How McGrath’s Monique Layoun transformed lost hours into growth

• Key figure: Monique Layoun, Partner at McGrath Blacktown, with 6 years total real estate experience, including ground-up progression from Front Office Manager to Partner 
• Challenge: Eliminating time-consuming manual processes across a large network while maintaining service quality in Sydney’s competitive western suburbs market 
• Solution: Comprehensive implementation of Realtair’s integrated platform over 3 years, progressing from Realtair Pitch and Sign to full Sell module adoption 
• Key achievement: Transformed from spending entire Saturdays driving for signatures to closing deals remotely, while redirecting saved time to revenue-generating prospecting activities

It’s 9 PM on a weeknight, and Monique Layoun is closing a property deal from her bed using nothing but her laptop and Realtair’s digital platform. What would have once required hours of Saturday evening drives across Sydney’s western suburbs (chasing signatures, processing contracts by hand, and coordinating with solicitors) now takes minutes from anywhere with an internet connection.

This shift from weekend road trips to bedside deal-making captures the transformation that’s swept through Monique’s real estate practice since adopting Realtair’s digital platform three years ago. 

“I’ve been an agent for about 2 years now. Been in real estate for a total of 6 years,” she explains. “I wanted to know how to process my own listings. I wanted to know how to exchange contracts. So that when I eventually became an agent, I didn’t have to necessarily rely on anybody.”

Monique’s career path through McGrath’s operations gives her a rare vantage point on how Realtair transforms real estate practices. Starting as a front office manager, she progressed through client service management, sales associate, and finally to sales agent and partner with McGrath Blacktown. This ground-up journey means Monique understands exactly where digital transformation creates the most impact.

Manual processes that consumed days 

Before implementing Realtair, McGrath Blacktown operated entirely on traditional methods that created enormous time drains and logistical complexities. Monique’s administrative background gave her intimate knowledge of these inefficiencies.

“Before Realtair, it was good old pen and paper. We were using bank cheques and transfers, and that was pretty much it,” she recalls. The manual contract processing alone could monopolise entire workdays.

“I remember having to make sure the contracts were identical, put them in the envelopes, take them to Australia Post, do all the letters for the solicitors, and that could take you all day to do a few exchanges,” she explains. “When we used to have to process contracts physically, it was very time-consuming.”

The weekend workload was particularly demanding. “I used to have to drive around till 8 o’clock at night going to visit purchasers or owners to get deals done,” Monique says. This reality meant sacrificing personal time and created significant constraints around work-life balance.

The administrative burden also limited business capacity. When agents spend entire days on paperwork and travel, there’s little time left for the relationship-building and prospecting activities that drive future business growth.

Hesitation gives way to transformation 

When Realtair was first introduced to the team approximately three years ago, the response wasn’t immediate enthusiasm. “I think initially, there was a little bit of hesitancy. Just because I think when you’re adopting any sort of new process or technology, it’s sort of that uncertainty, especially if you don’t know how to use the platform properly to begin with,” Monique explains.

The concerns were practical and immediate. “And then there’s that stress of, ‘What happens if something goes wrong on auction day,’ for example.”

However, proper training with Realtair’s Customer Success Team proved to be the turning point that transformed resistance into advocacy. “As soon as we sort of got trained on how to use it, and we knew how to use it properly, that anxiety around it completely disappeared,” Monique reflects. “And we realised how much it actually benefitted us.”

Dramatic gains across all operations 

The benefits became immediately apparent in day-to-day operations. “Now I can be out at dinner, doing a deal on my laptop or my iPad, so I think once we sort of adopted it [Realtair], and we realised how much easier it made our lives. It was a game changer.”

The transformation in processing speed was particularly striking. Tasks that previously consumed entire workdays were reduced to minutes. “A couple of minutes, and it’s already in their inbox,” Monique notes, contrasting this with the old process. 

The platform eliminated the logistical complexity that had defined property transactions. “It just makes everything happen within minutes. It just makes everything so much easier. From the actual putting the sale together point of view, but then also the aftermath.”

The speed of improvement transformed client interactions as well. Buyers could submit offers with complete documentation before agents had even finished packing up their home open materials. The efficiency gains extended through every aspect of the transaction process, from initial offers to final exchange completion.

Reclaiming time for revenue generation 

The efficiency gains from Realtair’s platform created something more valuable than convenience: they fundamentally shifted how Monique spends her working hours. The time previously consumed by administrative tasks could now be redirected toward activities that directly generate revenue and build relationships.

“It allows you to do more. Like going back to that efficiency side of things because you take away so many tasks around getting contracts signed or processing agreements, or whatever it might be. It allows you to have more time to do other things,” Monique explains. 

“100% of the time that we were spending doing admin tasks, we’re now doing calls. And we’re rather than focusing on processing the Exchange, we’re focusing on calling the street to letting them know it’s sold.” 

Instead of being bogged down in paperwork, agents can focus on the human elements that drive future business opportunities.

How Realtair was rolled out 

Monique’s adoption of Realtair evolved. While she initially focused heavily on core contract management through Realtair Pitch and Realtair Sign, she gradually incorporated additional features that enhanced different aspects of her business operations.

“I use Pitch and Sign for everything,” she says. She also integrated Realtair Sell into her workflow, focusing on features that provide immediate value in her auction-focused market. 

The auction registration functionality proved particularly valuable. “I use it now for online registrations, which I’ve found to be really handy, especially leading into auction day. So, the week of the auction, we send everybody that pre-registration link.”

This approach has proven effective for gauging genuine buyer interest before auction events. “It helps us immediately figure out who’s actually interested and who might not be as interested. Because I guess if you’ve sent out that link to somebody, and within you know, an hour they’ve registered, you know who’s going to be that sort of really keen purchaser on auction day.”

The proposal and tracking capabilities have enhanced her client engagement strategy. “I do all my proposals through Pitch,” she explains, appreciating the visibility into client engagement. “I love that product, especially just being able to see when they open it and see when to actually call them like, it’s literally a link telling you call these owners.” 

The timing of follow-up calls has become more sophisticated as a result. “I try not to do it too quickly, because I don’t want them to catch on that we know. So, I try and time it strategically. But it’s worked really well.”

Complex client situations made simple 

Realtair’s flexibility proved invaluable when Monique faced a situation that would have been nearly impossible to handle through traditional methods. 

“I had a listing last year, and the owner lived in Malta,” Monique recalls. The geographic challenge would have created significant complications using manual processes, requiring international courier services, time zone coordination, and weeks of delays for document exchange.

“Without Realtair, that exchange would have been very, very difficult. So, by having a platform where I could literally send her everything electronically, it was with her within seconds, and it was back to me within seconds. It just made that process so easy, so there was no anxiety around her being overseas while we were selling her property.” 

Client reactions to the digital process have been consistently positive, particularly among those who haven’t sold property in recent years. “We find a lot of owners are quite surprised with how quick it is. A lot of them are quite shocked, especially if they haven’t sold in a few years, and they remember it to all be physical.”

Futureproofing with Realtair 

For Monique, embracing technology represents essential business evolution rather than optional improvement. Her perspective comes from witnessing firsthand how dramatically the real estate landscape has changed and continues to evolve.

“When technology is being implemented into the industry, I think if you don’t adapt to it and start using it, you’re going to fall behind. And being such a big business, we need to be up to date with the technology that’s in the industry for us to be able to do the business that we want to do.”

Her recommendation to fellow agents is unequivocal, particularly those who might feel intimidated by proptech. “I would 100% recommend Realtair. Because I think if you’re not adapting technology into your processes now, especially with the way the world is going, you will eventually fall behind. You might not have felt it just yet.”

McGrath Blacktown’s transformation is living proof of what Realtair can do for a real estate practice. The efficiency gains flowed directly into better client service, a healthier work-life balance, and an increased capacity to grow their business.