Real estate can be a sink-or-swim kind of world. It requires constant attention, honed interpersonal skills, and agility in the face of change. It also demands enough stamina and mental fortitude to play the waiting game.
That goes for investors eager to pounce on the next profitable property. And it certainly goes for agents looking to remain competitive among leads.
If you’re looking to break into real estate and become a successful, well-respected, and flawlessly reviewed real estate agent, here are a few tips.
Learn to Love Odd Hours
First, you need to dispel any notion of a “normal” 9-5 job. That simply isn’t the nature of the real estate. The most successful agents wear their flexibility as a point of pride, being there for clients at odd hours, as often as they need you.
Most clients hunt for properties out of their regular work hours – either on weekends or in the evenings. To drum up a positive reputation, make yourself available during these hours.
Embrace Disruptive Innovation to Add Consumer Value
Real estate changes every day as new disruptive innovations emerge. Some firmly entrenched real estate agents balk at new technologies; after all, they have a vested interest in the old ways of doing business. In that kind of landscape, your agility and openness will be your superpower.
If you aren’t already leveraging big data for insights, start leveraging big data for insights. If you aren’t using blockchain technology for real estate transactions, at least research what blockchain can do for real estate.
And to meet consumers on their terms, consider Nobul – a real estate digital marketplace that matches agents with consumers based on their criteria and values. As Nobul CEO Regan McGee points out in a Medium interview, “The problem that everyone else is solving is getting agents deal flow. The problem we are solving is getting consumers the best possible experience at the best possible price.” Leveraging disruptive innovation can give you a leg up with consumers as, according to McGee, “there are great realtors out there, and the platform should help agents obtain more credibility.”
Reach for Honesty Over the Quick Sale
Painting a rosy picture of a property to make a quicker sale, even though you know it isn’t what the client really wants, is a short-term tactic. More than that, it’s a short-sighted practice. Yes, you’ll have a pretty commission to enjoy right now, but you probably won’t be that person’s first choice when they buy again. You may even incur negative reviews that impact your business.
If you’re looking to succeed long-term, reach for honesty. Sometimes, there’s nothing a client likes more than when you say – in complete confidence, after looking at several places for several hours – “I think we can do better.”
Try Less Self-Promotion, More Value-Adding
There are two types of Instagram posts in the world of real estate agents. You have the self-aggrandizing ones that celebrate the latest sale or highlight why you’re the best person for the job.
And you have the genuinely instructive and valuable ones that seek to inform and empower consumers with engaging content. The impulse for self-promotion is understandable, but the latter often wins out with clients.
As long as you remain flexible, open to change, honest, and service-oriented, you can set yourself up for success in real estate.
