Whether you’re a seasoned agency or a cutting-edge start-up, shielding your assets and future proofing your relationships is essential to create a legally sound real estate agency.
And while you might think that means through-the-roof legal fees, and drowning in paperwork, thanks to the legal specialists at O*NO Legal, you’d be wrong.
“Legals can be expensive, and traditionally only those at the ‘big end of town’ could afford to get this type of industry specialised legal advice,” Founder and Legal Strategist Kristen Porter said.
“We want to level the playing field and provide a solution that allows all agencies to be able to get access to the same advice and strategy the big end of town has had.”
Which is why O*NO’s team of specialists developed the Real Estate Agency Health Check and Membership, designed specifically for real estate professionals, by legal professionals with dedicated knowledge of the property sector.
“Unlike stuffy lawyers who take forever to get back to you, as well as dictate how your legals must be done, we’ve developed on-demand solutions that fit with your schedule,” Ms Porter said.
“Agents often think they don’t have regular legal needs.
“We tell our clients to think about every operational area of their agency – HR, marketing, sales, PM, finance, trust accounting, training, competitions and giveaways, social media, branding, leasing, blogging, CRM, banking etc.
“Every aspect of your agency has a corresponding legal component that you must be on top of.
“We will help you map your legal needs and make a prioritised plan to get on top of it, so there are no holes that could sink your ship.”
On top of that, you get to choose the level of service you want, done for you, done with you, and done by you – the latter at a cost of $97 per month.
“We then help agencies address their action items by giving them the tools to do so (done by you), or we can do it all for them – our time poor agent clients love this option (done for you),” Ms Porter said.
And then there’s the combined approach, the hybrid package – done with you.
“The client uses the implementation tools, and we check they have got it right – giving them that peace of mind,” Ms Porter said.
“We also have regular catch-ups to ensure they are on track, and this is an opportunity to pick our brain on any issues with staffing, their rent rolls, commission, privacy – anything.”
The membership also allows agencies to manage their cash flow, spreading out the cost of managing legals over a 12-month period, rather than having to pay a lump sum legal bill.
The concept means real estate agencies at every stage can legally protect themselves, and minimise risk, confusion, or breaking the bank.
“Agents have a choice – they can get ahead of the game and cover themselves, or they can cross their fingers, hope for the best and continue to try and keep on top of the ever changing laws that rule their highly regulated industry,” Ms Porter said.
