There are many skills necessary to become a successful real estate agent. Here are some advanced skills that, with use, will take your success to the next level.
1) Self-Educating and Teaching Others
As a real estate agent, you obviously started your education by getting your license. There is more to your education than that, however. Teaching yourself through listening to podcasts; reading blogs, magazines, books, or newspapers; and conversing with other like-minded individuals are all ways to improve your knowledge base and become a more successful real estate agent. This works on the other side of education, as well–educating others. It is important to learn how to be a teacher, as well as a learner. By teaching your clients or potential clients about the housing market or teaching skilled real estate agents how to become better ones will make you a resource to people, bringing more and more business your way over time.
2) Obtaining Future Referrals
Knowing how to negotiate with clients is the best way to gain referrals in the future. Helping clients reach their goals and satisfying their real estate needs through negotiation will help to keep you in your client’s mind as someone who wants to help, while also doing business. Clients will refer you if you help them more than hinder them. There is a fine line between negotiating and demanding, and it’s important to stay on the side of negotiating for both your client’s and your sakes.
3) Knowing Legalese
No one can understand and recite every law in existence about real estate. However, you do need to know when and how to find information and when to refer out for information to an experience lawyer. When you do not know the answer, do not speak as though you do. If you do know the answer, speak confidently with a touch of gentleness to communicate effectively.
4) Being a Cunning Marketer
When you are a real estate agent, you are not only selling a property, you are selling the surrounding area restaurants, schools, attractions, amenities, and economy. You are selling the whole package. Make sure to study up on best marketing practices for real estate agents. Here is a good resource for marketing your brand. However, switch out topics in these tips, such as “100 Great SEO Keywords for Realtors” with “100 Great SEO Keywords for Educators,” to find keywords that help point to the school systems in a local area, for example. Knowing information about all the different aspects of a community surrounding a property will assist you in becoming a wealth of knowledge for your clients.
5) Becoming Tech-Savvy
Our world has drastically changed due to technology. The effects of technology on business are exponential. It is important to know that “Most home buyers search online [for real estate], [and] more than half do so on their mobile device.” It is no surprising fact that this is true in our world today. Learning how to use the internet to research like your clients do will keep you abreast of the latest trends in real estate, as well as help you to improve your visibility online. Using technology to improve your business strategy will give you a hardy return as time goes on.
Teach yourself to become a more effective real estate agent with these skills. Doing so will help your business take off and help your clients to trust you more. What advanced skills would you recommend that real estate agents have a handle of? Tweet me @WDarrowFielder!