The real estate industry is not an easy feat. It takes training and experience to become a successful agent – and we have collated some of the best tips for you!
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Our Top 10 Tips for Successful Agents
We won’t make it hard for you. Just remember the REAL ESTATE acronym, and you’ll surely remember every piece of advice with no sweat.
Research, Research, and Research
In anything you do, your knowledge will always be an edge. Not even your biggest competitor can take away what you’ve learned.
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Whether you’re still studying for the real estate exam or are already embarking on real estate agent work, you should always equip yourself with the proper information and market knowledge.
Remember, a career as a real estate agent is like having your own business. So it pays to have ample wisdom. It’s an investment.
Research about the business practices, business expenses, prospective clients, the twist and turns of your local area, everything!
Engage with Other Agents and Brokers
The common generalization is that real estate agents are each other’s enemies.
Indeed, you will compete with each other. Every Phil Dunphy has a Gil Thorpe (yes, it’s a Modern Family reference).
There will be real estate agents who are better in open houses, have more past clients, and have the right tools.
These might sound intimidating, but it only means that there’s a lot to learn from them.
New agents make the mistake of having silent wars with experienced ones without realizing that it’s counterproductive to your success.
While you still can, try to engage and get along with other real estate agents. You can easily share tips and potential clients in doing so.
Of course, if they’re the ones who refuse, then don’t push it too – that’s on them. What matters is you tried to create a healthy bond; you did your part.
Other than agents, it’s also best to have a partner real estate broker as a business strategy. You can improve your leads, and it’s a win-win situation for you, your clients, and your broker.
Anticipate Failures and Rejections
Even the best real estate agent faced a lot of “no”s for an answer in the business. It’s more than okay.
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You have to understand that what you’re selling is houses, which require a huge sum of money, a big mortgage loan, and a closing disclosure from your buyers.
The “no” of your client to your offer is likely not personal. Don’t let rejections discourage you.
But more than accepting them, it’s best to anticipate them. Doing so would also make you focus more on finding new leads, changing business strategies, and improving pitch stories.
Learn About Marketing
Tell you what – being a real estate agent is also like being a marketer. You’re not just selling objects; you’re selling a lifestyle.
Beyond that house, you’re selling a home.
It’s true!
Who would spend money and valuable time on something they’re not emotionally attached with?
But as cheesy as that sounds, it’s challenging to do.
Being a marketer means building relationships for better lead generation. You must know your clients on a deeper level – their needs, wants, and wishes.
You may also end up cold calling potential buyers. That’s part of it. Like most agents, you need to strive hard.
Getting leads as a marketer is demanding, and it’s no different as a real estate agent.
Your potential clients as a new agent will probably start with personal connections until it expands to friends of friends of friends.
It may also help to affiliate yourself with another small business, a real estate firm, or, as we said, other agents.
Referrals within the market are powerful. It establishes trust and reliability. If you do it right, you’ll most likely succeed.
But to reach that, you have to prove yourself as the best agent in the market. Your success will depend on how you perform from your first business day.
Enhance Your Online Presence and Branding
And while we’re on the topic of marketing, you’ll also need to establish a business platform where potential buyers can find you.
Nowadays, even a small business uses the digital realm to showcase what it offers.
You can also use social media platforms to generate leads, and potential clients can use your page to refer you to others.
In line with that, we highly suggest that you create a brand for yourself. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy – only something easy to remember. It could be a color, a tagline, a business attire.
Like Phil Dunphy (sorry, he’s our favorite successful real estate agent), he has a tagline: not just another realtor, but a man who cares!
You may think this unnecessary, especially for those exposed to the conventional real estate business. But nowadays, the competition is tough, so the right tools are crucial.
There are already many real estate agents in the market, open houses are getting more competitive, and lead generation strategies are improving!
Trust us! Online marketing is a good strategy.
Stay Genuine – Your Clients Can Feel It!
A good agent knows how to build relationships. As Phil said, go for a man who cares.
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A lot of agents make the mistake of being too aggressive. While it’s understandable to focus on driving sales for improving a career, that lack of sincerity doesn’t work with clients.
Successful real estate agents understand that a serious buyer has several needs.
There’s a checklist of needs that your open house should suffice – budget, location, repair needs, real estate documents, etc.
You must understand that it’s more about helping clients find what they need, rather than them being a mere source of money and income.
Both are true, but which one drives you as an agent is a huge part of your success.
Don’t focus too much on making money that you overlook your client’s personal life goals and needs. Create a bond, let them know that you’re there to help – not just sell.
Take Time to Accomplish the Licensure Requirements
A successful real estate agent is disciplined. There is a lot of documentation and requirements in the real estate industry. After your license, you still need to take your Continuing Education (CE).
It doesn’t stop with the very first step we mentioned, which was research. You must follow through, update your knowledge and hone your skills.
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How do you expect to be a successful real estate agent or have a booming new business if you can’t discipline yourself to accomplish your requirements?
More than requirements, all these are also physical evidence to your client that you are reliable, trustworthy, and responsible.
Allocate Your Resources Properly
This one’s slightly challenging to actualize. It’s a business tactic, and that’s not something you learn overnight.
It’s not surprising to see a new business owner scrambling to find leads. It’s the same with a real estate agent.
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The lack of leads can tempt you to waste your resources on unnecessary tools. Several people are taking advantage of this online as well, so always think twice before you spend.
Knowing where to look and filter which clients will buy is hard, but it’s the key to success.
Our suggestion is to study and consult with financial advisors, experienced business owners, or other agents. Some tools are for investments, but others are just unnecessary expenses.
Talk to a Mentor
The thing with the real estate business is that there are many hidden tactics and secrets that only an experienced agent would know. It’s not magic; it’s just wisdom from experiences.
It will be helpful for you to find a mentor who can guide you in the real estate realm. They can be agents still in the market or retired ones who want to pass on their knowledge. This is by far the fastest way to increase your income as an agent.
Forgive us for referencing Modern Family again – but Phil Dunphy was a mentor to Gloria Pritchett. That’s what we’re talking about.
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In the show, Phil gave Gloria tips, had her tag along during open houses, and soon enough, she was successful on her own. She might have stolen some of Phil’s clients too.
But the point of the matter is, having a mentor will help you grasp the real estate business better. You won’t find a mentor’s advice on market tips on books!
Enjoy the Job!
For you to succeed, you need to love what you’re doing. The business here in real estate requires patience. It’s not immediate gratification.
If you don’t enjoy it, you’ll be miserable. If you’re miserable, you won’t be your best self for your clients.
Imagine a real estate agent who’s always in a bad mood, gets irritated easily, or is always down. Building relationships would be impossible.
And what have we learned? Relationships are crucial to being successful in real estate.
How to be a Successful Real Estate Agent: Additional Tips
That was our top ten (10), but we have more!
We want you to prove yourself out there in the market, so we’ll lay down more advice for you.
The difference is, these are not directly related to real estate. They’re more personal, but developing these will bleed into your career – like a domino effect!
Build Better Habits, Act Like a Real Professional
As a real estate agent, you have a long list of schedules.
You have commitments left and right, and you’re talking to multiple people at the same time.
Without good habits, you’ll get everything mixed up. This practice is detrimental to your success since your job is to help people find their home – not the home of others!
Practice being punctual to your meetings, learn how to differentiate one client from another, and follow through with your words.
All these will be possible if you have BETTER HABITS.
Remember, you’re a professional now. Your habits and actions should reflect that.
Hone Your Communication Skills
It’s not a top requirement to be good with communication, but it’s a skill that will put you on top.
We’re not just talking about your vocabulary. Fancy words and sales talk won’t do much if you’re insincere. When we talk about communication, we mean how you talk to people.
The important key is how you respond.
- Do you take forever to return a client’s call?
- Are you respectful when talking to them?
- Do you make them feel secure when they talk to you?
- What’s your tone when communicating?
- Are you always in a rush to end the conversation?
You may not notice it, but you must build a connection with them through communication. After all, this will be the only way you connect since you aren’t friends from the get-go.
Practice Empathy and Understanding
Putting yourself in the shoes of your buyers will help you understand their needs better. What may seem like a minor concern to you may be something extremely important to them.
For instance, if your client has a problem with the window size, maybe it’s because they have a crawling infant, which can be dangerous.
If you’re in their shoes, you’d probably air out the same concern, correct? Find solutions with them and for them. Apply this in your practice as an agent, and you’ll get overflowing leads in no time.
Study Your Neighborhood Secrets
You may think the house is the be-all-end-all of selling real estate properties.
You can memorize the floor plan and history of the house up to the punctuations, but here’s the thing: the area also matters.
The neighbors, the safety of the area, the nearby shops – all these are highly considered. If you know all the tips and tricks, all the neighborhood advice, that will be a HUGE plus for you.
For experienced agents, this may seem like a bit of obvious advice, but newbies often get so carried away with what’s in front of them that they overlook the surrounding areas.
Learn the Patterns, Spot Them Quickly
A common but unavoidable mistake is spending too much time answering to a client who will end up not buying the house.
It can be frustrating to realize that all the time and effort could’ve been allocated to a sure buyer. But that’s okay – it happens. And hey, we just said to be empathetic. Maybe they’re not yet ready.
So instead, learn how to determine the differences between sure buyers and joy observers. Some people attend open house events for fun, and you should be quick to spot that.
It will vary from one location to another – of course, different communities, different cultures, and habits.
But from experience, sure buyers will ask specific questions regarding the pipeworks, neighbors, cell signal, repairs.
Whatever the patterns are, you’ll understand them better with practice.
Develop Being Proactive Rather Than Reactive
Being reactive will be your doom in this industry. It’s competitive, so other agents will be outside handing out their own brochures after your house tour.
If you’re only reacting, the problem that your potential buyer found in your house, others are already offering solutions.
They’ll give a flyer for a property with more natural sunlight, with thicker walls, whatever.
That’s just how it is, so you need to be SMART and INNOVATIVE.
Even before they step out of that house, gather their thoughts, listen to their concerns. From there, you can already give them solutions that they can think about on their way home.
But you can’t do that if you’re not prepared. So, yes, you guessed it. The preparations start even before the actual event.
Before you offer the house or property, look for potential problems that agents will raise. Be proactive by coming up with solutions.
These will help you combat problems that arise.
And believe us, this practice will benefit you even with other aspects of your life.
Practice, Practice, and Practice!
Finally, we want to remind you that you don’t become a successful real estate agent overnight. You don’t just flip a switch, and then you’re on top.
You need to practice your skills, develop yourself every day, and become better until you become the best.
We know this sounds cliche, but it’s the truth. It takes training to be the best at something, and the real estate industry is no different.
Let’s Recap!
That was a long read. Let’s summarize them here for your reference. You can always come back to this if you need a guide.
Top 10 Tips: R.E.A.L. E.S.T.A.T.E.
- Research, Research, and Research
- Engage with Other Agents and Brokers
- Anticipate Failures and Rejections
- Learn About Marketing
- Enhance Your Presence and Branding Online
- Stay Genuine – Your Clients Can Feel It!
- Take Time to Accomplish the Licensure Requirements
- Allocate Your Resources Properly
- Talk to a Mentor
- Enjoy the Job!
Additional Tips: More Personal, But Helpful Overall
- Build Better Habits, Act Like a Real Professional
- Hone Your Communication Skills
- Practice Empathy and Understanding
- Study Your Neighborhood Secrets
- Learn the Patterns, Spot Them Quickly
- Develop Being Proactive Rather Than Reactive
Conclusion
We hope you were able to have key takeaways from our tips.
Notice that a lot of them are soft skills? Well, you should already know the technical ones from your real estate education.
Agents can memorize them back to back, but those who practice these softer skills every day will more likely succeed in the business.
Be one of those people. Good luck!
