Being an Estate Agent is about people – not paperwork.
Being a successful Estate Agent requires being available 7 days a week and juggling multiple responsibilities – from client communication and marketing to financial record keeping and managing paperwork related to property sales, such as title deeds, Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs), and property information forms, along with ensuring compliance with regulations. Much of a typical agent’s day can be eaten up by repetitive tasks. If you feel like you’re constantly busy but not necessarily being productive, or driving your business forward, chances are you’re falling into some common time-wasting traps.
In this blog, we’ll highlight an Estate Agent’s biggest potential timewasters and show how a Virtual Assistant can help free up your time so you can focus on closing deals.
The top 5 timewasters for Estate Agents
- Manual Data Entry & CRM Management
Constantly updating your database can take hours. If you’re still manually entering contact details, logging interactions, and updating your property database by hand, you’re wasting valuable hours every week. While keeping your CRM system up to date is essential for managing relationships and closing deals, doing it manually is tedious and time-consuming.
The solution: A Virtual Assistant can organise and categorise client information, property listings, and other relevant documents within the CRM, making it easier to find and access information. Automate wherever possible. Most modern CRM platforms offer automation tools that can log emails, track calls, and even send follow-up messages.
- Chasing paperwork
An Estate Agent’s paperwork is endless. Following up with clients, solicitors, and other parties to make sure every document is signed and submitted can feel like a second job.
The solution: Use digital document management platforms like DocuSign or Adobe Sign to streamline the signing process. Better yet, delegate this task to a Virtual Assistant who can gather documentation and chase signatures whileyou focus on closing deals.
- Unqualified leads
Not every lead is worth your time. It’s frustrating spending your valuable time on people who are not serious about buying or selling. Many Estate Agents waste hours speaking with people who aren’t financially ready, serious about moving, or even sure about their goals. Chasing every enquiry without filtering leads can burn out even the most energetic agent.
The solution: A Virtual Assistant can implement a clear lead qualification system. They can also qualify leads by researching, engaging with potential clients on social media, managing your CRM, and using lead scoring systems to identify high-potential prospects. Many CRMs now have built-in lead scoring tools to help you rank your leads.
- Inconsistent social media management
Social media is essential for brand building and attracting new clients, but posting inconsistently can waste your time without the benefit of return on investment (ROI). Posting from time to time using inconsistent messaging, or spending hours creating posts without a cohesive strategy often results in minimal engagement.
The solution: It takes lots of time and specialist know-how to optimise social media as a lead generation tool. Take on a specialist VA who understands both social media and your brand’s voice – and who can keep your social presence consistent. A well-managed social media strategy can work for you 24/7, generating leads while you focus on core activities.
- Booking and managing viewings
Coordinating schedules can be a full-time job. Trying to align your schedule with clients, tenants, landlords, and other agents is one of the biggest drains on an Estate Agent’s time. The back-and-forth emails and phone calls involved in booking viewings can quickly equate to hours of lost productivity each week.
The solution: A VA can manage this task entirely, handling all confirmations, reminders, and follow-ups. Use a scheduling tool like Calendly or Acuity that allows clients to book viewings based on real-time availability. This optimises the coordination effort and eliminates double bookings.
Tech-savvy Virtual Assistants are the ultimate solution. The automation tools that streamline routine estate agency tasks become especially powerful in the hands of a tech-savvy Virtual Assistant. A VA can set up and manage automated tasks like CRM updates, email follow-ups, appointment scheduling, and document reminders—freeing up agents to focus on their top priorities and doing what they do best. They can also monitor lead engagement and act based on client responses, making marketing and communication far more effective. In short, with the right tools, a VA can ensure tasks are completed on time and to a high standard, boosting productivity. Automation managed by a capable VA turns time-consuming admin into streamlined, behind-the-scenes efficiency, adding hours to an Estate Agent’s day.