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Brendan Wong
A majority of agents would consider outsourcing parts of their business, according to a recent survey.
In a recent Real Estate Business straw poll, 77 per cent of 152 respondents said they would consider outsourcing activities in their business.
CEO of Tradebusters - which refers tradespeople to real estate agencies - Laorence Nohra said the survey result was a positive sign that a lot more agents were becoming open minded and aware of the benefits of outsourcing.
“They’re overcoming initial fears or what in the past appeared to be the challenge of losing control,” she said. “I think they’re overcoming and seeing how they can gain control and gain efficiency.
“A lot more agents now understand how to outsource efficiently and how to do it right. They understand if you do it right it's a real enabler and the benefits are huge in terms of listing opportunities and further growth.”
One of Ms Nohra's clients is principal of Belle Property Drummoyne Alexander Elmowy, who has used Tradebusters’ services for the past three years.
“It takes a little bit more pressure off us as long as you have reputable tradespersons doing the work," he said.
Mr Elmowy dismissed the criticism that outsourcing would result in a loss of control.
“I’m a bit of a control freak and I like to do everything to make sure it’s done properly,” he said. “Knowing that I would be using a reliable company and testing them out the first time and inspecting while they were there to make sure the job got done properly gave me that peace of mind that each individual job thereafter would most probably be treated in the same manner.
“It’s time saving and creates less hassle for me, and the less I’ve got to worry about certain things, I can be out there making money.”
Live Bookkeeping is another outsourcing service that provides an external specialist to manage an agency’s bookkeeping responsibilities.
Director of Live Bookkeeping Aaron David said the benefit was in saving business owners time and money.
“Small business owners don’t put a price on their own time,” he said. “They get themselves jammed up doing menial tasks when they could be spending this time out getting a new listing or a new property management bringing in income.”
Mr Elmowy said his advice for agents considering outsourcing was to use trial and error.
“Give it a shot. Oversee the first five jobs and make sure you’re happy with the level of service from each particular company you’re using and then pursue one company that you like in terms of the way they communicate - cut down lead time and keep the clients happy,” he said.
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