3 Tips for working while traveling

Technology allows us to travel everywhere and still be connected. I travel a lot, and here are some things that make that possible and still get deals done.

 

    1. Time Blocking & Availability:
      • No matter where I am, I always set aside time daily to sit down and work. I post up somewhere that allows me to make phone calls and do computer work. There are great places in cafes, hotel lobbies, shared offices or I stop in at one of our local NAI offices and use the conference room. Depending on how long I am gone, I will do this Monday through Friday during local PST hours. It’s helpful to be available during your normal office hours.
      • I am always available on my cell phone. My cell phone works everywhere, so I use it.
    2. Have backup, be on a GOOD team:
      • Divide and conquer: Being on a good team allows others to help tour buildings, give access to buildings or be available in person when you are out of town. Backup is important even when you are in town. If you are double booked, it is always helpful to have people who can help.
    3. Good Tech:
      • I have an Oakley backpack that carries my iPad, MacBook Pro & all the supporting cords. I use the iPad as a split screen for my MacBook in order to have two screens.
      • iPhone: I always make sure my iPhone is working and have a backup battery.
The Election & Holidays

The Election & Holidays

The Next 65 Days => The Election & Holidays

Don’t let a changing market slow you down.  I recently toured a building with a broker who said he had more downtime than a few weeks ago.  He referenced a noticeable slowdown in his activity.  Don’t let a pause in activity cause you anxiety, there is a lot going on in the market.  Interest rates are going up, we have a midterm election weeks away and Thanksgiving is right around the corner.  There is always a lull in activity right before an election.  The most common phrase I am hearing right now is “I want to wait until after the election to see what the market does”.  I get it, people want to see what happens with possible tax and regulation changes.  The reality is regardless of who wins, we are all still going to work the next morning.  Again, don’t freak out! 

I have not seen the deceleration yet, but I am expecting it and I am prepared for it.  Use a lull to get yourself and your business organized.  Use the election and holiday break in activity to review your listings, organize your CRM, make a list of clients you need to call or whatever you have been putting off over the last 10 months.  We all have a project we need to get to, but get caught up in our daily routine and don’t.

The top of my list is to go through my CRM.

If you are seeing a lull use your time wisely and get organized. 

Brochures: Don’t Overthink Them

Brochures: Don’t Overthink Them

Commercial real estate brochures can vary from a single-page flyer to a complex offering memorandum. Brokers tend to overcomplicate them. The purpose of a brochure is to clearly and simply describe a property. My suggestion? Keep it simple. Brochures should include price, floor plans, location, and good photos.

Brochure Key Points:

Good photos:

  • Have clear photos that include all aspects of the property including interior, exterior, and possibly drone photos.

Plans:

  • Include floor plans and site plans. People need to know the layout of the space, yard (if any), lot, and parking.

Description:

  • In a few sentences describe the location. Things like “Freeway Frontage.”
  • Use: Describe the property as an “Owner/User” or “Investment.”
  • Property: Describe the property highlight “Size, Price, Power, etc…”

Location:

  • Include a map showing its location and what surrounds it.

Pricing:

  • Some investments will omit the price for a specific reason. Make your pricing clear.

Keep it clear and simple. Your clients will thank you.

How I Have Adapted to Remote Working

How I Have Adapted to Remote Working

How I Have Adapted to Remote Working

Adapting to working remotely.

Companies have started to realize that Covid is here to stay and work must go on. Working remotely is becoming more of the norm.

Personally I like luxury of working from the office with my dual monitors, standing/sitting desk, glass doors, view, white board and endless amount of coffee. It is my work space, when I am there it’s “game on” and work mode. When I get home it’s the opposite. I like to keep the 2 separate. When Covid first happened and I realized the office could be empty and working remotely could become the norm I decided to try to retrain myself how to work.

I bought a fancy TUMI backpack that had room for my iPad, Macbook and all appropriate cords for all my beloved apple products. Yup, I am that guy. Apple makes it, I want it. I realized that my iPad could be an external monitor to my lap top which made reviewing documents easier. I told myself for a month I would not use anything except for what I had in my TUMI backpack. I quickly realized it didn’t matter if I was at the office, home or at a coffee shop. As long as I had my ear pods and the internet I could make calls and send emails. I am not the most tech savvy person, but it made me realize I could still be very productive wherever I was.

Everyone is wired differently, but with technology continuing to make us more mobile. Covid has made several companies realize that as long as the work gets done, who cares where they work. It really depends on the industry and a persons ability to work from anywhere.

As the trends from working from home or the office change, you are going to see office space change. I have already seen it, but you will start to see “drop by offices”. Your company will set up for you to come in and not work from one specific office. Several industries will have the big corner office as a thing of the past. But, that is the next article. Stay tuned for the next blog post on how office is changing.

For now I like how changing my work habit had made a physical office less important.

Navigating the COVID-19 Pandemic as a Commercial Real Estate Agent

Navigating the COVID-19 Pandemic as a Commercial Real Estate Agent

Navigating the COVID-19 Pandemic as a Commercial Real Estate Agent

Navigating the COVID-19 Pandemic as a Commercial Real Estate Agent

It’s now more than 6 months since reports first surfaced that a new and infectious virus had been detected, with cases popping up across the globe. And as more time passes, one thing is becoming increasingly clear: COVID-19 isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

We can’t simply sit tight and wait for things to blow over – not unless we’re prepared to wait a hell of a long time, anyway. Which is why many of us are in the process of figuring out how to keep our lives running as close to normally as possible throughout the pandemic while minimizing undue risks.

As a commercial real estate agent, my goal here is simple: to continue to sell and lease commercial real estate while keeping both my clients and our staff safe in the process.

Here are some of the areas we are focusing on in an attempt to do exactly that:

Tech & Marketing

The better your marketing, the less time you’re going to have to spend answering questions, and the more likely you are to attract the right people to your listings. Since many of us are still working from home and avoiding unnecessary trips out, I also recommend you make as much information as possible available online. Our team creates a website for every listing we have that includes photos, floor plans, a 3D walkthrough, aerial photos, property descriptions, and pricing.

The goal here is to provide potential tenants or buyers with as much information as possible upfront to help them determine whether our listing is a fit for them. Not only does this save time, it also minimizes the number of people we need to meet in person.

Client Vetting

Client vetting is something that seems to divide commercial real estate agents. Some, often the more experienced brokers, see it as a vital part of the job; an early time investment that pays dividends down the line by helping them sell more efficiently (and, therefore, sell more). But others will try and tour as many potential tenants as possible based on the logic that the more lottery tickets you buy, the more likely you are to have picked a winner.

I’m a big believer that vetting is hugely beneficial both to the agent and to the client, saving time on both sides of the equation. And in the COVID-19 world where we need to actively reduce the number of face-to-face interactions we have, this only becomes more important. This is an area where I think senior brokers can really help their less experienced counterparts.

Gaining Access to a Space

I’ve always been a big fan of good old fashioned mechanical lockboxes, and the pandemic has only strengthened that viewpoint. A lockbox gives immediate access to a broker or client and provides another way of minimizing face-to-face contact.

I would only ever give lockbox access to someone I know, and since the Las Vegas commercial real estate scene is pretty small this system works really well. The only real risk of using a lockbox is if someone doesn’t lock it back up correctly, but that’s an entirely different conversation.

Touring with a Client

Even before the onset of the pandemic, I had clients that preferred taking their own car when touring properties. Now, with social distancing measures firmly in place, it’s becoming increasingly common to see a convoy of cars going from property to property.

I’m okay with one or two people in my car, so long as they’re prepared to wear a mask while in the vehicle. But that’s a personal choice, and this will vary depending on what feels comfortable to you. To me at least, wearing a mask isn’t such a big deal – especially when I get to wear my beloved Las Vegas Golden Knights one.

Signing the Deal

We sign almost all our leases digitally through DocuSign, and our tenants are able to wire deposits instead of personally delivering a check. To be completely honest, there’s absolutely no need to sign deals in person right now, and with the technology we have available to us these days this one’s a very quick win in the social-distancing stakes.

Like everyone else out there, I hope COVID-19 becomes ‘old news’ instead of ‘breaking news’ as soon as possible. But until then, there’s no reason why we can’t continue to do business and safely service our clients.

Nothing I’ve covered in this blog is difficult or inconvenient to implement, and by following these simple steps you can dramatically minimize the amount of physical contact and the number of face-to-face meetings required to sell and lease commercial real estate.