Quick and Cost-effective Office Space Planning Tips for Estate Agents
Visiting an estate agents’ office is still something many people do now, even throughout the emergence of online agents. Buyers, sellers, letters and renters alike still need to speak to agents and advisors face-to-face. Therefore, making sure your office properly portrays your brand and mood is ever-important. Plus making sure your employees are able to remain focused and happy will increase productivity as a result.
You don’t always need a complete refit to improve the function and feel of your office. So we put together 10 quick things you can change in your estate agents office that are not only immediate, but are also much more cost-effective than a complete office refit.
1. Add a new feature wall colour and signage at the back of the office
The chances are that you already have branding and a colour scheme already. Experiment with a focus wall at the back of the office in view of the shop front. What colours look best behind your signage? Order some tester pots, paint some boards and print and cutout your logo, trialing out colours. Adding a feature wall is a really quick way to draw attention to your office and is often the first thing your clients will see.
2. Create an inviting feel with a new welcoming reception desk
First impressions are extremely important, and when you’re about to undertake the most expensive purchase of your life, they are even more important. Calm nerves with a welcoming reception desk. Opt for a wood effect to make the office feel homely and inviting.
3. Make clients feel relaxed with comfy reception furniture
Think “make yourself at home”. A trip to an estate agents can feel overwhelming and stressful for even the most seasoned house buyer. Make them feel comfortable while they wait with stylish sofas, chairs and office coffee tables. Add a sofa, and perhaps a few statement chairs to sit on. What better way to relax a seller’s nerves with a stylish rocking armchair.
4. Brighten up the back of the office with new lighting
Sometimes it takes a few carefully places lighting options to completely change the look and feel of a room, and an estate agent’s office is no exception. By introducing different lighting options, it’s easy to soften up the mood of a room and inject your brand’s persona. Adding stylish desk lamps onto estate agent’s tables are another great way to create a homely feel and help your staff feel more at home too.
5. Update agents’ desks with new stylish ones
Choose executive desks for your agents to sit and talk to clients with. Not only do they look stylish from all angles, but they also need to be big enough for the agent to work from and for clients to sit at to discuss important paperwork and agreements.
6. Update office chairs to new stylish ones
It’s really important to make sure your agents are sitting at chairs designed for sitting in for long periods. Whilst style might not be at the forefront of an ergonomic desk chair, they do in fact come in lots of different styles and colourways. Making sure your staff are not causing lasting back injuries to themselves whilst sitting for long periods of time is extremely important.
7. Add a stylish tea/coffee point
Customers who feel welcome are more likely to come back. Make them feel at home during long negotiations with a tea and coffee point. Simply a pod or instant bean-to-cup machine in the corner of the office for clients to either help themselves or for agents to offer will save time and make a great first impression. A nice set-up on a small stylish coffee table will not only look nice, but give the office a hint of a relaxed, modern café feel.
8. Make things homely with indoor planting
Indoor planting has been proven to reduce stress levels by playing on a phenomenom called biophilia. Adding large and small indoor plants will not only help clientel feel at home and relaxed in your office, but also your employees too.
9. Add local map murals to a wall
Add a mural on a wall of the local area you operate in. Not only is it useful for agents to point out locations of properties, but also increases the feeling from clientele your agency is a truly local and has expertise in the area. Experiment with different colourways to match your branding and get it printed onto wallpaper.
10. Add an informal bar area
If you have clients drop by quickly to drop off or pick up paperwork, a bar area is the perfect place to encourage clients to drop by for a chat or sign important paperwork. Making clients feel at ease when doing these things is really important and sometimes sitting at the other side of a desk can feel intimidating for some. A bar area is a great option too for providing different levels or line of sight and is a style statement too.
