Remembering Why

Most of us came into the business of real estate from some other world. And I want to take a moment to think about the reasons for that change. For some it was lifestyle related, others money related. For me as a school teacher, it was the idea of trying to prove something to myself, that if I was to pull away the safety net of a government job, would I be able to succeed and flourish.  Some will have seen that the path ahead was not going to get them ahead and so a change was a necessity.

For whatever reason you decided to brave the world of real estate, take some time to think why, and compare to now, asking has the brief been met?

And so, as I reflect on this, I remembered why I started Independent Agent. This business is here to serve real estate agents and help them navigate an alternative path through their career. We are targeting those who want to take the next step and work under their own name and brand, earn more money, and be less tied to corporate requirements.

Of course, there are always some kind of requirements that we do have to meet. In my conversations with agents, I know who has had a complaint or two over the years. They will invariably ask how we deal with problems, and more importantly how we prevent them. We have expert advice from experienced people in the industry available in respect to compliance and we have scalable systems to help prevent problems before they start. We also have a legal team on hand, and we believe that prevention is better than cure.

The unintended consequence of changes to legislation over the past decade or so has been that some of the freedom has been taken out of the industry. I would not go back to the way things were, as the legislation that has come about is a good thing (although that some of it is administered by real estate agents is questionable – I am talking AML here). Regardless, this has created an environment where the legislative burden is favouring the established players in the market with the resources to implement the compliance necessary. Expectations around technology add to this.

This is where our model fits in. With our engine room of support and compliance behind you, you can do real estate your way and meet your legal requirements. We have designed Independent Agent, and continue to develop Independent Agent, to be as close as possible to being your very own business. This takes me right back to the start of this message. The reason why. My ‘why’ is to see you develop and grow into your very own business, however you think it should grow. There is absolutely no reason that an internationally branded agency has to be in control of the real estate in your suburb and every reason you can be. And if you are out there doing conjunctional sales with your buyers, hustling and putting deals together, you don’t need to be paying for services that you are not using.

Independent Agent is a space in the real estate world to offer something to people who feel a disconnect between the way that they are running their real estate business and who they are as an individual. I’ll be honest, I really struggle to get up in the morning unless I am really doing something that I think is worthwhile. And so I hope that this model is worthwhile to you, if you are in this category please get in contact. We would love to help.
Matt.

Into some practicalities here. What do we actually do to support you in your journey to becoming your own Independent Agent. This is not an exhaustive list, but look at some of the support that we offer.

Data handling and Leads Management: We use Rex Software. You can manage your leads and your follow-up through an app on your phone to really unshackle you from an office.

Online Marketing: Our website, plus TradeMe, realestate.co.nz, Oneroof, hougarden. We also use targeted social media. Imagine having your own website – a great promotional tool. Yes, we can build you a website which you can brand yourself.

Email Marketing: We email out through the Rex CRM system. This message is generated through this system. We can do this for you on your behalf.

Appraisals: You have access to Property Smarts, and Property Guru should you require it.

Documents: We are using REINZ for our sale and purchase contract generation, and all other forms are in digital format for digital signing.

Access to G-suite, for your emails and document sharing.

We handle your sale for you from listing through to your sale, unconditional and payment.

Alongside of all this, we are creating a positive culture, that I am hoping you want to be a part of. Help is always available.

I am not an “Independent Agent” said a colleague I was sitting down with this week. “I want other people to sell my listings too”. Open policy on dealing with agents within our organization, and other agencies too. Please do what you would like to do, what you need to do to do the best job for our vendors. We won’t hold back a deal.

Also…..

As part of your introduction to the company, we will take you through a branding exercise, to develop your own look and brand. If you are in a team then we will organize this for the team. You don’t need to use our branding and there is no obligation for you to mention Independent Agent when you are prospecting. Independent Agent covers licensing and supervision. And runs the engine room that supports you…