“Most people who work at home find they do not have the benefit of receptionists who serve as personal guards.”
– Judith Martin, American Journalist, Author and Etiquette Authority
This article was written last August 31, 2013. It was probably published on my WordPress site the next day or a few days after. The record of it was lost when I lost control of the domain name four years ago. But, I just found out that an updated version of this article was published on October 7, 2013, on the website ZipMatch.
The title of the ZipMatch version of my article is “Working-from-Home Tips for Licensed Brokers.” I am so grateful that ZipMatch used and cited my article. It brings joy to my heart. Compared to other websites that claim my written articles as their own.
Since this article is more than a decade old, then it is now time to update it as well while keeping in mind what the world has gone through with COVID-19. The updates will be in blue font.
By Realttorney®
Do real estate service practitioners (RESPs) in the Philippines need a physical office? Yes is the sad answer to the question.
Section 33 of RA 9646 mandates licensed real estate brokers, appraisers, and consultants to “establish and maintain a principal place of business and such other branch offices as may be necessary, and shall conspicuously display therein the original and/or certified true copies of his/her certificate of registration as well as the certificates of registration of all real estate service practitioners employed in such office.”
The legislators felt that requiring RESPs to have physical offices would give them credibility and make them look more professional vis-à-vis fly-by-night colorum brokers that are still operating despite the passage of the Real Estate Service Act (RESA) more than 14 years ago.
However, the cost of maintaining an office is a drain on the meager resources of independent RESPs. Therefore, I would venture a guess and declare that most independent RESPs have home offices – where they can display their certificate of registration proudly as required by RESA.
Having a home office is the best of both worlds for real estate brokers. First, you comply with what is required by RESA. Second, you do not have high overhead costs to maintain a home office.
Third, you do not even have to dress up and commute to work. Lastly, you have the flexibility to work whatever time you want while balancing your business time with your family time.
If this is the case, then it shouldn’t be really hard to establish a home office. Correct?
Not exactly, because it is more than what it seems. Working from home is not as easy as people would like many to believe. Oftentimes, having the flexibility of time makes it harder to be productive and complete each day’s goals or tasks.
I have experienced this when my daughter often interrupts my work by politely asking for something as mundane as “Papa, can I please have a glass of water?” She is four years young and although I am irritated sometimes, I still welcome such interruption. But, for others, such may not be the case, especially when there is a deadline to meet.
At home, distractions abound as well. And it becomes easy to put off those particularly annoying tasks – like tracking and listing your daily expenses for tax purposes – until tomorrow.
For veteran brokers and newbies (newly licensed real estate brokers) alike, here are five (5) tips to guide RESPs on getting the most out of working from home, four of which were taken from the article from Argonautnews.com.
TIP 1: Make a schedule and stick to it. A good schedule covers what you absolutely need to accomplish while being realistic about the amount of time each week to grow your business and prospect for new business. Stick to your schedule. For instance, spend your mornings completing administrative paperwork, touching base with clients on current deals, and securing exclusive listing agreements. Then, spend the rest of the day prospecting – in the home office or out.
Create a flexible schedule. This means planning for potential distractions, including personal phone calls, family members, pet noise, and televisions. However, this does not mean you are to put your personal life second. Some brokers find themselves on the clock all the time, as they’ve allowed the line to blur between work hours and non-work hours. Make sure to schedule time for family and friends outside of your established working hours. To have a life, plan it.
Tip 2: Establish a routine. Sometimes, it is tempting to get out of bed and go straight to the laptop and begin working because you thought of numerous things upon waking up. Resist this urge. Instead, create a routine that prepares your physical and mental state to tackle the work for the day.
As much as possible, wake up at the same time every day. Start off your day by meditating, exercising, or finding quiet time to reflect on your personal life. Shower, dress up, have breakfast, and take your child or children to school. Create a routine that takes into account the most important matters in your life. It all depends on what goals you want to accomplish this year and the year after. Afterward, it’s time to get down for some serious and uninterrupted work time.
TIP 3. Make a space. Camping out and working on the couch is not likely to get you very far. Invest heavily in personalizing your office space. Stock it with the office equipment you need to get the job done. Do not try to conduct your entire business from your smartphone. You will need an actual computer (or laptop), printer-scanner-xerox machine – and of course a desk and comfortable chair. This is your workspace.
As you’ll invariably spend many hours in your car each week, keep chargers for your mobile products – tablets and phones – in your car. Increasingly, real estate brokers carry laptops or tablets (and sometimes mobile printers) so they can type up and process transactions quickly. To keep all your work materials together, consider purchasing a car organizer. Most importantly, make sure that you have more than ample data connectivity for the day.
TIP 4. Find support. Working from home can make anyone feel disconnected. However, the great thing about working from home in this day and age is that you are not alone. There are plenty of other workers – in real estate and other professions – who live nearby and deal with the same struggles unique to working from a home office. Organize midday breaks for walks, refreshments, and conversations about work and family. Where can you find these fellow home office workers? Start by asking around your own professional network. You can also reach out through the virtual social network to create a live one. Form a community by planning regular meetings with these solitary workers.
TIP 5: Take advantage of the benefits. Working from home can save money by skipping expensive rent or desk fees for co-working arrangements, and time by eliminating your commute and office-chatter distractions. Further, tax deductions are allowed for some of the expenses and utilities used exclusively for your home office. Consult your certified public account on this matter.
To summarize, licensed real estate brokers should have an office – whether a home office or a physical office with a separate address. However, a home office is often most advantageous to real estate brokers because we are still compliant with RESA, have minimal overhead costs, and have no commute time to work.
To make a home office setup work, real estate brokers need to step up a schedule and stick to it, establish a routine, create a workspace at home, and take advantage of tax benefits. Just make sure that your office space at home will be conducive and inspire you to work smart.
In the end, whether you work at home or not, real estate brokers are people person in general. Your people skills are the most important of all. No one likes a grumpy and hard-to-get-along broker. This is what makes or breaks the career of a licensed real estate broker, not their home office setup.
Are there other tips that we have forgotten to mention above? Let us know by leaving your comments below.
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Atty. Jojo is a real estate attorney, an estate planning attorney, a licensed real estate broker, and a PRC-accredited Lecturer/Speaker for Training Programs in Real Estate. He is committed to helping new and veteran real estate service practitioners be well-informed of the latest laws, rules, regulations, and information relevant to the real estate service sector.
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