From New Listing to Settlement: What Can Be Automated?.

A new listing can trigger tasks such as:

• Notify the sales team

• Create marketing tasks

• Assign responsibility for photography and copy

• Add key campaign dates

• Create vendor update reminders

• Check required documents

• Prepare buyer matching

• Add open home tasks

The CRM can help make sure the same basic process happens for every listing.

Useful automations may include:

• Open home reminders

• Buyer follow-up tasks

• Vendor update reminders

• Internal campaign notifications

• Marketing deadlines

• Inspection follow-up

• Buyer alerts

• Tasks for upcoming auction or sale dates

Automation works well for reminding people what needs to happen.

The agent should still decide what needs to be discussed with the vendor and how.

Once an offer is accepted or the property becomes conditional, the workflow changes.

The CRM may create tasks for:

• Updating the property status

• Recording buyer details

• Recording agreed price and terms

• Checking important contract dates

• Internal notifications

• Vendor communication

• Buyer communication

The exact steps will depend on the agency, state and transaction.

A sold status can trigger another workflow.

This might include:

• Updating the property record

• Updating buyer and seller records

• Closing buyer enquiries where appropriate

• Creating sold marketing tasks

• Creating settlement reminders

• Updating pipeline reports

• Recording the successful buyer

• Adding future follow-up tasks

It is also a good time to check whether the buyer or seller has another property relationship with the agency.

Settlement workflows can help keep important dates visible.

Useful reminders may include:

• Upcoming settlement date

• Pre-settlement contact

• Final inspection

• Key handover

• Outstanding documents

• Buyer follow-up

• Vendor follow-up

The CRM should support the process, but it should not replace communication between the people involved.

Settlement should not be the end of the CRM workflow.

Consider creating tasks for:

• Thank-you contact

• Updating the contact to past buyer or past seller

• Confirming new property ownership

• Requesting a review where appropriate

• Future property management discussion

• Referral follow-up

• Settlement anniversary

• Long-term past-client contact

This turns a completed transaction into an ongoing relationship.

Listing won → Listing created → Campaign tasks created → Buyer matching → Open homes and follow-up → Offer accepted → Contract milestones recorded → Sold status → Settlement tasks → Settlement completed → Past-client follow-up

Be careful about automating communication around:

• Price changes

• Vendor concerns

• Offers

• Negotiations

• Difficult buyer feedback

• Contract problems

• Delayed settlements

• Important campaign decisions

The CRM can remind the agent to make contact.

It does not need to send the message for them.

When setting up a listing workflow, check:

• What should happen automatically when a listing is created?

• Who needs to be notified?

• Which tasks should be created?

• Which dates need reminders?

• What happens when the property moves to under offer?

• What happens when it is marked sold?

• What needs to happen before settlement?

• What happens after settlement?

• Which communications should remain personal?

• Who is responsible for each stage?

A good workflow should reduce missed tasks and unnecessary admin while keeping the agent in control of the client relationship.