What Leverage Actually Looks Like in Real Estate

The word leverage gets thrown around a lot in real estate.

Usually, when we hear it, we think about hiring assistants, building teams, creating systems, or finding ways to get more done without doing everything ourselves.

But sometimes leverage is much simpler than that.

Sometimes it looks like somebody answering the phone and saying, “I got it.”

Recently, one of our Realtors at Williams-Claytor Realty was out of the office while working through a client transaction. A foundation specialist needed to meet at the property, and the appointment still needed to happen.

Instead of the file sitting still until the agent was available again, she reached out for help.

I stepped in.

I met the foundation specialist at the property, walked through what needed to be addressed, and helped make sure the information could get back to the Realtor and her client.

Nothing particularly glamorous happened.

But the file kept moving.

And I think that's a good example of what leverage actually looks like in real estate.

Your Business Can't Stop Every Time You're Unavailable

Real estate is a relationship business, and I believe strongly in taking ownership of the people and transactions you're responsible for.

But taking ownership doesn't mean you have to physically perform every task yourself.

There are going to be times when you're at another appointment, working with another client, out of town, with your family, or simply unable to be in two places at once.

The question becomes:

What happens to your business when you're not available?

If every decision, appointment, vendor interaction and problem has to wait for you personally, eventually you become the bottleneck.

That's difficult to scale, but more importantly, it can affect the client's experience.

Leverage Doesn't Mean Doing Less

I think this is where leverage can sometimes be misunderstood.

Leverage isn't about avoiding responsibility.

It's about building relationships and resources around yourself so you can fulfill that responsibility better.

For a Realtor, that could mean having relationships with inspectors, contractors, lenders, title companies and other professionals you trust.

It could mean having another agent who can open a door when you're unavailable.

And in our case, it can mean having additional resources within the brokerage that agents can lean on when something needs to get done.

The agent still owns the client relationship.

The agent still owns the responsibility.

But everything doesn't have to depend on that one person physically being there.

The Environment Around an Agent Matters

This experience also reminded me why I've become increasingly interested in the environment we create around Realtors.

We spend a lot of time talking about leads, scripts, commissions and production.

Those things matter.

But so does having an environment where you can ask a question, shadow someone who's done it before, call someone when you need help, or simply say, “I can't be there. Can somebody cover this for me?”

That support becomes even more important as your business grows.

Because eventually, growth forces you to recognize something:

You can't be everywhere.

The goal isn't to become less involved.

The goal is to build enough trust, relationships and infrastructure around your business that your clients continue to receive a high level of service even when you're not the person standing in the room.

A Day in the Life

This particular foundation inspection was only one part of my day.

That's one of the things I enjoy about documenting more of the behind-the-scenes side of what I do.

My days in real estate can move between working with buyers and sellers, supporting our Realtors, dealing with contractors and properties, handling inspections, solving problems, and working on the business itself.

Sometimes the best lessons don't come from sitting in front of a camera teaching.

They come from simply showing the work.

This was one of those days.

A Realtor was out of the office.

Her client still needed something handled.

She leaned on the people around her.

And the file kept moving.

That's leverage.

Want to see what the day actually looked like?

Watch the full behind-the-scenes video below and come spend part of the day with me.

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