What is the real cost of administrative mistakes? As a broker, your clients depend on you to handle things professionally. Administrative mistakes by a broker can have a domino effect and affect everyone involved in the deal. Let’s take a look at some administrative mistakes to avoid and how they can cost you as a broker.

1. Grammatical and typographical errors

Part of a broker’s responsibility is handling paperwork between clients. The correct use of grammar and punctuation is imperative. One misplaced character and failure to carefully proofread documents can cause untold damage. The following incidents are examples of the catastrophic consequences that may arise from such errors.

In 2006, a typo by Alitalia Airlines resulted in business-class flight tickets being sold for $39 instead of $3,900. The result? More than 2,000 people purchased the $39 tickets leading to a $7.2 million loss by the airline. Another incident, albeit more costly occurred in Tokyo when a typing error saw the shares of a renowned company go on sale leading to a $340 million loss. Moral of the lesson? Grammatical and typographical errors are administrative mistakes to avoid.

2. Poor advice and or unethical behavior

When a client hires you or chooses to work with you as a broker, they expect you to act professionally and do your job in terms of giving them good advice. They are paying for your expertise and experience. Doing a half-hearted job and failing to provide clients with honest, accurate, and fair assessments of their situation can result in you being sued if the client loses money in any way.

You may be surprised to learn that as many as 25% of homebuyers said they would never work with their broker or recommend them to anyone. Brokers do get sued for a variety of reasons – fraud, breach of duty, giving advice that’s not within their scopes (e.g. offering legal advice) negligence and breach of contract. These are all administrative mistakes to avoid.

3. Poor data management and failure to document

If there are two administrative aspects of being a broker that should never be overlooked, its documentation and filing papers properly. Poor data management can result in you not being able to find a critical document when it’s needed. There is no excuse for not having a defined records system. This is certainly high up in the list of administrative mistakes to avoid.

4. Hiring the wrong brokers for the brokerage

Do you have a strategy for hiring people? Not having a time-tested solution can result in you hiring the wrong person. This can be extremely inconveniencing not to mention expensive. You’ll want to avoid having to repeatedly post job openings and screen candidates. By following our advice on hiring better agents, you can improve your retention rate.

When you cannot afford administrative mistakes look no further than Real Estate Back Ops (REBO). We’re one of the leading real estate technology and consulting companies in the US. For the best brokerage services don’t hesitate to contact us.