Sitting. Waiting. Wondering about the future. It’s a dynamic that can leave you … let’s just say less than motivated.

That goes for real estate agents just as much as anyone else. But the future is right around the corner. It might not be today or tomorrow or next week or even next month, but it will be here sooner than you think.

What are real estate teams doing to get ready? Looking for opportunities. We caught up with three team leaders in the Boston area to hear what they’re doing to keep the ball rolling during these days of uncertainty.

Irene Bremis

Zen and the art of quarantine 

Irene Bremis, broker/owner of iBremis Realty, is advising those struggling to see a light at the end of the coronavirus tunnel to try to have a glass half full mentality.

“I remember saying just a few months ago that I wish the world would just stay still, so I could catch up on so many things without feeling like I was missing out on others. The entire world now has the opportunity to do so,” she said in a recent email.

She’s encouraging her team to learn new skills, implement new technology and focus on what’s important to them. “We can concentrate on doing what we need to do to help grow our businesses, spend or share quality time with our families, tell our clients how grateful we are to have them and recognize and appreciate what is truly important to us,” she said, adding that this time is a gift of sorts to reconnect.

She said her company offers a variety of tutorials and classes for teams and agents, and they’re helping to keep the business moving forward with teleconferences, virtual showings and outreach to clients.

“We recently sent out several social media posts from our company to our agents, our clients, and the general population encouraging people to view this time this same way, not as a hindrance but rather as an opportunity, and we suggested a list of things people can do in order to avoid going stir crazy,” she said, adding “This too shall pass.”

Ryan Wilson

It’s still a seller’s market

Ryan Wilson, owner of The Wilson Group, Keller Williams, said he and his team have shifted to conducting business virtually and working for clients who want to act immediately. “We’re also doing everything we can do on the back end to prepare ourselves and our team to get us ready for when the floodgates open,” he said.

That entails agents updating databases, making sure marketing is spot on and reaching out to past clients and their sphere of influence “to make sure they’re OK.” Providing enough information online to pique a buyer’s interest is the sweet spot for Wilson. “We’ve done virtual showings in the past, but not every property warrants a 3D tour,” he said.

Wilson said he has worked to motivate his team with monthly contests on items like the top number of offers accepted and the most listing appointments in a month, he said. Those have continued through the pandemic. He said it’s still a seller’s market in and around Boston and his team is still putting homes under contract. “We still need to drive profit, and we still need to be results oriented,” he said.

Matt Dolan

Time for the pros to shine 

Matt Dolan, of Team Harborside at Sagan Harborside Sotheby’s International Realty in Marblehead, tells Boston Agent in a telephone interview that business dropped off quite a bit at the beginning of the shutdown, but both agents and clients are “figuring out their new rhythm” and finding ways to move forward. “Life goes on and clients need to move,” he said.

On that note, Dolan said he and his team aren’t taking any risks when it comes to safety. They’re spending more time prescreening to suss out only the most serious clients and avoid showing homes to those who might just be window shopping. They’re also using “strict safety protocols” with rules like requiring buyers and buyer agents to wear masks, gloves and covers for their shoes. Those looking at homes also are told to keep their hands in their pockets at all times and not touch anything, Dolan said.

He said that while business is still chugging along, it’s not what one would expect during the spring season. That gives agents a little more time to clean up their databases of clients and rethink advertising strategies. Direct mail is not as effective in a world where folks are more skittish about touching potentially tainted items, he said. “This is a time when you can think about your vision; you have time to do planning to do organizing and cleanup,” he said, adding that if you’re not ready once stay-at-home orders are lifted, you’ll get beat by the competition.

Dolan added that it’s a good time for agents to show their value. “I think there’s a very positive story here, and I think this is going to blow out a lot of the part-time agents,” he said. “If this is a side hustle, you’re just not going to get any business. This is about experienced agents navigating the market.”

Same goes for iBuyers, he said. “For those people who were afraid of the disruptors, those disruptors right now are blowing up. You think people are going to rely on a website or a discount agent? Good luck.”