Becoming a real estate agent can be an exciting experience. You have a chance to take more control over your career than you may have had in a previous job, which can be empowering. The flip side of that is that in many ways you live or die by the skills you’ve developed. That means that it’s important to make sure that you develop the right skillset. So what sorts of skills should you be developing to become a better agent?
Active Listening
As you might imagine, communication skills are crucial when it comes to successfully doing your job as a real estate agent. Active listening is an important part of that. Active listening is a skill that requires you to pay attention to what you’re being told so that you can understand and respond appropriately. It requires you to observe both the verbal and nonverbal cues being given to you. When you practice active listening, you wait for the other person to finish what they're saying instead of jumping in and interrupting. When they’re done, you may repeat what they’ve said and ask questions to clarify or confirm.
Negotiation
Negotiating is another essential skill for any real estate agent to develop. It’s how you get the best deal for your client. It requires you to do in depth research so you have all the information you need to identify what a good deal is. This allows you to steer real estate deals in that direction. Part of what you’ll need to do is to help your clients learn to negotiate themselves. They need to be able to identify what a good deal is, when to accept, what a bad deal is, and when to walk away. They’ll have a tough time doing that if you can’t help them because you don’t have the necessary negotiation skills yourself.
Time Management
Real estate agents are their own bosses in many ways. While that allows you a certain degree of freedom, it also requires you to be able to manage your time effectively. Maybe you’ve already developed this skill. If not, it’s definitely one worth working on. It’s important to make the best use of your time so you can maximize your income and see the fruits of your labor. It’s also what will make it possible to meet deadlines and keep your clients happy by giving them the information they need and meeting them for appointments on time.
If you want to be a successful real estate agent, you must develop the skills that will help you get the job done and make your clients happy. Active listening, negotiation, and time management are just three examples of skills that can help you be the best agent you can be. Remember, if you aren’t sure exactly what you should focus on to improve, you can always look to Reed Coleman for guidance.
Skills are important, but they aren’t the only things you’ll need. Read this next: What Every Real Estate Agent Needs to Be Successful