Bricks and Mortar
It’s been almost three weeks now since we officially moved-out of our Pleasanton office on Hacienda Drive. Makes me wonder what I’m going to do when the mail stops getting forwarded in another week? It also explains why I haven’t done anything productive in almost six weeks. Moving is a big job.
More than five years ago, when my Dad/Broker/Boss inked the deal on the seven thousand square foot office space in Pleasanton, it seemed a perfectly logical thing to do. But the way the business has changed (driven primarily by the Internet), today such a huge brick-and-mortar investment would strike me as pure foolishness.
Agents just don’t use the office like they used to.
Five years ago we depended on the office for access to our business telephone and messages. We went in for access to the MLS. We found out about new listings through face-to-face communication with co-workers. Company policies and events were promoted through memos and fliers that we would pick-up in our mail slots. The whole thing was just so physical.
Now, most of that communication can be done through email. The MLS is at our fingertips via the Internet. Forms are all electronic. Files are stored on-line. We have user names and passwords to access DRE resources, tax record data and the latest industry-related news. Everything’s on line. If I’ve got an Internet connection, I’m in business.
For example - I’m writing this from the kitchen table on a Monday morning. The kids are at school, it’s nice and quiet, and I’ve saved three bucks by brewing my own coffee (which I’m drinking out of a $15 Starbucks mug - they win either way!). It’s 9am and I’ve been through my morning emails, stirred-up a little conversation on Facebook (with potential investor clients), exchanged text messages with an associate about a meeting this afternoon, and am meeting my morning goal of reviving my website.
At the same time, I feel completely isolated, even lost, if I go too long without the people who give me the support and strength I needto continue working towards being the best Realtor I can be. There’s just no way, with the amount of information flying around on the Internet, that I can stay on top of the market, the consumer, the industry and the times without having some sort of filter and discussion. And it’s not possible that all the good ideas in the world are going to come to me in the privacy of my own limited thoughts. That’s why I’ll never be a “lone ranger” real estate agent.
And to be a part of the community, we certainly need some kind of physical presence. A sign, a welcoming lobby, a meeting room. After all, we have to get invested in the neighborhoods we serve - we want to become part of the fabric.
So for now, our 1,000 sqft storefront office in the 580 Marketplace shopping center in Castro Valley is our home. It’s our headquarters and it’s our personality: professional and convenient, high-tech and homey, understated and ultra-functional. It’s sufficient, but it’s not a burden.
And it’s a place to meet-up, not just with clients, but with fellow associates. Because what makes our group, or any group, something special is not the physical structure where they meet, but the people inside of it. The personalities, the wisdom, the caring and the commitment of the group is what makes our office great, no matter how big or small or in whichever town. The people are the most important bricks in any office.
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