Being a realtor is a promising and rewarding career, but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t come without its challenges. To succeed in real estate, you need to possess a wide variety of skills if you want to be successful. After all, you need to be able to handle the varying demands of clients, be able to effectively close deals, all while continuing to grow your customer base.
The first few years as a realtor are especially important, since it’s been estimated that 87% of realtors fail within their first five years. However, we can also learn from the successful real estate agents. These successful realtors share similar qualities and characteristics that help them thrive in the industry.
Many of the successful real estate agents share similar positive attributes. Below are six common habits of successful real estate agents:
1. Successful real estate agents communicate exceptionally well
As a realtor, you will be interacting with many different people, which means that you’ll come into contact with many different types of personalities. Knowing how to effectively communicate with people, no matter what type of personality they have is crucial. Know that you will encounter all types of people and having the right communication skills will make all the difference.
It’s also important to always keep the lines of communication with clients open. Make an effort to respond to every text message, call, and email, especially during the evenings and on weekends. Go above and beyond and respond to messages promptly. This will automatically elevate you in the eyes of your clients and show them that you really do care about them.
2. Successful real estate agents always listen to their clients
Another habit of successful real estate agents is to be open to what your clients are saying they need. The last thing any client wants when searching for a home is to have a realtor that thinks they know best and ignores their needs.
If a client wants something in particular, do your best to listen to what they’re saying and try to find them a home that meets those needs. Although sometimes it’s not possible to deliver on everything a client wants, try to check as many things off their “must-have” list as you can. Listening will help you accomplish this.
3. Successful real estate agents research their local communities
One of the best ways to succeed as a realtor is to provide lots of added value to your clients. This means being an expert in your local community. If you are buying and selling houses in the Calgary market, you expect the real estate agent to be very familiar with the Calgary homes in the area. Learn everything you can about the schools in the area, commuting options, local businesses, and housing markets and trends.
Your clients will turn to you for advice in all of these areas and if you can deliver, they will come to see you as an expert they can turn to to help them with all of their needs and will come to trust and respect you more.
4. Successful real estate agents go on social media
According to successful real estate agents, a great tactic to get yourself out there is to have a web developer build an aesthetically pleasing and functional website. The website must be properly optimized for search engines so that you rank high in searches. According to the experts, this is a more effective strategy than buying search engine advertisements.
Doing so will allow potential homebuyers to easily find you. The better your website is, the better job it will do at portraying you as an expert in real estate, thus increasing your chances of clients choosing you as their realtor.
5. Successful real estate agents keep in contact with past clients
Being a successful realtor means always keeping in contact with past clients. You never know when someone will need to list their home again. It’s also a great way to foster word of mouth referrals. By sending your past client’s newsletters every month, and holiday cards around the holidays, you keep yourself front and center in their minds.
If they happen to know someone who is looking for a realtor, this will increase the chances that they refer you. Take the extra time to keep communication open and it will positively benefit you and your business.
6. Successful real estate agents never stop learning
Any successful real estate agent will tell you that even 10 years into their career, they still continue to learn. One way to do this is to upgrade your license once you have the experience behind you. It’s also recommended that you attend real estate conferences and subscribe to newsletters or magazines to keep up on current real estate trends.
You can also open up your own real estate business, but you’ll need to make sure that you have the proper education to do so. In your ongoing pursuit of knowledge, this habit will help you be a successful realtor and excel in your profession.