point from which to begin formulating your goals for 2025. Start listing your goals for next year as you work. When you return to work in the New Year refreshed. Having had space and time to think, you can review and refine your goals with the foundation already in place.

  1. Schedule downtime

Don’t be tempted to work late into the night to get more done. Set yourself a goal to get at least 7-8 hours of sleep per night. This way you will wake up energised and ready to start each day. It is equally important to schedule personal downtime. Downtime is when you’re not actively engaged in work-related tasks. This could mean keeping up your exercise regimen, practicing your favourite hobby, reading a book – or taking yourself out for a good coffee.

  1. Delegate to your Virtual Assistant

Just  because you are busy completing priority tasks that will impact on business success in the New Year,  does not mean that routine daily tasks should fall by the wayside. To make matters worse, the year-end holiday cuts December and January short, so that a month’s worth of work must be squeezed into 3 weeks. Having a Virtual Assistant who protects you from distractions and keeps day-to-day work up to date makes all the difference to ending the year strong. In fact, there may be priority tasks that you realise your VA will do better and faster than you. Don’t hesitate to hand over these tasks to your VA.

Once you have done what you can before the festive break it is important to give yourself quality time out. If you’re facing several days off with nothing much planned, it could be tempting to do some ‘quick’ work. Rather give yourself something to look forward to. Plan the time to relax, do fun things, spend time with people you love, and explore the world around  you. There should be no guilt in putting your laptop and work phone away while you rest and recharge.

Estate Agencies

The Ultimate Holiday Checklist For Busy Estate Agents

December 5, 2024

The year has flown by, and it’s hard to believe that Christmas is less than three weeks away. On top of the personal pressures that the festive season brings, there can be a lot of stress that comes with running a business at this time of year. Whether you have physical office space or your estate agency operates solely online, tackling what needs to be done can represent both a challenge and an opportunity. Being organised for the holiday season is your best chance at reducing stress – and it sets you up to hit the ground running in the New Year.

This is easier said than done if you currently walk the tightrope of trying to do everything yourself. And it’s when having the help of a Virtual Assistant – or a team of VAs – can make a huge difference to enjoying a happy, fruitful holiday season. A skilled and experienced Virtual Assistant who knows exactly what you want and shares your vision and work ethic, can easily step up to provide the extra support you need.

Here is a checklist of 5 ways your Virtual Assistant can help get you organised this festive season:

  1. Festive season gifts

The prevalence of online shopping means your Virtual Assistant can arrange personalised year-end gifts for special clients and suppliers. All you need to do is sign off on the gift selection and then let your VA take care of the rest.

  • This includes keeping a gift and card register to ensure your CRM is updated with important personal details. For example, your clients may celebrate a range of different religious or cultural holidays that you want to acknowledge. Due to varied religious observances it could be that sending certain clients a bottle of wine is the entirely wrong sort of gift to give.
  • Brief them as to what you want and your VA can help you source and order gifts for your friends and family – because as much as you want to do your shopping personally, year-end busyness can have you strapped for time.
  1. Party invitations and greeting’s cards

You may decide to send your clients and suppliers a traditional year-end greetings card or a printed invitation to your office cocktail party. By delegating the management of your CRM system to your Virtual Assistant, they will have made sure that your database is always up to date. As a result, when it comes to mailing or delivering greetings cards or invitations, the correct address details are easily accessible. This is way more efficient than having to hunt for address details or risk receiving a pile of returned mail marked “not at this address”.

  1. Holiday travel

As much as you may be looking forward to working on your tan in an exotic location, travel bookings can be tedious and time-consuming. Brief your Virtual Assistant accordingly and they will find the cheapest flights, make sure you have an aisle or window seat, arrange your early check-ins and organise hire car at your destination. Let them know what options you prefer when you’re booking accommodation and brief them on any other personal specifications you might have. Your VA will even arrange a bouquet of flowers and chocolates to be delivered to your mum on Christmas eve, while you’re away.

  1. Diary management

It’s called ‘the silly season’ for a reason – it’s crazy how full your schedule can get in December.  Your VA can manage your diary, so you don’t get overbooked in the party season. If necessary, receiving a timely reminder from your VA means you will always know where you’re supposed to be and how you’re getting there. Plus your Virtual Assistant can also set up follow-up meetings in the new year with interesting people you meet at holiday parties.

  1. Holding the fort

Your Virtual Assistant can make sure that you have business continuity while you’re on holiday. This will allow you to pack away your laptop and get a proper break knowing that day-to-day work is being handled.

  • Your VA will uphold your professional brand image as a friendly, helpful ‘voice’ when prospective clients get in touch in response to current property listings – and they can sort and prioritise messages for your return.
  • Your VA can also manage your inbox while you are away, so you don’t return to a flood of unread emails.

If you are especially busy, or you have a particular project you want to complete before year-end, you can always take on an additional VA on a short-term contract to ensure that last-minute work or your important project gets finished on time without taking any shortcuts. For example, you may want to revamp your website in time to launch the update early in January. Taking on a web developer to get this project done on time, to a high standard, makes good sense.

The holiday season doesn’t have to be a whirlwind of stress and chaos. By leveraging the skills of your Virtual Assistant, you can stay organised, tackle your to-do list with ease, and still make time to enjoy the festive spirit. Whether it’s managing gifts, travel, or holding the fort while you’re away, a VA ensures that both your personal and professional responsibilities are handled seamlessly.

So, why not take this opportunity to delegate and make this festive season one to truly enjoy? With the right support, you’ll not only survive the holiday rush—you’ll thrive in it, setting the stage for a strong start in the New Year.

Estate Agencies

Why the holiday season is the perfect time to invest in a VA

November 25, 2024

As an Estate Agent you may consider the ‘December downturn’ the wrong time of year to expand your team. After all, the property market typically slows down in the weeks before year-end, as potential buyers shift their focus to holiday festivities and put their property search on hold until the new year. Poor winter weather can also deter buyers from attending viewings. Many property-related services, such as conveyancing attorneys, wind down and may be closed during the Christmas week and early January. Granted, there are some genuine buyers during December who are committed to moving quickly.

However, looking forward to 2025, this year-end lull is predicted to be short-lived. According to recent forecasts by specialists in the financial and property markets, the UK housing market is going to head into 2025 “on the front foot”, with mortgage approvals set to peak in the first three months of the new year.”1  One reason property sales are projected to spike at the beginning of next year is that people will be motivated to buy property before the rise in stamp duty in April 2025. From this time 83% of homebuyers will pay more stamp duty.

Don’t just play catch up – get ready for a bumper 2025

As an estate agent, you may already find yourself at a tipping point – with a workload that is far too big for one person to manage without cutting corners. Electing to use the December downturn to catch up on what was not accomplished at the end of 2024 is not nearly as effective as getting ready to capitalise on the property upswing so you can grow your business in 2025. The first step to taking advantage of the Q1 upturn is to pre-emptively grow your team, so you can delegate busy routine work and focus on the tasks that will grow your business.

Here are 5 way in which taking on a Virtual Assistant in December makes perfect sense: 

  1. Get a jump on 2025.

Capitalise on the December downturn by using the time to source and thoroughly onboard a Virtual Assistant. Taking the time to properly equip a VA pays incredible dividends. It will provide your VA with essential information and tools to ensure they make an immediate difference to your working day. For a blow-by-blow breakdown on the best way to onboard your VA, read our blog, “How to onboard your new Virtual Assistant in less than a week.”

https://vacentral.co.uk/how-to-onboard-your-new-virtual-assistant-in-less-than-a-week/

  1. Don’t wait for spring for a CRM cleanup.

Use you VA to prepare your Agency for a busy 2025 by delegating the updating and streamlining of your CRM system. Your tech savvy VA will release you from the time-consuming task of updating information and scrubbing your database. They can:

  • Capture missing data
  • Get rid of useless information
  • Get duplicates under control
  • Validate existing data
  • Recycle leads
  1. Use the festive season to connect with new and existing clients.

The holiday season is a great time for estate agents to connect with clients and prospects and attract new leads. In an EstateAgentTODAY article in November 2023, Chris Vile, CEO of The ValPal Network (TVPN) is quoted as saying:

“Lead levels double on Boxing Day and continue to rise until New Years Eve and reach a peak during the second week of January. It’s vital that agents keep their marketing plans in top gear right through December and into the New Year so they can take advantage of the leads that will be generated.”

We recommend delegating the task of creating and posting festive season marketing content to your social media savvy VA.

  1. Set your marketing strategy for 2025.

In a crowded marketplace property buyers and sellers are “spoilt for choice.” Heading into 2025, effective marketing is essential to capture attention. Consistency is key. Regardless of whether you want to attract new leads, maintain brand awareness or nurture your relationship with existing clients you need to ensure your content is scheduled to the right audience at the right time. This is where being able to hand over marketing to a Virtual Assistant with digital marketing skills can make all the difference.

Read our blog, “Adapting your marketing strategy for the 2025 property market.”

https://vacentral.co.uk/adapting-your-marketing-strategy-for-the-2025-property-market/

  1. Take a break while your VA holds the fort.

One of the most incredible aspects of Virtual Assistants is our ability to help you achieve work-life balance. Having a Virtual Assistant to manage administration, oversee your diary, respond to client enquiries and generally streamline your working day will allow you to prepare for a bumper 2025 by having time to rest and spend quality time with family. With an experienced VA in place, you can embrace time off, knowing that your business is in capable hands.

Finding the right Virtual Assistant can be a game-changer for your Estate Agency in 2025. Today, Virtual Assistants specialise in various areas. When sourcing a VA, it’s important to understand the range of skills available. There are diverse skillsets enough to build an entire VA team – from Administrators who handle scheduling, emails, and other organisational tasks to Social Media Managers who are experienced at creating, overseeing and growing your online presence to Letting Administrators and Property Managers who are skilled at landlord/tenant liaison and maintenance – or even Bookkeepers to handle financial admin. The key lies in finding the best VA recruitment company to source the right VAs for you.

1https://ifamagazine.com/uk-property-market-poised-to-pick-up-the-pace-post-christmas-lull/

Estate Agencies

Preparing Your Estate Agency for Remote and Hybrid Work in 2025

November 24, 2024

So, you’ve made the decision to expand your team by taking on a Virtual Assistant in the New Year. It stands to reason that for a busy Estate Agent who is overwhelmed by administrative work, spending time on the setup can be a bit frustrating. But the outcome is totally worth it. The up-front investment of your time to prepare for your VA will transform your business by freeing up many more productive hours down the line. And the investment in streamlining and automating routine work will pay dividends way into the future.

Step One

The first step in preparing your estate agency for hybrid workers or Virtual Assistants to join your team is to choose the right digital tools for your business to automate your work processes and enable seamless communication.

  1. Invest in the right digital tools and software for smooth workflow

Virtual Assistants are tech savvy professionals who are equipped to use a wide range of online tools, including scheduling, administrative, project management, CRM, analytics and bookkeeping software. Here are 5 examples of essential software to facilitate remote work:

  • Project management platforms such as Trello are vital tools for Virtual Assistants to oversee and track tasks and projects remotely in their home office.
  • Communication tools like Slack are great for teams that need to be in constant communication. Slack is essentially a team online chat tool with some extra functionality that makes it way much more than just chat.
  • Video conferencing software such as Zoom or Google Meet allows for face-to-face meetings.
  • Cloud document storage and file sharing such as Google Drive simplifies document storage for a virtual team by saving all documents on the cloud. Plus multiple people can even work on a document at the same time, with changes visible to everyone.
  • Time tracking software, like Clockify, is essential for keeping track of time and work output. Clockify gets credit for being one of the best completely free time tracking tools for Virtual Assistants.
  1. Invest in software to automate administration, operations and marketing functions

From sales and lettings administration to property management and client accounts, there is a range of Estate Agent-specific software available, like PortalHub, full of time-saving features. Platforms such as Alto are a comprehensive cloud-based CRM solution for estate and letting agents, providing one solution from CRM to property management and marketing to accounting. There are also digital tools in the marketplace that will streamline planning, creating and rolling out marketing campaigns.

Look to automate the following functions:

  • Diary management
  • CRM
  • Sales progression
  • Lettings administration
  • Property management
  • Marketing
  • Content creation
  • Social media scheduling

When it comes to remote workers, today’s Virtual Assistants are highly digitally competent. Your incoming VA will be able to play a valuable role in helping you set up your automated systems. You will not necessarily need to have your platforms completely up and running in readiness for them to start. Many of the suppliers of industry-specific software provide support and training for new clients. Your VA can make use of this training to get up to speed – whether this is via video conference or online tutorial.

Step Two

The second step to preparing to take on Virtual Assistants is to get clear on their job description and gather all necessary information

  1. Get clear on your Virtual Assistants’ description

It is important to define the processes involved in your daily operations to determine which tasks you want to hand over to your Virtual Assistant so that you can create a comprehensive job outline and KPIs (Key Performance Indicators).

  • Make a list of all once-off and reoccurring and tasks, such as scheduling meetings, managing email, responding to customer inquiries, posting on social media or invoicing.
  • If you have ongoing tasks, whether they are daily, weekly, or monthly, create milestones and deadlines as to when and how often these tasks must be completed.
  • Once you have your final task list ready, rearrange the tasks in order of priority.
  • Where you feel it is necessary, provide clear, written instructions as to how you want a complex task to be completed.
  • Create training resources. Upload so you can share training documents on platforms like Google Drive or Dropbox as you create them, for easy access by your VA.
  1. Gather important information

To do their work, Virtual Assistants will need to have access to computer software, mobile apps and a variety of messaging apps and software that can improve your flow of communication.

  • Decide on your preferred communication tools – whether it be by email, direct calls and text messages, or video conferencing.
  • Create any login credentials and passwords so your Virtual Assistant is ready to go.
  • Compile a list of contact details for any team members, vendors or suppliers your VA with whom your VA will need to liaise.

At this point you will be ready to onboard and train your new Virtual Assistant so they can hit the ground running.  The most important thing to remember is that your Virtual Assistant is a member of your team.  It is important to build a trusting relationship and streamlined method of working together. So, take the time to get to know who they are and what motivates them. Share your company values and vision – and make it clear how their role is important to the success of the business. Your VA will appreciate being treated like a part of the team rather than a “virtual outsider”.

Estate Agencies

Adapting Your Marketing Strategy for the 2025 Property Market

November 17, 2024

2025 marks a pivotal time for estate agency marketing.

Marketing is advancing at a cracking pace – to the point that it is hard to keep up with changing consumer behaviors and new marketing technologies that make trend prediction, precision targeting and personalisation possible. To add to this complexity, today’s consumers have high expectations. They embrace brands that demonstrate authenticity, shared values, and that provide meaningful brand experiences that resonate with them on a personal level.

To meet these consumer expectations, estate agency marketing in 2025 is going to require innovation, agility and a focus on emerging digital trends. Here is a selection of insights that speak to consumer expectations in 2025, from marketing research company, Kantor1:

  • People value individuality and variety more in this fragmented media landscape.
  • In a connected world shaped by demographic shifts, inclusivity will continue to rise in importance as we see more people caring about it.
  • People have grown accustomed to the dynamic social media landscape, and the bar is rising for what captures their attention.
  • We predict that in 2025 marketers will [have to] pay more attention to data provenance. And there will be more need for transparency in consumer-facing uses of Generative AI.
  • Sustainability and marketing must merge. So far, marketers have performed poorly in integrating sustainability effectively, creating meaningfully different propositions and communications.
  • Communities are thriving in new ways. Today creators, rather than brands, are building those communities and aiming to establish trust.

How do these consumer requirements in 2025 translate into the nuts and bolts of a successful estate agency marketing strategy? Here are our 5 top tips for putting together a winning marketing  strategy that will keep pace with consumers in 2025:

  1. Invest in personal branding

By investing in personal branding, estate agents can differentiate themselves, establish credibility, and nurture meaningful connections with their target market and clients. The desired outcome is to drive long-term success through:

  • Establishing expertise: Beyond viewing listed properties, clients want guidance from professionals who demonstrate a deep understanding of the market and market trends.
  • Nurturing authentic relationships: Trust forms the foundation of every successful client-agent relationship and clients will gravitate towards professionals they perceive to be reliable, ethical and understanding.
  • Standing out in a crowded marketplace: By crafting a compelling, authentic narrative that illustrates their values, and vision, agents can stand out from the competition and capture the attention of their target audience.
  1. Prioritise lead-quality over quantity

By focusing on lead quality, estate agents can increase customer lifetime value. How? When setting marketing and sales goals, focus on strategies that attract serious buyers and sellers rather than casting the net wide. It is more cost-efficient to target the right prospects and so reduce wasted marketing spend on leads that will never convert. The outcome is  improved conversion rates and better sales team performance. Plus high-quality leads are easier to convert to clients, which can improve sales morale and efficiency.

  1. Leverage your existing database

Generating more opportunities from existing databases underscores the importance of maintaining relationships with past clients and leads. Here are 3 ways to leverage an existing database:

  • Nurture key leads: Segment your database and personalise communication for each segment. Regularly send them valuable information and share testimonials and success stories to showcase your expertise.
  • Keep in touch with past appraisals: Stay in touch with past appraisal clients periodically. Send them updates on the value of their property and relevant market trends. Share resources that can help them improve the value of their property – and don’t be afraid to ask for referrals.
  • Ask for testimonials:  Share client testimonials in your email marketing campaigns, via social media posts, and on your website’s landing page. The more exposure testimonials receive, the more they will work to build trust.
  1. Diversify your marketing channels

A diversified marketing strategy is an approach where you leverage multiple marketing channels and tactics to reach different segments of your target market – some online and  some offline. Research has found that Estate Agents who use five or more marketing channels to promote their listings double the average gross commission income compared to those using fewer channels. This highlights the importance of an omni-channel marketing approach when it comes to selling property. It is important to remember, even with target market segmentation, a diversified strategy aims to create a consistent brand message across all marketing channels. For example, it is essential to align advertising campaigns with social media content and email newsletters to reinforce your brand identity and enhance the overall customer experience.

  1. Be agile in your marketing strategy

Some marketing strategies will work, and some will not – and that is okay. Everything should be up for revision and it’s important to watch your marketing performance closely. Use real-time analytics to monitor your audience’s interactions with your marketing message and make immediate adjustments if need be. This agile approach will guarantee that your marketing stays relevant as client behaviours evolve.  Encourage continuous learning within your marketing team where they stay updated on the latest digital marketing trends and customer data management practices – always with the customer in mind. In essence, all marketing endevours should start with the customer’s evolving needs and expectations in mind.

Planning and implementing a successful marketing strategy takes time and know-how. While it is critical to the success of an estate agency, it also requires routine daily input and oversight. The best way to benefit from a winning marketing strategy is to take on a Digital Marketing Manager who has the skill and experience to devise and manage it for you. This is where taking on a Virtual Assistance comes into play as the most time-efficient and cost-effective solution to maintaining an effective presence in the marketplace. This will free up your time to interact with prospects and turn them into clients – and close more deals.

 1https://www3.kantar.com/l/1035373/2024-11-05/2bftb/1035373/1730831116Sh66Qe8n/Kantar_Marketing_Trends_2025.pdf

 

Estate Agencies

The 2025 Estate Agent Toolkit

November 8, 2024

Essential tools and resources for 2025

Digital innovation has given rise to pretty much all the essential tools available to Estate Agents as they move into the latter half of the ‘20ies’. These include tailored software solutions that fall under the banner of Proptech in that they are designed to optimise Estate Agents and Property Managers’ efficiency and grow their capacity. Already there is an incredible selection of online solutions in the marketplace that are being used by Estate Agents who want to scale their businesses through automating processes, streamlining workflow,  increasing capacity and unlocking new opportunities.

These are some of the digital tools that will continue to transform estate agencies in 2025:

  1. CRM/Transaction management software

With the advent cloud-based CRM and transaction management software, all estate agency tasks and processes can be automated. The accessibility of these tools on both laptops and mobile devices is a time-saver for estate agents on the go – especially when needing to coordinate transaction activities across multiple deals and between several remote team members.

One commonly used example is Alto, which provides a comprehensive, cloud-based platform for Estate Agents, Lettings Administrators and Property Managers. One of Alto’s major benefits lies in the stress-free coordination of sales progressions. It provides user-definable checklists to monitor milestones and streamline overseeing the sales chain. It has the versatility to consolidate project management of sales, lettings, property management, marketing and client accounts into a single platform.

  1. Electronic signature software

Signing documents with an electronic signature is way faster and more efficient than doing so physically. This is especially true when the process involves property buyers and sellers who aren’t located close to each other. It also decreases the potential for signature fraud – a significant risk for conveyancing firms.

For Estate Agents, Docusign is one of the widely used software options that streamlines the eSignature process. This platform is known for providing extensive customisation options. It has over 350 established integrations, making it easy to embed Docusign into other digital platforms already in use.

When it comes to the validity of electronic signatures in the UK, as it stands today, the HM Land Registry accepts qualified electronic signatures that have been witnessed. Changes are underway that indicate that the UK is moving towards individuals being permitted to sign documents using a very secure digital signature without the need for witnessing.

  1. Big data analytics

For Estate Agents, data analytics refers to the process of collecting and analysing data (or information) related to specific properties and the property market. Traditionally, brokers mainly relied on retrospective data, their own experience and intuition to inform their decisions. Today, using AI-enhanced software that can analyse and interpret a massive amount of data, Estate Agents have access to comparative data, literally at their fingertips.

Designed for Estate Agents, PropertyData is software that has research tools that can analyse a local area in great detail, from demographics to property pricing and rental values (and more). It also has a plotting tool for confirming property boundaries and building footprints among other things.

This functionality allows Estate Agents to:

  • Provide accurate property valuations: These can be branded and used to guide potential clients toward expecting a realistic, market-related listing price.
  • Track market trends: through accessing up-to-date information on property pricing, rental values, property stock analysis, local demographics and more.
  • Spot business opportunities: through keeping an eye on all property market fundamentals in a particular area – finding comparable properties, assessing competitor listings and prices, and anticipating property development potential.
  1. AI enhanced predictive property maintenance software

Already, software designed for agency Property Managers makes maintenance easier to handle by allowing tenants to report maintenance issues online with pictures and notes. This software helps to keep track of each maintenance issue’s progress. In the near future, through IoT (The Internet of Things), a combination of onsite digital infrastructure and integrated software will make the upcoming need for property maintenance predictable.

Right now, predictive maintenance software is used more in larger commercial and industrial property settings. However, while upfront infrastructure, like motion sensors and other smart building technology, is required for truly predictive property maintenance, Property Managers in estate agencies can use aspects of predictive maintenance software to be proactive in their property management by forecasting upcoming maintenance tasks.

This proactive approach will enable Property Managers to plan and execute maintenance activities in advance, resulting in fewer crises, less downtime and more structured maintenance strategies.

  1. Tech savvy Virtual Assistants who manage routine tasks

The term Digital Competence speaks to the confident and capable use of digital technologies for information, communication and basic problem-solving in the workplace or in private life. This holds true in estate agencies, where digital technology is only as competent as the people who wield it. Using online solutions to full advantage takes time and know-how, plus great attention to detail.

Talking of resources for the future, this is where taking on a tech savvy Virtual Assistant has incredible benefits:

  • First of all, digital communication technology makes it possible to take on a VA who works remotely.
  • Secondly, digital tools that automate workflow and make information accessible to the whole team mean that your VA is only a laptop screen away from working in the office with you, during office hours.
  • And last, but not least, experienced VAs are skilled at wielding digital technology and passionate about using online tools to their full potential.

The upshot of handing over your tiresome admin workload to be managed by your VA is that not only is your valuable time freed up, your business runs more efficiently with enhanced capacity to take on more clients and venture into new revenue streams.

Estate Agencies

Planning to scale your estate agency in 2025?

November 1, 2024

2025 is the perfect time to plan on scaling your estate agency

According to a Statista1 forecast earlier in 2024, the UK’s prime property market is predicted to increase by a cumulative amount of about 14 per cent between 2025 and 2028. Despite Statista’s prediction that prices would diminish by 2 per cent in 2024, the UK Halifax House Price Index2 for September 2024 came in at a year-on-year increase of 4.7 per cent (the strongest rate since November 2022). Forbes Advisor3 has found that within the UK market, “the number of ‘sales agreed’ is 30 per cent higher than a year ago, with first-time buyers representing 36 per cent of all sales, making them the largest buyer group in 2024 so far.”

Forecast annual change in prime residential prices in the regional United Kingdom (UK) market from 2024 to 2028

Reality bites!

Yet, despite a prevailing “bullish” take on the UK property market burgeoning over the next four years, the prospect of growing your estate agency may seem to be a formidable task. There is so much competition in the estate agency industry in the UK. And expansion takes a significant investment in both time and money.

The great news is that there are strategies you can implement that will be a catalyst to growing your agency business while saving both time and money. By expanding your team and placing more experienced people in your business, automating operational processes, and leveraging strategic partnerships to free up your valuable time, you will significantly enhance your chances of scaling up your agency while not busting the budget and burning out in the process.

Here are five strategies we recommend that will support your agency’s growth:

  1. Cultivating a strong brand identity

The UK estate agency market is crowded, so standing out is crucial. Building a strong brand identity goes way beyond having an impactful logo and corporate identity. Maintaining a strong brand identity is an ongoing, multi-faceted process. It is important to regularly evaluate your brand messaging and customer experience to ensure that it is consistent and that your agency remains relevant, actively engaging your target audience. It is also important to ensure that your team embody what you want to convey – they are ambassadors of your brand identity.

  1. Leveraging digital marketing to generate leads and attract new clients

Way beyond just using property portals as an online marketing tool, effectively leveraging smart digital marketing strategies is crucial for attracting new clients and scaling your estate agency. By harnessing the power of your website as a sales tool and online social media platforms, you can significantly expand your reach, grow your brand visibility, and build a relationship with a wider pool of prospective clients.

  1. Diversify service offerings

Your prospective clients are evolving. It makes sense that diversifying your service offerings to cater to evolving client needs is a primary strategy for scaling and growing a successful estate agency. This could involve expanding into new geographic areas, growing a rental portfolio, or offering property management services. It could be that you utilise digital technology to enhance the marketing of your clients’ properties through virtual walk-throughs or drone footage. Such innovation will not only lead to a larger and more diverse client base; it will lead to better customer satisfaction, which in turn will lead to returning clients and more referrals.

  1. Streamline operations for optimal efficiency

One focus area that is critical to growing your estate agency is automating and streamlining administrative and operational tasks – it grows efficiency and capacity. This means handing over routine tasks to an experienced assistant who is better and faster at administrative work than you are. In the hands of a tech savvy assistant, cloud-based CRM systems, online project management programmes and automated lead follow-up processes are catalysts for business growth. By reducing the time you spend on day-to-day tasks, you free up more time to build relationships with new clients and close more deals.

  1. Leveraging strategic partnerships

By nurturing ongoing collaboration with complementary companies you can greatly enhance your agency’s potential for growth. One such partnership is with a top quality Virtual Assistant recruitment agency like VA Central. Partnering with VA Central to take on a bespoke Virtual Assistant – or team of VAs – is the key to expanding your team and adding vital skills to your business. Taking on specialist VAs who are skilled in administration, digital marketing, social media, property management, lead generation, CRM management and more make implementing growth strategies possible. Taking them on through VA Central means not having to pay recruitment fees, employee benefits or increased office overheads. It’s the most cost-effective way to grow a team who will help you scale your business.

Traditionally, the estate agency industry’s potential to scale was limited by accessibility to geographical areas and the challenges of remunerating and managing a full-time, in-house team. But with advances in technology these barriers have been dealt with. It’s possible to show a property without physically setting foot in it. And the world-wide talent pool available to Agents through digital communication technology means that highly skilled operations and admin assistants are a laptop screen away.  There are exciting times ahead for UK Estate Agents who want to grow their business.

Sources:

1https://www.statista.com/statistics/323606/uk-wide-property-price-growth/

2https://www.halifax.co.uk/assets/pdf/september-2024-halifax-house-price-index.pdf

3https://www.forbes.com/uk/advisor/personal-finance/2024/10/28/house-prices-updates/