This is a great time of year for Real Estate Agents to closely examine where the money went and to trim or plan for 2018.

As we know, it’s all about the “net” income. What are your tips?.. please share!

Here are 5 MONEY SAVING TIPS for Small Business Professionals

Use Free or One-Time Fee Online Tools. Use the free and helpful Google apps such as Google Docs, Sheets, Calendar, Drive,  Keep, Picasa, Chromecast, Voice, Gmail, and Youtube to share documents and keep your business backed up in one place.  Also, what software are you paying monthly fees on?… this can really add up.. that 9.99 per month seems small but is it cheaper to pay for it up front?

“When in Doubt, Go Without.” This tip can really apply to every business. Before buying ask yourself a few questions: 1)Should you actually make that purchase? 2) Do you truly need to replace something? Use what you have until you are certain you need something else.  Not only will you save money, you will also save energy learning and setting up.

Make a Business Plan & Budget  One of the biggest and most common mistakes is NOT  “planning”.  Having a plan helps you stay focused and not get distracted by every shiny new object. It is important to crunch the numbers in advance.  As they say, plan your work and then work your plan.  To download a free budgeting spreadsheet for agents click here.

Stay on Top of Your Accounting  When money is tight, things like late fees on bills or not seeing where the money is going on time can be a huge problem. Pay your dues on the due date, and take pains to ensure that your commissions are on time and that the outstanding balances are minimized.  For an easy to use bookkeeping program for agents click here.

Ask for a Discount  So simple, yet often very effective. Just ask whatever vendor if they have some kind of promo offer or rate. This won’t always be the case, but when it is, it’s so easy and worth it. In some cases, asking for a discount and then preparing to walk away if it isn’t granted can save you money and secure that discount.

What some of your money saving tips?  Please share below.