The Twilight Zone Real Estate Office & 15 Practices – A Post Covid Guide

The Twilight Zone Real Estate Office & 15 Practices – A Post Covid Guide

It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man’s fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call the Real Estate Twilight Zone.

That has pretty much described the office and our practices right now. Masks or no masks. In person meetings. Work from home or back to the office.  Lots of anxiety. We are in the twilight zone (actually leaving it now) and heading back to in-office activities. This Friday was the first day our office was really hopping.  Still some masks and greetings are odd but it’s so fun and enjoyable and weird and awkward to see and be with people.

For me, I have looked at the pandemic as my duty to protect our agents, our agents’ families, and our clients. One of the most interesting things of being a broker is the amount of responsibly you have for others, and how many real private issues that outside people just do not realize. Underlying issues they or a family member has, planning a family, or just basic anxiety are all told to me as the Owner/Broker in confidence, and you have to navigate a compromise that fits all while keeping confidentiality. Not an easy task! As we are transitioning back to the office, things will not be exactly the same as pre-covid. Working at home and Zoom have proven to be beneficial.  Here is my crystal ball for what the post covid real estate office will look like.

1. Buyer First Meeting
   • Zoom
     • Much better than using the phone. We can connect much faster and understand needs by reading facial language. We have also used it as a strategy session in an extreme sellers’ market to go over strategies to help get Buyers more prepared.

2. Buyer Showings
   • Website/Zoom/FaceTime/In-Person/3D-VR
     • Combination of website, Facetime, Zoom, In-person. The trend to do walk throughs over an electronic device is critical. On the listing side we purchased the highest resolution 3D-VR equipment and do a floorplan and dollhouse layout for every home we market. The amount of exposure is much higher as Buyers like to search this way and it increases the odds of more showings and less cancelations of contracts. I see this as a must for anyone who lists their home.

3. Listing Appointments
   • In person with some Zoom Support
     • Listing appointments are best in person. Not only to see the house physically which is essential but most importantly to understand our client.  However, there is more that can be shown and conveyed over the computer, and to go over our Home ECHOnomics Guarantee so I am trying to do some combination of both.

4. Listing Appointment Out of Town
   • Zoom with in person support.
     • Zoom lets you present far better than a phone conversation. Physically walking the property is still needed to talk about the house and to stage it.  However, Zoom is far superior to the telephone or just sending a package.

5. Sales Meetings
   • Stay with Zoom.
     • I run a sales meeting once a week. I used to do it at our office and then moved it to a local hotel. Once the pandemic occurred, we moved it to Zoom.  We will stay with Zoom.  It is not as distracting if someone has to leave a physical room. It is easier for group participation. Plus, the savings of driving there and driving out is significant. Also, the ability to share the screen and show things that are sometimes hard to see in a conference is significant. The chat feature is not disruptive.  Last, the ability to record and store lets people who missed it or new agents to review at a later date.

6. Sales Strategy Meetings
   • In person but Zoom as backup
     • I am doing a combination of these. In person body language and the ability to reach or connect with people is best in person. It also forces both parties to prepare harder and be focused in the office.  However, Zoom meetings can be kept for those agents or brokers who may miss an appointment or only work out of the house. It is a great backup.

7. Vendors
   • Zoom Only for the Initial Appointment
     • Zoom cuts down on all the vendors who want to meet in person with set appointments in the office or over lunch.  I can do a quick minute meeting, see the person, and what they have to offer in 15-20 minutes. It’s much better to do a quick screen share and understand products without a long drawn out sales pitch.

8. Managers Meeting
   • • Mostly Zoom. We can bring people in everywhere this way. Also, great for showing flow charts, graphs, and other visuals. We will do some in person, but I think that will be used for larger meetings and more so for the most important meetings.

9. My Schedule
   • Flexible
     • As a broker, I am going to work at home a few days a week. There are not as many distractions, and I can concentrate on other Zoom meetings like SEO, website, or marketing efforts and focus on getting work done without distractions. However, face to face meetings are critical and you do not want to lose touch with your agents, staff, and team. We are not in the computer programming business. Ours is more of an in person social type of learning.

10. Interviewing New Agents
    • Phone, Zoom, In-Person
      • Actually, using the phone first. Then Zoom for presentation purposes. We then do in-person interviews. The phone is good for a quick 5–10-minute conversation to see if it is worthwhile.  Zoom is excellent for showing marketing products. In-person is always needed to make sure there is good synergy, and to give office tours.

11. Training
    • Zoom and In-Person
      • We do a combination here. It’s more training over Zoom recordings and Zoom meetings at first. Zoom is really the start and then it morphs into 1-1 role playing and sales training in the office.  The office still has energy and is a place to learn and focus.  I think it is critical in the beginning for training.

12. Support
    • Zoom
      • Computer IT support can almost be done virtually. Same with training on how to use contracts, databases, and lead generations systems.

13. Mortgage and Closings
    • Mostly Virtual.
      • I do not see the need to do this in person over a big conference table. More technology has sped up the advancement of these services online and this trend will speed up over the next few years.

14. Masks Forever
    • During certain times of the year or to protect a loved one with an illness, it might be normal to see people wear masks.

15. Sick Policy
    • Stay home!  Being a hero is now keeping everyone safe.

16. Greetings
    • The fist bump, the elbow knock, or the bow?  Take your pick, but the handshake is ovah! (Amended – I wrote this last week and had 3 people reach out for hand shakes. I guess not so fast!)

As Covid winds down, we will look back and see some benefits as Covid forced some much-needed technology to be implemented. And hopefully we will still use that technology as we leave the real estate office twilight zone.

Jeff Lichtenstein is owner and broker of Echo Fine Properties, a luxury real estate brokerage selling real estate in Jupiter  and homes in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. He has 20 years of real estate experience, has closed over a 1,000 transactions, and manages over 50 agents in a non-traditional model of real estate that mimics a traditional business model.  Some publications he has been quoted in.

Feel free to ask him a question directly at [email protected].