Real Estate Business Tips To Help You Grow With Less Stress

By: Tiffany Bowtell | Last Updated: 21st Apr 2025

virtual assistants.artwork

Running a property management agency demands more than hard work. You need the right systems, people, and clear focus to grow. These real estate business tips will help you cut through the noise, avoid burnout, and confidently scale. Whether you’re looking to streamline daily tasks, attract better landlords or improve your service, this guide provides actionable steps tailored for business owners seeking more innovative growth in a fast-changing market.

Build A Resilient Real Estate Business With Systemised Operations

Operating without clear systems leads to stress and poor results. Many real estate professionals spend excessive time on admin instead of focusing on growth. Systemisation is key to running a business that works smoothly and scales easily.

What Is Systemisation?

Systemisation involves creating clear steps and tools to complete tasks, removing the guesswork from your business operations. When your team follows a process, they make fewer mistakes and deliver a better experience for landlords and tenants.

A systemised real estate operation offers:

  • More time to focus on growth
  • Better team performance
  • Fewer errors and follow-ups
  • Clear roles and goals for every team member

Common Admin Tasks That Slow You Down

In most property management teams, admin work dominates, resulting in tired staff and poor service. Typical admin-heavy jobs include:

You can’t grow your real estate business if your team is bogged down with these tasks.

Outsourcing Helps You Work Smarter

Outsourcing time-consuming tasks reduces team pressure and frees up hours. A virtual assistant (VA) can handle routine admin while your local team focuses on landlords, prospects and new business.

Here’s how outsourcing compares to in-house effort:

TaskIn-House EffortOutsourcedOutcome
Lease renewals2–4 hours per weekFully managedOn-time, fewer missed deadlines
Routine inspectionsTime-intensiveScheduled and trackedHigher consistency and coverage
Trust complianceComplex and riskySupported with checklistsFewer errors and peace of mind

Smart real estate agents use VAs to handle back-end operations and focus on revenue. This is one of the easiest ways to grow your real estate business without hiring more staff. To optimise your agency’s daily operations, start with systemised processes and leverage outsourcing to scale effectively.

Prospect Smarter By Focusing On Your Ideal Clients.atwork

Prospect Smarter By Focusing On Your Ideal Clients

Not all landlords are the right fit for your agency. To grow your real estate business, focus on the right clients by identifying your ideal landlords and concentrating your efforts there.

Identify Landlords That Help You Grow

Review your current rent roll and identify clients who:

  • Own multiple properties
  • Communicate clearly
  • Approve work quickly
  • Pay fees on time
  • Provide referrals

These landlords help your business grow, cost less to manage and bring in more income. Many real estate agents spend too much time on difficult landlords, hindering growth and affecting team morale. Create a landlord profile for your ideal client, including:

  • Property type (units, townhouses or houses)
  • Location
  • Rental income range
  • Landlord expectations

Use your CRM To Segment and Track

Your CRM holds the data needed to spot trends. Segment your landlord list based on the following:

Once segmented, you can better target your marketing and reduce time wasted on poor-fit leads. Knowing exactly who to pursue also makes it easier to generate leads.

Tasks You Can Outsource to a VA

Outsourcing administrative tasks to a virtual assistant lets your local team focus on top prospects. A VA can:

  • Qualify prospects using pre-set rules
  • Clean up and update your CRM regularly
  • Research FSBOs and investor listings
  • Send follow-up emails
  • Track responses and report new leads

You build better client relationships and reduce churn by targeting the right landlords. With a VA’s assistance, you’ll maintain an entire pipeline and focus only on the leads that matter. This is one of the fastest ways to grow your real estate business without overburdening your team.

Increase Revenue Through Strategic Referral Campaigns

Referrals are among the fastest ways to grow your real estate business. They outperform cold ads because they are trustworthy, often originating from someone the prospect already knows, giving your agency an edge from the start.

Why Referrals Work So Well

Most landlords trust recommendations more than ads, especially in the real estate industry. Landlords seek agencies that will protect their investments and manage details efficiently. A trusted friend or tradesperson’s endorsement carries significant weight. Successful real estate agents know how to ask for referrals quickly. They build systems to do it consistently and track the results. Make referrals a key part of your strategy to generate leads that convert.

Set Up a Simple, Repeatable Referral System

Keep your approach simple and consistent:

  • Identify referral sources (landlords, trades, BDM networks)
  • Offer a small reward or thank-you (gift cards or fee discounts)
  • Use clear messages sent via email or SMS
  • Track every referral in your CRM
  • Thank the referrer and follow up

Your referral process should be easy to run and simple to repeat.

Tasks to Delegate to a VA.artwork

Tasks to Delegate to a VA

A virtual assistant can manage your referral campaign end-to-end:

  • Create and update email templates
  • Send messages at key milestones (e.g., after new lease signs)
  • Track referrals in your CRM
  • Follow up with prospective clients
  • Send thank-you messages when you get a referral.

This is one of the most reliable ways to grow your business. With the right system and support, you’ll turn happy clients into a steady source of new leads.

Maximise Real Estate Sales Potential Through Cross-Team Collaboration

Your property management (PM) team can contribute to real estate sales by identifying key signals. Training your team to spot sales leads opens up new revenue streams.

Turn Your PM Team Into a Lead Source

Many real estate professionals miss sales leads due to siloed teams. Your PM team interacts with homeowners and investors daily, hearing when a landlord is considering selling or a tenant wants to buy a house. These are prime moments to act. Without a transparent system, these leads can be missed. Train your PMs to flag key signs and pass them to your sales team.

Common Sales Signals to Watch

Indicators that a landlord or tenant might be ready to buy or sell include:

  • Owner requests a valuation
  • Property requires major repairs
  • Landlord complains about low returns
  • Tenant inquires about buying
  • Investor purchases new homes nearby
  • Owner mentions retirement or downsizing.

These cues often emerge in everyday communications. Your team needs to know what to listen for.

Use Shared Tools and VA Support To Connect the Dots

To convert these signals into real estate leads, your CRM must serve both PM and sales teams. A shared CRM maintains contact notes, updates and follow-ups in one place.

A VA can support this by:

  • Adding flagged leads to the CRM
  • Assigning tasks to the sales team
  • Updating lead status
  • Tracking outcomes and performance
Sales SignalVA Task
The owner  requests a valuationAdd lead to CRM and assign follow-up
Tenant expresses interest in buyingRecord inquiries and alert sales rep
Investor sells a propertyFlag landlord as a high-value prospect

With a shared system and VA support, your teams stay aligned. You capture more new leads and strengthen your property management and real estate sales position.

Drive Inbound Leads With Property-Focused Content Marketing

Content marketing is one of the most effective long-term strategies in the real estate business. It builds trust, brings in new leads and positions your agency as a reliable, knowledgeable brand.

Why Content Builds Trust Over Time

Landlords want to work with an agency that understands their suburb, knows the rules, and delivers accurate results. A single, well-crafted content can build trust before any direct contact. Content works 24/7. A blog, suburb profile, or video can attract buyers and sellers weeks or months after publication. It’s a cost-effective way to reach prospective clients and grow your brand visibility.

Content That Matters to Landlords

Stick to topics that help landlords make wise choices. High-performing formats include:

  • Suburb profiles: Showcase local data, lifestyle features and rental insights
  • Regulation explainers: Break down tenancy law changes in simple terms
  • Case studies: Highlight how you solved a landlord’s challenge
  • Market reports: Share recent trends, vacancy rates and yield data

These updates also keep your agency at the forefront of your mind with past clients and investors.

Delegate the Process to a VA

You don’t need to write everything yourself. A VA can manage much of the content workflow, including:

  • Researching topics and rental data
  • Drafting blog posts and social media content
  • Uploading articles to your website
  • Sending updates via email
  • Scheduling across social platforms

With help, you stay visible without adding pressure to your in-house team. Real estate professionals investing in content marketing often generate more real estate leads and build stronger brand loyalty.

Reconnect With Past Clients To Uncover New Growth Opportunities

Your past clients can be a powerful source of new business. Many real estate agents focus on chasing new leads but forget the value of old relationships. If you stay in touch, a past client who had a great experience is more likely to return—or send a referral.

Why Staying Connected Matters

Most landlords don’t leave because they’re unhappy. They leave because they forget. Out of sight often means out of mind. Staying connected keeps you at the top of your mind when they—or their network—are ready to buy, sell, or switch agencies. Landlords also speak with other homeowners. Maintaining a warm connection increases your chances of getting a referral with minimal effort.

Simple Ways To Stay in Touch

Keep your outreach personal, valuable and regular. These light-touch updates help you stay relevant:

  • Monthly emails with rental trends and local market shifts
  • Property performance updates with yield or value data
  • SMS or email check-ins during key tenancy dates
  • Quarterly market snapshots
  • Annual review invites to reassess goals or portfolios

Delegate Outreach To a VA

A virtual assistant can manage this entire process for you:

  • Segment your CRM to identify past clients
  • Prepare and send email campaigns
  • Track responses and engagement
  • Flag warm leads for follow-up
  • Keep your to-do list focused on high-value conversations

If you’ve been in the business a while, you likely have dozens of past clients ready to reconnect. Use your CRM, create a process and lean on a VA to keep things running without slowing you down.

Create a Game Plan To Scale Your Property Management Agency.artwork

Create a Game Plan To Scale Your Property Management Agency

You need a clear path to grow your real estate business without burning out. Growth happens when you choose the proper focus, stop doing the wrong tasks, and delegate where it counts.

Map Your Ideal Business Structure

Think about what you want your agency to look like in the next 12 months. Ask yourself:

  • How many properties do I want to manage?
  • What tasks do I want to stop doing?
  • Which services add the most value?
  • What support do I need to get there?

Get clear on your goals and structure your week to match.

What To Outsource vs Keep In-House

Outsource tasks that are repetitive, time-heavy or admin-focused. Keep strategic and client-facing work in-house.

Outsource:

Keep In-House:

  • Tribunal hearings
  • High-touch landlord calls
  • Property appraisals
  • Final decision-making

Build A Simple Action Plan

Use a clear framework to track your next steps:

ObjectiveCurrent StatusOutsourceable?Action
Reduce arrears follow-up3 hours/weekYesDelegate to VA
Improve landlord retentionInconsistent contactYesSet up monthly check-in emails
Grow management portfolio120 propertiesYesFree PM time with VA support
Reduce admin load15+ hours/weekYesShift top 5 admin tasks

With the right game plan, your agency grows in a focused, scalable, and sustainable way. You stay in control, your team stays energised, and your clients get better service.

Solve Every Pain Point With A Proactive Outsourcing Strategy

Most property managers deal with the same day-to-day frustrations. These pain points build up and affect performance, service and team morale. But with a proactive outsourcing strategy, you can remove bottlenecks and regain momentum.

Identify What’s Holding You Back

Look closely at the daily tasks that slow your team down. These often include:

  • Late lease renewals
  • Missed arrears follow-ups
  • Poor inspection reports
  • Overflowing inboxes
  • Delayed landlord responses
  • Errors in trust accounting
  • No time for lead generation

Trying to do more with the same resources only leads to burnout. Instead, fix the root cause with targeted outsourcing.

Match The Problem To The Solution

A virtual assistant can handle a wide range of back-end tasks. With the right tools and training, they become a seamless extension of your team.

Pain PointOutsourcing FixKPI To Track
Lease renewals delayedVA monitors due dates and sends forms% issued on time
Arrears follow-up missedVA sends daily SMS and remindersArrears rate below 2%
Inbox overwhelmVA filters and replies to routine emailsAvg. response time under 4 hours
Inspection reports rushedVA formats and checks reports% sent within 48 hours
New leads not followed upVA updates and tracks CRM contactsLeads contacted within 24 hours

Track Results To Stay On Target

Minor, consistent improvements lead to big wins. Pick two or three pain points, set a target and track your progress. You don’t need complicated tools—just a straightforward list and weekly check-ins. When you delegate purposefully, you regain control and build a real estate business that grows on your terms.

Real Estate Business Tips FAQs

How Can I Ask For Referrals Without Sounding Pushy?

The best time to ask for referrals is after a positive result—like a quick lease signing or a quick maintenance issue resolution. Keep your message short and professional. Thank your landlord, then ask if they know another property owner who could use the same level of service. Many buyers and sellers trust referrals more than ads, so they’re a reliable way to generate leads.

What Are Easy Lead Generation Ideas For New Agents In Property Management?

Start local. Attend a networking event with trades or investor groups. Focus on building trust in your area. Door-knocking still works, especially when paired with solid follow-up. New agents should build relationships with homeowners and investors, not just buyers and sellers. Use your CRM to stay on top of follow-ups and track results.

How Can I Become The Agent Of Choice For Local Landlords?

Know your area inside and out. Share suburb updates, rental trends and changes to laws. Send market reports that help landlords make wise choices. Get to know your neighbours and position your agency as the local expert. When landlords see consistent, helpful content, they remember your name when it’s time to switch agents.

What Should My Website Include To Attract Landlords?

Your website needs to clearly show your value. Focus on what matters to landlords—services, team experience, and results. Highlight your areas of expertise, offer a free rental appraisal, and make contact easy. Your website needs to show why you’re the right fit for their property, not just list features.

Should I Run Ads Or Focus On Referrals And Content?

Both work, but most business owners in property management see better long-term gains with referrals and content first. If your annual income is tight, focus on high-trust, low-cost strategies. Build content that solves landlord problems. Ask for referrals. Once your systems are in place, run ads to boost reach and quickly bring in new leads.

Make Real Growth Happen With Smarter Business Tips

You don’t need to do it all to grow your real estate business. The most successful agents focus on what matters and delegate the rest. This article covered key real estate business tips—from systemising operations and prospecting more competent to using referral campaigns, creating content and re-engaging past clients. You also saw how outsourcing solves daily pain points and helps you scale without stress. If you’re ready to grow with less pressure and more control, PMVA can help. We support real estate professionals across Australia with innovative, tailored outsourcing. Reach out to see how we can back your next move.

CategoriesSales Posted on

Tiffany Bowtell

Tiffany Bowtell is the CEO and Founder of PMVA, renowned internationally as a property management expert. With over thirty years in the property industry, she has excelled in roles including Head Trainer at Console and certified partner with PropertyMe software. A skilled business coach, keynote speaker and Property Management Author. Tiffany's innovative approaches to training and software integration make her a distinguished leader in real estate outsourcing and process automation.