Every month, Kate Teves, HR consultant, recruiter and founder of The HR Pro, answers Realtors’ questions about anything and everything related to human resources. Have a question for Kate? Send her an email.

I will start this post with a funny story because we all need a bit of humour in our day. 

Years ago, when I started my HR consulting business, my clients were few and my expenses were painful. 

So, to save myself some cash, I decided that I could manage my own bookkeeping and remittances to the Canada Revenue Agency. Cue a long list of emails from Service Canada about outstanding balances and immediate payment requests for thousands of dollars.  As if starting a business wasn’t stressful enough, there was now another layer to the complexity of being a solopreneur. 

After three days of phone calls, online searches, questioning whether or not I was cut out for this, and a few mental breakdowns, I found an accounting company geared towards small businesses and never looked back. It is one of the best investments I have made in my business.

The old saying of “time is money” is as true today as it has been for centuries. Every hour you spend on a task that isn’t directly tied to closing deals, mentoring an agent or nurturing client relationships is an hour taken away from your core business. Yet, many real estate professionals, brokers, team leads, and independent agents alike fall into the trap of DIY-ing everything: hiring their own staff, managing their own books, even piecing together their own marketing campaigns.

On the surface, this seems practical, especially when the market slows and cutting costs feels like the only way forward. But the reality is that trying to “do it all” is not only inefficient, it can also cost you more in the long run.

Truth Bomb: Most real estate professionals didn’t get into the business to become payroll managers, social media strategists, or accountants. But when those roles are done haphazardly, the impact shows. A poorly written job posting can bring in the wrong talent. Inconsistent marketing means your brand gets lost in the noise. Errors in bookkeeping can create serious compliance headaches.

The result? Stress, wasted time, and missed opportunities – all of which often result in hiring a professional to clean up the mess anyway.

 

The good news

 

Avoiding the DIY route doesn’t mean you have to hire a full-time team and balloon your payroll. Especially in today’s economic climate, adding permanent staff isn’t always the smartest move. What you can do instead is outsource selectively, tapping into professionals who live and breathe their craft and can get a task done in a third of the time.

 

The outsourcing advantage

 

When you outsource to specialists, you’re not just offloading tasks; you’re gaining access to expertise, industry insights, and proven best practices. Consider these examples:

 

• Recruitment & HR – A specialized HR consultant knows how to write job descriptions that attract the right candidates, streamline onboarding, and set up systems that keep your business compliant.
• Marketing – A real estate-savvy marketing professional can craft campaigns that resonate with buyers and sellers, while teaching you tricks to maintain consistency long-term.
• Bookkeeping and accounting – A real estate-focused bookkeeper ensures your records are clean, your deductions are maximized, and your financials are investor- or lender-ready.
• Deals support – for brokerage deals processing is as crucial as oxygen is to life, a remote deals administrating service will keep your transactions FINTRAC compliant, ensure your agents are paid on time and that you aren’t paying for a full-time position when the deal flow decreases.

Last but absolutely not least – beyond the immediate benefits, outsourcing is also a learning opportunity. Partnering with experts allows you to pick up skills and strategies you can apply in your own practice, without having to stumble through costly trial and error.

 

Focus where it counts

 

Real estate success comes down to relationships and results. Your clients don’t care if you balanced your own books or designed your own marketing flyer. They care about the service you deliver, the trust you build, and the deals you close.

The best real estate professionals know when to call in experts. Don’t view outsourcing as an expense; view it as an investment in efficiency, professionalism, and peace of mind. Stop DIY-ing the parts of your business that don’t need your personal touch. Instead, surround yourself with specialists who will help you thrive—while you focus on what you do best: real estate.