Do you want to know the secret of successful real estate agents? Here’s how!
Whether you are wanting to sell your own home or learn to become the best possible agent for your clients, it is not easy. After all, a lot of preparations must be completed before even putting a home on the market. Following that, the top agents manage to successfully define several features of a home. Although selling a home might seem as easy as getting up in the morning, when the house finally closes, a lot of post-contract work has also been done. That said, the top agents were not just born to sell homes. In fact, they learned six effective work habits within the categories of customer service, administration, and marketing.
- Dead-on pricing
Anyone can set a price for a home. In fact, poor agents who are more interested in commission than customer service might set the price too high. Similarly, homeowners who love a house and have upgraded it might not feel right about letting it go for the market rate. However, a great agent removes any emotional distraction by comparing the house to comparables in the area and pricing it to match. While some people price a house to later drop it, the best agents find the sweet spot early on. In doing so, they help prevent the house from stagnating among fresh listings.
- Makeover
A house for sale is one thing. An upgraded, attractive home that can catch a driver’s eye as he or she passes by is quite another. The best agents work hard to economically transform a house into a car stopper by recommending to the owner that the following tasks be completed.
– fresh paint on front porch or windows
– trimmed lawn
– painted mailbox
– manicured bushes
– ornamental wreath on front door
The importance of having an attractive house cannot be understated as any debris or clutter in the yard or any repairs that are not taken care of will cause just about everyone to take a quick look at the house then keep right on driving.
- Big rooms
Of course, an agent cannot make the rooms any bigger than they already are, but a top agent can ensure that much of the furniture is removed in order to make the space feel larger. Additionally, homes that feel open and airy have a better chance at attracting more offers. To accomplish this, an agent will simply open the curtains and windows.
Finally, dark-colored or personalized walls are often re-painted to match the average taste of the average buyer. As an owner, a personalized house can provide years of relaxing times. However, once the decision is made to sell the house, a top agent brings in painters and returns everything to a neutral color scheme.
- Loves customers
Great agents love their jobs and the people for whom they work. This quality might come easier for some agents than others, but even a decent agent can focus on offering dedicated and enthusiastic assistance to a homeowner. If you are shopping for a buyer’s agent or seller’s agent, you need to ensure your agent loves his or her job as well as the customers.
Similarly, if you are an agent wanting to rise through the ranks of mediocre commission to a level of top sales, you should ensure that you are anticipating and solving the needs of your buyers rather than being reactive and solving problems as they pop up. As any agent at Zeb Realty knows, the difference in focus is one of peace of mind for the client. If you solve problems before they arise, for instance, the sales process will be nearly invisible. However, even if you successfully solve problems as they arise, the experience will seem as if it was trouble prone.
- Paperwork
Ensuring the paperwork is signed is often easy. However, ensuring the paperwork is returned by all parties is something that can often take some extra effort. Consequently, it is important for you to follow up on all the paperwork, including contracts, disclosures, and repair requirements. This is something a top agent does to ensure the closing happens on time rather than four weeks after it was originally scheduled.
- Reviews
The best agents request reviews from their satisfied clients. Doing so helps spread the word about the best traits of the agent, and as other people read these reviews, leads turn into signed clients. Better yet, pending contracts become closed sales. As more reviews are added to Google or other online review sites, the gradual accumulation of so many kudos will benefit the agent by digital word of mouth. The key to getting reviews is asking for them. If you do not ask, many people will not really think to offer one
