The world we live in right now is something that people had not even imagined a few months back. This year came by with all the excitement for people, but little did people know that the world would get gripped in the hands of what is today known as the global health pandemic. This pandemic has been behind the shutting of many businesses and brands, whereas on the other hand, it has also given newer opportunities to certain businesses. Whether large or small, businesses have resorted to 'working from home' concept for practicing social distancing. The real estate industry has been no exception here, and it too had to see many hurdles along the way for conducting the business. Julia Wang, a sought-after real estate expert from Houston is of the view that for real estate agents, home walkthroughs, open houses and meetings with clients have been immensely impacted due to COVID-19, leading to remote working policies to help close offices.
Amidst all this, staying connected with clients and the future homebuyers and community on social media platforms have become of utmost importance for keeping the business running as smoothly as possible. Below are a few tips that Julia Wang suggests for real estate businesses to keep running amidst these trying times.
- Go for virtual tours and open houses: Because of the pandemic and social distancing, open houses and home tours have been cancelled. However, real estate agents still do not have a reason to lose hope as the digital medium does the work by providing virtual tours to potential buyers giving them a similar experience. Taking permission from the seller, real estate agents can utilize their camera phones to record walkthroughs. They can connect with their prospective clients virtually and in real-time. Julia Wang suggests that providing additional information alongside the virtual tour can be a great tactic.
- Be a responsive resource: Since the business has now gone online, where potential buyers depend on real estate agents for showing them the properties as per their convenient time; agents have to be ready and provide the information needed by clients in a timely manner. An agent needs to be prepared to answer all the questions and queries of the potential buyers. Julia Wang points out that agents also need to carefully read messages, emails and comments on social media and respond to them promptly. To create more engagement with clients, agents can also get into a Facebook Live session to answer clients' questions in real-time.
- Choose automated solutions: Sometimes, amidst too much work, it may happen that agents may not be able to consistently post content on social media. This is the time real estate agents must consider automated solutions that can help them in posting content automatically. Automating the posts on social media, one can save a lot of time and also focus on the needs of the clients and the success of the business, explains Julia Wang. These automated solutions act as a boon to professionals, as while their content gets posted consistently, they can focus on other strategies and plans through which they can reach many more potential buyers.
- Share informative content: It is essential to stick to the niche and provide content to followers and potential buyers that are useful and informative. Through learning about the industry each day and the constant changes that take place, real estate agents can create content around the same and provide the information and updates to people every day with new content and posts. They can also keep the clients updated about the impact of COVID-19 on the real estate industry. Julia Wang has been doing the same and this is what has allowed her to become the #1 voted realtor on social media.
Julia Wang is indeed a powerhouse in the world of real estate as she made over $29 million in sales in 2019 and this year even founded her firm NextGen Real Estate, a brokerage that helps clients fulfill their luxury home dreams. If you wish to know more about her, follow her on Instagram @juliawang_htx