What It’s Like to Be a Real Estate Agent

What It’s Like to Be a Real Estate Agent

 

People who have made successful careers at being real estate agents are some of the most organized and hard working people in the planet. The reason why many choose real estate is simply because it is a very lucrative profession that has the potential of earning them millions of dollars per year. The problem with real estate as a profession is that most agents end up failing because they do not put in the hard work, perseverance, and patience required of this profession. Those who are successful have nothing but praise when asked what it’s like to be a real estate agent.  So, what is it like to be a real estate agent? Let us begin.

 

Real Estate Agents Have Their Own Time Schedule

 

Realtors are unlike traditional employees who must work 8 to 9 hours a day. They do not have to clock in or clock out in the office much like regular employees. The reality of most real estate agents is that their clients are actually their bosses who also have regular jobs during the day. This means that at any given time, a real estate agent must be available to their clients when their clients are free. For this reason, agents find themselves working on weekends and even on national holidays.

 

Real Estate Agents Have Unpredictable Work Days

 

One of the most exciting things about becoming a real estate agent is that your days are unpredictable. The people whom they meet come from various walks of life. Some are easy to work with, while others are difficult. This is why most real estate agents end up possessing impressive people skills as they end up working with all types of people.

 

Real Estate Agents are Experts at Pricing Homes Properly

 

Most successful real estate agents are masterful at selling because they know exactly how to be aggressive. A good real estate agent knows how to properly price a home for sale so that it attracts more people to be interested in buying. When real estate agents request their clients to allow them to raise or lower the prices of the properties, it is because they are experts in the local market. They know exactly how much they can lower the properties they are selling without compromising the true market value of the property.

 

Real Estate Agents Get a Lot of Work Done in Their Cars

 

Contrary to the belief that most real estate agents have the liberty of working from home; the actual truth is that many work from their cars. Since real estate agents are constantly travelling to and from property sites to meet with their various clients, most of their work gets done inside their vehicles while travelling. Additionally, most agents have numerous meetings to go to during their workday. This rarely allows them to go back home or at the office unless all of their meetings are completed.

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How to Help Home Buyers and Sellers Deal with the Stress

Stress in any situation is unnecessary, but it happens. This is especially true when it comes to real estate.  More often than not, it is due the actual process of buying and selling.

 

Minimizing this stress should be a commitment of every real estate agent. Your training and expertise about the housing market will help build the trust of your clients.

 

The process of purchasing a home is exhausting already, and stress will only make it more unbearable. With these following insights, you can help clients sleep better at night.

 

Reducing the stress of buying

 

Buying a house is not a walk in the park. Though we may wish it to be the case, it’s not merely a matter of whether your clients like a house or not. There are various factors involved and as an agent, it is your objective to make the decision process easier for the homebuyer and to help minimize their stress to the point where their biggest worry is whether they like a house or not.

 

Before any purchase should be made, it is important to thoroughly research the prospective properties. Foresight is important in the real estate industry, so anticipate questions from your buyers and have answers for them. Real estate agents should have contacts of resource persons that will make it easier for buyers to decide.

 

Assure your client that it is okay to ask questions. Communicate constantly and deliver when there are problems that are bugging them. A buyer with peace of mind will be more motivated to close the deal.

 

Stressing the point of selling

 

Just because a house seller will be getting money in return for the transaction, that doesn’t mean it’s all fun and games for them. Prospective sellers also endure stress and real estate agents should make it a point to relive as much stress as possible.

 

One of the exhausting aspects of selling a property is the asking price. Is the tag price too low or is it too high? Agents should assist their clients in determining the market value of the house. There are inspection professionals that can provide insights about possible minor improvements and renovation to bolster the value of the property.

 

There will be buyers as well that will have price offers below your expectations. As much as possible, do not let your clients to communicate directly with buyers.

 

Real estate agents should manage the negotiations with the prospective buyer. This will help you strike a balance between accommodating the requests of the buyer and securing a fair value for your property.

 

As with all things, if you fail to plan when buying or selling a property for a client, you plan to fail. Part of the planning is to anticipating shouldering much of the stress for both the home buying and selling process. If you take strides to alleviate a portion of your clients’ stress than they will be more likely to make clear-headed decisions that are the best for both of you.  And remember: what is a life-changing event for them is another day in the office for you.

Facebook Success Tips

A successful social media campaign includes Facebook. Agents by nature are a social group and this is a great place to reach them on the go.

Need some help making your page more successful? Check out these tips from realbizmedia.com:

Develop a Plan

First of all, decide what your goal is. All Facebook goals should touch on the level of interaction you hope to see, the size of the community you hope to build and the results you would like to realize. Many Agents initially think that just posting listings to their Facebook page is enough to generate leads, unfortunately not.

 

Time Management

Make sure you budget the amount of time you can devote to your Facebook page, for example 15 minutes in the morning and in the evening. It is important that your Facebook page remains fresh on a daily basis, even if it is just one posting.

 

Create a Facebook Page

Do not use your personal Facebook account for your Real Estate services, it is unprofessional.  Facebook pages were created for businesses and offer extended features that can better promote your brand and your services.

 

Content, content, content

 

Post about your neighborhood. Show off your knowledge on the community that you serve. This not only engages your visitors but positions you as a local expert. For example, If there is a new community center being built, post about it, and express the merits and how it will make the lifestyle better residents.

Post about events in your neighborhood. Show how wonderful your city culture is. Post about local events in your town. If you’re going to a neighborly event, tell your Fans, and invite them to join you. Ask questions, too, to spark engagement.

Use images in your updates. Images on Facebook are the most engaging types of content. Photos on Facebook Pages received 53% more likes than the average post and 104% more comments than the average post (Hubspot).

Post videos and more videos. Consumers love video and specifically home buyers. Post a video home tour that includes the relevant property information with maps and school information and add your own personal introduction to the tour. Ask your sellers and friends to share on their own Facebook Pages to generate more exposure. Remember, the golden rule is 80/20. That is – post 80% of your content about lifestyles, your community, customer interests, and other updates; post 20% of your content about you and your product.

Post about helpful home owner tips. Post helpful articles or videos such as, how to winterize your home, home staging, buyers and sellers tips, and these types of posts generate a connection between you and your friends and potential clients.

Show you care about your clients. Post a personal congratulations to your clients on the possession day of their new home or on a recent renovation.

 

Integrate Facebook into your existing marketing

In addition to giving people the ability to follow you on Facebook from your website, think about other ways that you can integrate Facebook into your marketing. Add you Facebook button to your blog, emails and property tours. For example, if you’re blogging set it up to automatically post each new article to your Facebook Page.

Creating A Real Estate Brand Starts With Philosophy and Consistency

Budding real estate agents often focus on the nuts and bolts of the profession: choosing a broker or team (or making the determination to go at it alone), selling homes, walking buyers through the complex process of a house purchase and navigating lender relationships. However, there is an important step to take before any of that and it may be the most important one: creating a personal real estate brand.

Defining your real estate brand

Branding consists of more than slapping a design with contact info on a pen or placing an ad in the local newspaper. According to Dirk Zeller, noted author and CEO of Real Estate Champions, Inc., creating a personal brand is about communicating your value to your prospective clients.

“Creating a brand starts with a philosophy. You have to know what you are selling and why, or you won’t be successful in sales. The values that you bring to the table, the philosophy that you have in terms of how you serve people and the benefits that the clients are going to get – if you are not clear on those things, you’ve got nothing to sell,” said Zeller. “There are many questions to answer in this process. What is the size of your company going to be? What are your core values? What is your personal philosophy? Are you going to be a sole proprietor or build a team? These things should be clear before you move forward in any other aspect of the industry.”

Start by jotting down some ideas for a professional career approach. Be clear about what this profession means to you and why you want to serve your clients. Ask yourself who you want to help and why and how you plan to take a novel approach. Address the niche or specialty you plan to focus on, the demographics you want to work with and what you have to offer from a sales perspective that’s just a little bit different than any other agent.

In the creation of a brand, Zeller says it’s important not to cast too wide a net. “If someone is working in too wide of a geographic area or chasing too much business in too many areas, it’s easy to get fractured and lose focus,” he said. “Focus comes before success.”

Brand visualization: bringing your real estate brand to life

After you’ve zeroed in on a professional philosophy, it’s time for brand visualization. This is where a dose of creativity can bring your brand to life. Logos, professional photographs and other marketing materials should all represent the philosophy that you started with. These are your professional identifiers; the calling cards that people begin to associate with you and what you represent. For this reason, brand visualization requires significant thought and insight. It should match the demographic you are targeting.

For example, if you want to sell condos to millennials, but design a logo using the traditional Times New Roman font and run ads featuring people over the age of 50, your personal brand does not match the visualization of it. It is important to marry core philosophy with visual representation to create messaging.

Don’t do too much too fast; this is a rookie mistake in the real estate industry. Choose one or two components of marketing that match your real estate niche – for instance, social media marketing for millennials or refrigerator magnets for young families. Start slow and build on successes, depending on what works and what does not in marketing your brand.

However, Zeller cautions against changing brand messaging too quickly. If you settle on a core philosophy and create materials associated with it, he recommends trying it out for at least four to six months before making a determination of how well it is working. Sometimes, a tweak here or there is all it takes to connect people to your brand.

It’s important to remember that whether you take the time to establish your brand or not, there will be a message associated with you as a professional. If you take the time to create a brand, you have control over the message.

Ultimately, a personal real estate brand provides you the opportunity to tell your clients who you are and what you’re about – and no one can do that better than you.

What are some of the best real estate brands you have seen? Share your ideas on the Real Estate Careers Facebook page.

Simple Interior Design Choices to Increase the Value of a Client’s Home

Simple Interior Design Choices to Increase the Value of a Client’s Home

The beautification of a home is always an exciting time, but if you believe interior design is just a luxury, think again. Real estate agents know that enhancing the aesthetics of a property will definitely improve its value in the housing market.

 

Interior design requires both the discipline of science and the feel of art. It may be a small investment for your client but it doesn’t have to be expensive. An important factor is to strike a balance between your clients’ preferences and the capabilities of their home. Simple choices can make significant changes.

 

Notable interior designer Pablo Solomon shares that the focus of a homeowner should be on the quality of the design and construction. Bigger is not always better. Take time to help your clients find the best materials for their home and it will definitely improve their interiors no matter the design.

 

Although it is important to be up to date with modern trends, the reality is that fads will eventually become obsolete. Look for timeless themes or practical designs that will stand the test of time. Timeless designs will resonate with potential buyers regardless of their age.

 

The choice of colors for interior design will have a lasting impact on the value of your clients’ home. Real estate agents know that a property that is primed for reselling will have safe and neutral colors to make it easier to attract buyers. The rule of thumb when it comes to selling a house is that buyers should be able to imagine themselves with their loved ones living inside it.

 

For this purpose, the color beige has been one of the most enduring choices for overall interior design. It is timeless and safe although modern trends point to more variety in colors including grey, navy and brass.

 

Natural light is freely available but its impact on interior design should not be ignored. It can add a touch of warmth and brightness to the entire home without shelling out too much money. All it takes is careful planning of interiors to maximize the effect of natural light. Window treatments will help well for this purpose and it can even create a perspective of a larger room.

 

Incidentally, a home that features natural light more prominently becomes more energy-efficient as well. Designing interiors not only because of aesthetics but also with an eye towards maximizing energy efficiency will help increase the appraisal of the house.

 

Whatever theme or design for a house, it is important to help your clients plan ahead. Real estate agents and clients should have constant communication about the impact on the property value of any changes. Basically, if these changes look good, it will improve the chances of a property. But if you are still unsure, spend time with a professional designer that can provide ideas and suggestions tailor-made for your clients’ house.