Malaysia announced Restricted Movement (some say partial lockdown) on 16th March. While some essential businesses remain opened, many private businesses are required to close during this time. Unfortunately, real estate is not in the essential services list.

What should a real estate agent do during this period?

Stay Safe

A real estate agent work conventionally requires a lot of travelling. However, during this period you should limit your movement to prevent further spread of the virus.

Roadshows, launchings and all events are canceled during this time. Do not attempt to continue outdoor activities and expose yourself for the sake of chasing that sale.

Try to postpone all your viewings or meetings. If you really need to go out to collect that house key from the owner or tenant, make sure you are well covered, avoid physical touch and bring a sanitizer (you may want to sanitize the keys and access cards).

Get Online

There are many channels available to market your properties online. You can do this from your phone or computer without ever leaving your home. Remember, during this period everybody else is also staying at home and most likely spending their time – online! So start posting your listing now.

Want to get authorisation form or agreement to rent/sale form signed? 996 Agency by Leapmove has all these forms for signing online! Just send the link to the signees and they can sign it at the comfort of their home.

If you have closed a sale, 996 Agency also lets you submit your commission claim and documents online. You no longer need to travel all the way to the agency office to submit your commission claim. Do it online.

Communicate and Meet Virtually

Technology today enables you to meet, chat and see people virtually. Now is a good time to try and learn some of these tools.

You might be already familiar with Whatsapp as your main communication tool, but there are many apps and software available that helps you to reach and be in front of your customers, virtually.

• Skype
  • While Whatsapp is widely used in Malaysia, your potential customers may come from various parts of the world. Skype is well-known worldwide as a chat and call tool by Microsoft. It has good call quality and can be installed and used without needing a mobile number.
• Zoom
  • If you need to create a conference call or video call with more than 2 person, Zoom lets you do that easily. You can create online virtual meeting and group discussion by just sending a link to all parties.
• Facebook Workplace
  • You may already be familiar with Facebook and have several Whatsapp groups, but Workplace lets you manage your team of agents (or your group of investors) more effectively with multiple channels. Workplace lets you engage your team with the same media they already used in Facebook such as news feed, chat, live video streaming and group video calls.

Study, Plan and Strategize

The coronavirus outbreak has created a situation where many businesses were unprepared for. Customers are not going out, and service-based businesses are unable to effectively carry out services. Revenue may suffer for those who are not able to adapt to the changes.

For real estate agents, these 2 weeks will be a good time to review your past effort and plan for your future activities. Which area you sold/rent the most? Which months are your best months? What are the trends and demography in buying and rentals? What are other areas in real estate that you can add value? For realty using 996 Agency, they have access to these data and reports to help them see the trends.

Your strategy should not only focus on what you are good at, but also respond to the changing environment. Employing tech can help you perform better and also react faster to threats and opportunities.