Whether you’re an investor looking for a long-term relationship with a good estate agent, an entrepreneur just starting your career as an estate agent, or just a regular person who is hoping to become a homeowner someday, it’s important to know the eight personality traits that separate a truly great real estate agent from the average ones.
Creativity
Agents: In order to be successful in any business venture, you have to possess a high level of creativity. You will have to be able to use new and creative tactics to market your properties, and selling real estate always requires a creative mind to solve those problems that are unique to every property and client.
Buyers: A creative agent may show you some properties that you would never have considered, but will still listen to your needs and requirements.
Motivation
Agents: If you aren’t motivated to sell the properties that you are in charge of, they won’t sell. Even the best deal on the market won’t sell itself, and your clients will lose faith in you if they see that you have placed their properties on the back burner.
Buyers: When your agent seems unenthusiastic about every property he shows you, you can be sure that his lack of motivation will slow up every aspect of closing the deal.
Integrity
Agents: Your reputation as a local estate agent is essential to the success of your business. Sellers and buyers alike need to know that they can trust you with their properties, their information, and of course their money.
Buyers: The best way to ensure that your agent is an honest one is to go through a company known for its integrity.
Friendliness
Agents: Naturally, it is always important to be courteous and helpful when you’re on the job. However, a great real estate agent will go to extra lengths to make sure their clients get what they need. This will keep your all-important reputation up to snuff, and can encourage investors to want to work with you again and again.
Buyers: If your agent is rude, impatient, or simply sloppy in presentation, you might consider finding another. When they don’t care enough to be friendly, they certainly won’t care about helping you buy a house that you can call home.
Organization
Agents: When it comes to any aspect of real estate, organization is an absolute must. Without it, important things will go missing, appointment will be forgotten, you will be too stressed to focus on your clients’ needs, and your business will suffer.
Buyers: When an estate agent is disorganized, somebody’s home buying experience is going to go poorly because of it. Don’t let that person be you.
Fearlessness
Agents: To be successful at selling real estate, you have to be a go-getter. That doesn’t mean you should be rude or try to coerce someone into doing something they have decided against, of course, but you shouldn’t be afraid to try something new. Pair a buyer with a seller that most people wouldn’t have considered, or work with a rival agent to get a property sold.
Buyers: An agent who is fearless about selling properties will also be fearless about negotiating. Make sure the agent you work with isn’t afraid to get you the best deal possible.
A Local Mindset
Agents: As a person working in real estate, you have to stay current in your knowledge of the real estate industry as a whole. But it is just as important for you to understand the landscape of the local market. After all, local trends can dramatically impact prices, marketing techniques, and so on.
Buyers: Your agent should be able to tell you about the local schools, shopping and entertainment in the area, and even crime statistics for the neighborhood. If he can’t, sack him and find another.
Interest in the Job
Agents: Your client wants to know that you actually care about the properties that you have to deal with, and not just the paycheck you will receive when they sell. Demonstrating a high level of interest in the design, architecture, and other aspects of a property will show that you care about more than just the money.
Buyers: Use your instinct. You can tell when an agent is genuinely interested in helping you find a home that you love, and when he is only trying to push for a quick sale.
In the great big world of real estate, it isn’t a realtor’s commission that makes him or her stand out from the crowd. It’s their personality traits and knowledge, and the interest they show in their clients.
Photo Credit: Daquella Manera
Can’t disagree with any of these. Good article!