As brokers, we have experienced the highs and lows of the housing market. When the market is hot, you don’t have to be as strategic to be effective as you do when the market is down. And right now, we are entering a confusing and challenging time for real estate markets across the country. So now more than ever, it’s time to refocus your marketing strategies to adapt to a slow.

What can we do to shoulder this responsibility and ensure our agents’ success? We must set our agents up for success with the latest and greatest resources and knowledge to help them tackle the challenges of a slow market, especially while doing so from home. Read on for 5 ways brokers can help their agents during this challenging time.

Stay up-to-date with the news, and provide your team with resources.

Striking the balance of news consumption is no easy feat these days. But it is of the utmost importance to stay updated. You want your agents to trust that you are providing them with accurate and reliable information, as they want to be that same reliable source for their clients and leads. 

Set aside some time each day and read up on COVID-19 and how it is interacting with the housing market. You’ll also want to treat your sources with discern. There is a lot of confusing information out there right now, and not all of it is factual. Do your due diligence and make sure the articles you are sending your team are based on careful analysis and sound science. The NAR can serve as an excellent resource for you to start.

You might even consider this a great opportunity to build a marketing tool: compile your research into an email for your team, who can then share that with their clients. Include the links as well as your insight on the information.

Assist Your Team With Virtual Showings

This one might not be new for you and your team, but people have to stay connected virtually now more than ever. The good news is that real estate has proven itself to be easily adaptable to these technological changes within society. Realtors can provide sellers with just as immersive an experience as an in-person tour would these days. The potential buyer can control which part of the house they look at and from which angle. The National Association of Realtors has compiled a great list of resources for you to get started.

Spend Time + Money On Education.

We’re all spending a lot of time at home, and many of us are struggling to adjust to this new way of life. Sharpening existing skills and learning new ones not only alleviates stress and anxiety, but it is also a fantastic way to have some fun and strengthen your business. 

Do you have a favorite real estate webinar series that you watch? Send it over to your team, and review it together. Or maybe you’ve always wanted your agents to learn a digital skill. You can even make your own! There are many tools available for you to take advantage of.

Start Creating Content

If you haven’t already, take the time to update the blog on your websites. If your agents have individual websites, you can advise them to do the same. Blogs are important for a variety of reasons. The right blogs with relevant information can establish you as an industry leader. They can drive traffic back to your website, increasing leads and even sales. Blogs increase your SEO, so updating your blog with fresh content is key to staying at the forefront of your competitors. And they can even strengthen your customer relationships. By connecting directly on your website, your clients are getting to know your business and the voice behind the business, deepening that connection.

Set up weekly check-ins.

We know that many businesses have been affected and will continue to be affected by COVID-19. Whether it be your businesses, someone you know, or a local shop you’ve gone to for years, this has been tough on everyone. Let your team know you care about their physical and mental well-being right now by setting up weekly check-ins. Take some time each week to come together for support within the company. 

We recommend getting to know the ins and outs of your preferred digital meeting platform, whether it be Slack or Skype or Zoom. There are many options for you to get comfortable with, and you won’t want to deal with technical difficulties on your calls. Once you’re all set up, talk to your agents about what is and isn’t working right now. Ask them how they are confronting the current challenges we are being faced with. Then, it’s more than ok to have some fun activities or time to destress. Play a get to know you game; play charades or download one of many virtual multiplayer gaming apps that you can play on your call. You can even host a virtual happy hour!