If you’re interested in changing career paths, you’ll want to know everything you can about what your future will entail when you make the switch. Putting yourself in the shoes that you’ll be wearing and contemplating what your future will look like can help you determine if a career change will be the right move for you.
Real estate agents have fulfilling, challenging, and stimulating careers. There aren’t many dull moments at the office. If you’re envisioning yourself standing proudly in front of a “SOLD” sign on a lawn, here’s what the day would look like leading up to that point.
Starting the Day
Real estate agents are required to be social. One of the most important parts of an agent’s job is to be able to confidently and charismatically interact with potential buyers and sellers. Making great first impressions and feeling confident are more important in real estate industry jobs than they are at traditional desk jobs.
Real estate agents spend a lot of time getting ready in the morning. They pick out a tailored outfit that’s flattering, professional, and showcases their sense of personal style. They have a wholesome and nutritious breakfast.
They spend a few minutes contemplating the day ahead and getting themselves organized before they hit the office. This little bit of self-care is crucial for boosting confidence and finding the right mindset to succeed.
Generating and Following Up on Leads
Real estate agents don’t typically show up to their offices to find new projects waiting for them. Every day is a new adventure. Real estate agents are responsible for finding leads and turning those leads into sales.
Leads can come from anywhere. People aren’t in the market for a property every day, which is why it’s important to make a great impression on everyone they meet. Agents never know when someone they’ve crossed paths with will need real estate services, and agents compete to be the first person to come to mind when people have a need.
Real estate agents who advertise effectively may have leads come to them. Advertising, networking, and marketing are important components of lead generation.
Real estate agents may spend a significant portion of their day on social media or reaching out to people who have mentioned they’d like to move or sell their properties. Some agents even dedicate their time to recording podcasts about the real estate business.
Conversing with Clients
Every person who contacts a real estate agent is a lead. It’s important to spend an adequate amount of time asking questions and understanding the needs of the people who reach out. An agent’s best path to achieving success with that client will come from a thorough understanding of their unique needs.
Clients count on their real estate agents to know more about the market than they do. They want a real estate agent who can tell right away whether or not the asking price of a property they’re interested in buying is reasonable. They want a real estate agent who knows how and when to negotiate a better asking price.
People selling their homes want their real estate agent to help them net the largest realistic sum. Their agent should know how to stage the home, what improvements or repairs may be beneficial before listing, and how to show the property in an open house setting.
A real estate agent’s job is to convince potential clients that they’re the right person for the job. This involves many conversations. Clients want to know what their agent intends to do and how they intend to do it. They’re constantly seeking your knowledge and advice, and they’re going to have a lot of questions that require thorough and competent answers.
Showing and Selling Properties
Selling properties is the most lucrative aspect of a real estate agent’s job. Very few people would be content purchasing a property they haven’t thoroughly explored firsthand. Part of that process involves staging homes.
Some real estate agents like to take a hands-on approach to the staging process, working directly with their clients to tidy up and decorate. Others provide their clients with comprehensive lists of suggestions they can use when preparing their homes for house hunters.
The agent guides potential buyers through the property, talking up its unique selling points and answering questions and concerns of people interested in the property.
This requires the right balance of understanding a client’s needs and being persuasive. It’s never a good idea to sell someone a property that isn’t right for them or a property they won’t be able to afford. Real estate agents need to take a lot of things into consideration.
A great seller will be able to identify the right buyers from a group of open house visitors and spend time selling the merits of a property to that client. This may require some negotiation skills that create a “win-win” situation between buyers and sellers.
The seller won’t want to come down on an asking price significantly, and a buyer will want to be sure they’re getting the best possible deal when purchasing a home.
The buyer may have their own agent. Agents have to work with other agents to facilitate a deal that pleases both parties. This requires careful planning and sometimes some creative thinking; it poses a challenge for which both agents need to rise to the occasion. Many real estate agents find these challenges to be one of the most rewarding and fulfilling parts of their careers.
Learning New Skills and Growing Your Business
Markets constantly change. There are trends in real estate where certain types of properties garner more attention than others. More real estate agents enter a local market and increase the competition. It’s only through lifelong learning and adopting the best practices that real estate agents truly become successful.
Real estate is a dynamic career. The best agents will spend a significant part of their day learning and trying new techniques to help them thrive. The techniques that were successful at the beginning of their careers have helped them to establish the fundamentals. However, everything else in their toolbelt is constantly improved and modified for the modern landscape.
That’s where Harris Real Estate University becomes an invaluable tool for real estate agents. Our real estate coaching program places real estate agents of all levels of experience with coaches for one on one sessions. We also offer self-managed learning opportunities through an educational library for resources that can be accessed at any time.
Information is always current. Harris Real Estate University learners will learn about new tools and have an opportunity to learn new market-tested strategies that will help them succeed no matter where they’re at or how much experience they have.
Never miss an opportunity to learn and grow.
Sources:
When Clothing Style Influences Cognitive Style | Psychological Science
What’s Your Negotiation Strategy? | Harvard Business Review
The Importance of Lifelong Learning has been Increasing | ScienceDirect
