When you’re new to the real estate industry, there’s a lot of noise, and it can be tough figuring out exactly where to get started.
As a real estate broker in the greater San Francisco, and Benicia, California, area, there are three things I look for in a new agent, well, in any agent really. Below are three skills that new agents should master quickly to be successful in real estate.
1. Learn your local area on a personal level
Yes, it’s incredibly important for the person selling a home to have recent sales experience and success at selling homes in the area.
Someone new in town or who has never sold a home in a particular part of town is, in many ways, a beginner.
Sellers have a right to pick a winner, so start things out right by making sure you’re the best man or woman for the job.
2. Pay attention to details
You need to know that the devil is in the details. A real estate agent who is organized and likes to work with attention to detail is the one that is most likely to sell a home. This is especially true in a hard-to-sell market.
Great agents know the tiniest changes sellers can make to improve the sale-ability of their home.
They are creative with their MLS listings, and they take the best photographs of each home. They return client calls promptly and make every appointment on time.
3. Network like a boss
Successful agents know that networking is the best marketing you can buy, but you don’t have to buy it.
The top agents come to a home with a prospective buyers list. They also are working with a well-known realty agency. They know other real estate agents in the area too, and they are willing to work with others if it sells the home faster.
In closing, if you slack, don’t know the MLS and you refuse to live or at least really spend time in the market you sell, you will not succeed. Agents who pay attention to detail, understand and know their markets, as well as the MLS, are far more successful than anyone else.
In what other ways can you step up your game? Check out these posts.
Sam Benson, SRES, is a real estate broker in the greater Walnut Creek, California, area. You can follow him on Instagram and Facebook.