Real estate is the most prominent and highly growing market. Today, more and more people are likely to invest in real estate property. As a result, the demand for agents is increasing exponentially.
However, there are more likely that a buyer might not be available on the weekdays. Due to this, the estate agents have to attend them on weekends. This means a real estate job is a full time which fewer chances of offs.
But to make this profession a bit easier, the scenario of working from home has taken place. Therefore the question arises whether a real estate agent can work from home, what advantages they will receive, and what setup they require.
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Can Real Estate Agents Work From Home?
Years ago, the real estate agent was performing a 9 to 5 job Monday to Friday in an office environment. However, the work process has become more streamlined due to emerging technology. As per the reports, more than 3.9 million people work from home in the US more than half of the time.
However, this trend has exponentially increased to 115%. You cannot say this as a perk, but it is an ongoing trend. Therefore, this same trend is what you can now witness in the real estate industry.
More than 70% of real estate agents work from home and build their highly-targeted and verified realtor email list online. This ongoing trend has been quite beneficial for estate agents in multiple ways.
What Advantages Does A Real Estate Agent Receive By Work From Home?
With the work-from-home trend, real estate agents have witnessed some amazing benefits, including:
Decreases Commuting Time
No doubt, if you live far from where the office is far away, it will definitely take a lot of time. Plus, you might have to deal with congestion regularly. But with the work-from-home trend, commuting time decreases to the next level.
A real estate agent can directly deal with the clients at the site and online. Therefore, real estate agents are more likely to commute to the office if necessary through work from home.
Flexible Working Hours
By working from home, a real estate agent can easily do their work 24/7, unlike offices. Moreover, with work from home, an estate agent can easily perform any other work without inconvenience. Time management becomes relatively quite easier through working from home.
Saves the Business Expenses
No doubt, if you are working in the office, then it comes with so many additional costs such as office lease, electricity bills, and many others. The overall cost of working in the office can be from $500 to $15000. But with work from home, you can easily eliminate this cost, cut all the extra expenses, and save a lot of money.
Essential Setup A Real Estate Agent Requires For Work From Home
After witnessing the benefits of working from home, you need to create a setup and know everything about real estate work from home.
1. Divide Your Home Space Into An Office
It is evident that working from home might come with many distractions and avoiding them. Therefore, it is better to divide the physical space. However, make sure the place you choose for your office should have separate access to the restroom and other spaces.
Meanwhile, to ensure that all your documents are safe and secure, you should always store the files in the cabinets and keep the doors locked. Besides this, if you think the room walls are too thin, go for soundproof coating.
2. Different Business Tools That You Need For Working From Home
No doubt, to work from home, you need a laptop or printer, but there are multiple applications that you need to download to make the work done more easily.
- Go for an application through which you can easily download high-resolution PDF files.
- Get an application by which a real estate agent can avoid buying bulky fax machines.
- Opt for the app through which you can easily get clients’ signatures on the documents.
3. The Rules And Regulations Of Home Offices
Compliance Rules
There are some specific guidelines that a real estate agent must follow when working from home. The first one is that a real estate agent needs to take permission from the state commission or the broker.
At the same time, there are chances that some agents might not be registered with the state on their home address. In that situation, it is better to consult the estate broker.
Insurance Policies
It is better to review the insurance policies to check out if there is any coverage for real estate business activities. Moreover, you should also look at information leakage, laptop stealing, and any other factor covered by the insurance.
4. Meeting Places with the Clients
You need to find out whether you will meet the clients in the home office. If yes, there should be an extra entrance separating the entire home from the workplace. This way, you will get more privacy, and the home office will be more sorted.
Moreover, safety precautions should be taken, such as surveillance cameras, so you can keep all the information protected. Therefore, there should be some alternative places which you should consider, including the:
Real estate office: No doubt, it is completely fair that you shouldn’t want to pay for the lease. But a real estate agent needs to have a conference room.
Pay as you use the office: many business owners want to meet their clients professionally. But simultaneously, they also don’t want to invest money in leases. In that scenario, it is better to go for pay to-use office. In this place, the agents have to pay for the time they are in the office.
Final Thought
Real estate agents usually work in an office, which is also possible remotely. However, if they do not visit the office regularly, then ensure you keep the knowledge up to date and keep up with the trends.
Some agents prefer the office because it gives them a more professional mindset. It does not matter where you work. One thing that matter is your focus.
