Inman

Handling agents’ ‘quick questions’

Episode 26: Real estate brokerage managers want their agents to consult with them and not make "rogue" decisions that put their firms in jeopardy. But problems sometimes arise when agents want to pose a "quick question" to a manager who’s engaged in another task, like a lengthy phone call.

Real estate broker Frank LLosa says some offices attempt to solve the problem by designating special times to raise "quick questions" — such as the 10-minute period before each hour of the workday.

Llosa himself likes to have agents pose "quick questions" via instant messaging, text messaging or Google Talk. If it’s a simple yes or no question, he says, an IM should suffice.

Llosa offers a practical suggestion for posing quick questions this way: Be specific in the subject line. Instead of "HUD-1 information request," try "Did the termite report come in?" if that’s the issue that needs to be resolved.

Watch past episodes of the Wheel Estate Cam.

Frank Borges LLosa is the broker, founder and owner of FranklyRealty.com, a real estate brokerage in Falls Church, Va. He is the creator of the Trust Me I’m a Realtor blog and multiple listing service wiki site FranklyMLS.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @franklyrealty.

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