Real estate is one of the few professions where what you put in directly correlates to what you get out of it—and we’re not just talking about the money. Really striving to give your clients the best experience while selling or buying their home can lead to further opportunities in expanding your business. Just like your local restaurants and shops, positive testimonials and referrals are just a couple items potential clients will look for when beginning their real estate journeys. How do you direct them toward you? Simple. Brush up on the following key skills and feel more confident walking into that first client meeting.
COMMUNICATION
First—and perhaps the most important—skill to master is the ability to communicate effectively. Think of it as being an interpreter for your clients. Particularly with first-time homebuyers, the lingo tossed around between real estate agents makes it seem as if it’s a completely foreign language being spoken. As such, it’s imperative for a Realtor® to be able to sit their client down and explain the mechanisms behind an offer.
Communication plays a part not just during the selling and buying process, but before and after as well. Reaching out to potential clients instead of waiting for them to come to you will set you up for a more rewarding career. After the deal is done, your conversations with your clients don’t end there. Remember: they’re more than dollar signs. They’re people, and staying within their realm of communication proves you saw them as such, thus opening the door to repeat business with them in the future.
TIME MANAGEMENT
The title company. The lender. The appraiser. The inspector. Your clients. Family members with emergencies that can’t wait until after your next showing. Your cell phone in the passenger seat buzzing with one phone call after the other. Did you feed the dog this morning? Four showings back-to-back with ten minutes in between two for a small break—and it’s only Tuesday.
Did that paragraph cause just a little jump in your blood pressure? Some real estate agents would consider that scenario a tame day, but nonetheless they’ve all learned to conquer the essential skill of time management. Choosing a career as a Realtor® comes with the added responsibility of planning your day accordingly to achieve what needs to get done by the time the sun sets. Agents make their own schedules, and as one, juggling the needs of your clients with the requests of the title company become part of the job.
PASSION FOR LEARNING
You enter a room and are introduced as a Realtor®. Do you know what happens next? You’re bombarded with questions like “How’s the market?” or “How much do you think my house is worth right now?” It can feel daunting in the beginning, but remind yourself that as far as everyone in the room is concerned, you are the expert. Learning about and keeping up-to-date with the market will leave you more prepared to field those questions, and clients are more likely to gravitate toward working with someone who knows what they’re talking about.
Just as the market changes, so does the technology used throughout the industry. Not tech-savvy? Take the time to explore! Virtually every transaction in real estate has a technological component attached to it—email, online transaction management software, digital signatures, and so much more. Becoming familiar with the online aspect of real estate has become almost as important as obtaining your license, so take the time now to get comfortable with this skill.
Above all else, realize real estate is personal. For most people, this is the largest purchase they will make in their lifetimes, and the job of a Realtor® is to make that transaction as smooth and effortless as possible. This—along with the combination of the aforementioned skills—is what separates the more successful real estate agents from the rest. Be open to an ever-changing industry, but don’t forget at the heart of it to take care of your clients.