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Experts share tips for making your first land development project a success
Your first land development project can be as daunting as it is exciting. The prospect of a prosperous project looms in the horizon – but so does the possibility of failure. Fortunately, the experts at Land Services Group have lived through it all and are now sharing tips with you. Read on to make sure you’re not getting a half-baked deal on raw land.
What is “cloud” technology?
Like many other sectors, the real estate industry has become transformed by the “cloud,” which simply refers to the on-demand delivery of computing services over the internet. Cloud technology allows brokerages to offer software as a service (SaaS), where users gain access to the brokerage’s software and databases, or their platform as a service (PaaS), where users can run applications on the brokerage’s infrastructure without having to develop or maintain it.
Although cloud technology is hardly news, its transformative potential is often untapped by brokerages that remain bogged down by traditional brick-and-mortar habits of running business and hesitation to make the digital leap of faith. Land Services Group – a cloud-based real estate brokerage – makes the most out of cloud technology to empower their associates and deliver outstanding results to their clients.
Cutting costs
The cloud allows the Land Services Group to reduce the overhead associated with running a traditional brick-and-mortar brokerage. Although the company maintains a physical office space, its decentralized network of sales representatives allows it to eliminate monthly expenses on unneeded space, desk fees, equipment, and other ancillary costs. Their cloud-based operating model also affords Land Services Group resilience during an economic downturn, where numerous physical offices close as a consequence of a housing crash.
These cost savings directly translate to more attractive splits for Land Services Group sales representatives, allowing higher producers to keep more of their commissions. It also allows the Land Services Group to allocate more funding to employee recruitment, training, research, and development, which pays off in faster and more effective services for its clients.
Connecting to the client
Cloud computing makes property information instantly accessible, so clients can be reassured that any questions or concerns will be resolved on the spot by Land Services Group sales representatives. Highly mobile sales representatives manage their relationships with clients anywhere – not just while sitting in the office. The cloud also enables multiple sales representatives to share client information and property data across various platforms and devices, which allows Land Services Group to leverage the brainpower of its people and provide better results for their clients than could be achieved by any single sales representative.
Scaling seamlessly
Forget the slog of opening one physical office after another in every new target market. Expansion doesn’t need to be expensive or time-consuming; as a cloud-based brokerage, the Land Services Group can attract new talent and establish a presence in new markets across the GTA within minutes. Cloud technology allows Land Services Group managers to remotely deliver the same support, training, and organizational standards that made the original team successful.
“The world of real estate post COVID-19 is evolving into an unrivalled form – a cloud-based brokerage system – and Land Services Group is here to create an ecosystem that succeeds through shared information and providing support on both ends of the spectrum, from our sales reps to our clientele.”
-Reza Esmaeili, CEO
Sales representatives love the cloud
With cloud technology, cumbersome administrative procedures are streamlined to grant sales representatives the most efficient and user-friendly experience possible, enabling new recruits to hit the ground running within minutes. Land Services Group sales representative Mina Mahroo notes that it took her only about 15 minutes to create her web profile, order her business cards, access the CRM platform, and onboard on Land Services Group’s transaction management system.
The Land Services Group’s cloud platform provides visibility into crucial business metrics such as leads, commissions, transactions, and awards, as well as access to training modules and a full suite of marketing materials to help sales representatives maximize their potential. Victor Huang, Chief Operating Officer of the company, states, “Our focus right now is on our sales representatives and boosting their existing personal brand, as well as their rich expertise in marketing, engineering, construction, and real estate. This can only be managed through a cloud-based brokerage.”
Land Services Group sales representatives appreciate the mobility, flexibility, larger commissions, and fewer mandatory meetings, which allows them to focus on what they do best: provide top services to their clients.
So what’s the catch?
Despite its numerous benefits, the cloud still poses certain risks regarding data protection and security, as well as increased management complexity and service provider control. Whereas formerly physical data rooms for a due diligence were supervised by a fleet of administrators, Land Services Group’s virtual data rooms allow for both transparency and security, adhering to strict verification processes.
The shift from analog to digital can seem daunting for sales representatives with limited experience using cloud tools, but this is ameliorated by Land Services Group’s comprehensive training modules and technical support team. Office manager Malihe Esmaeili remarks, “I wasn’t sure about [the cloud] at first, and I still like to keep some physical documents, but now that I realize how efficient [the cloud] is I can’t go back to doing things the old way.”
The future of the cloud brokerage
Cloud brokerages are not going to solve all the challenges faced by today’s real estate professionals, but they have found ways to keep sales representatives connected, equipped, and motivated as the real estate market continues to shift in unpredictable ways. The Land Services Group’s cloud-based model will allow it to survive and thrive in a variety of market conditions, ensuring its longevity and attractiveness to brokers and sales representatives far into the future.
Reza Esmaeili, CEO, states, “The world of real estate post COVID-19 is evolving into an unrivalled form – a cloud-based brokerage system – and Land Services Group is here to create an ecosystem that succeeds by sharing information and providing support across the spectrum, from our sales reps to our clientele. If you’re in the real estate business and you’re not in the cloud yet, your competitors probably are!”
Your first land purchase can be as daunting as it is exciting. The prospect of a prosperous project looms in the horizon – but so does the possibility of failure. Fortunately, the experts at Land Services Group have lived through it all and are now sharing tips for you to consider before making your big purchase. Read on to make sure you’re not getting a raw deal on raw land.
CLOUD TECHNOLOGY – marketing buzzword or a paradigm shift for a centuries-old industry? What is it, and why are so many brokerages shifting to a digital-first business model?
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