Judy Kay is the broker-owner of Rock Center Realty in Sugar Land.
Every week, we ask a real estate professional for their Short List, a collection of tips and recommendations on an essential topic in real estate. This week, we spoke with Judy Kay, broker-owner of Rock Center Realty, who shared her top ways that agents can save time in their business.
When it comes to saving time in business, I like to break it down into three categories: Direct contact with clients, applications and personal life.
Direct contact with clients
6. Prequalify buyers. Even if they rave about how great their credit is and promise a $100,000 down payment, it’s always better to be safe than sorry. If they already are prequalified, make sure they’ve been qualified by a respected lender, and not a bank. Getting prequalified with a lender is a surefire way to expedite the process.
5. Make sure your clients know the timeframes for closing and really understand what the process entails.
Applications
4. Even though it’s almost a given these days, make sure to use your smartphone to check your email and other online accounts.
3. Use DocuSign or ZipForm, which allow for electronic signature. Also, use PDF applications that will allow you to send and receive documents from your phone. That way you can keep doing work even when you’re out and about with clients.
Personal life
2. It might sound counterintuitive, but don’t go to every training. There are so many and you can’t go to them all. Still, you should keep up with small trainings that are directly relevant to your work. Some will cost a little extra, but if you really look, you should be able to find trainings that are affordable.
1. Take time for yourself. As a new agent, I wanted to be on call 24/7, always ready to read an email or take a call. I learned that you need personal time to unwind, regenerate and make sure you’re physically and mentally able to cope with the stress of the next day. No one can be available around-the-clock.
Judy Kay is the broker-owner of Rock Center Realty in Sugar Land. Kay has been in the real estate business for more than a decade, and has been in the corporate world for 20 years. She made the decision to own her own business, and naturally became a broker and formed her own company.