Common stereotypes place real estate agents only a rung or two higher on the trustworthiness ladder than a used car salesman, yet of course the clichés are not based on fact.
While an incredibly tiny minority of agents might deserve this tainted reputation (and to be certain, every industry has one or two bad apples), the fact is that the vast majority of real estate agents demonstrate a very high level of honesty, integrity, and commitment to ethical practice. And this is widely reported in market research surveys where pollers go directly to the source – in other words, to recent home buyers and sellers.
So what can you do as a real estate agent to foster trust and a positive image for yourself and your business – and overcome the inaccurate clichés?
What Makes a Vendor Choose an Agent?
- Individual market research
- Local property sales and advertising
- Recommendations from friends and family
- Social media marketing
- Online agent listings (for example, realestate.com.au)
- Local advertising sign boards
- Newspaper property advertising
First and foremost, be honest and realistic. Don’t simply tell the vendor what they want to hear. This is particularly critical when discussing value and the price a property may realistically sell for in the current market.
Vendor satisfaction with an agent and confidence does tend to wane as the sale process plays out. This is often a result of not affecting a quick sale, having to lower price expectations, and suboptimal communications between agent and vendor. This is why honesty and open communication channels from the first interaction are so important. Even if the ultimate sale price achieved was above vendor expectation, poor communication and any perception of unreliability on the agent’s part will result in a lower rating by the vendor of the overall experience.
How Can You Overcome the Clichés?
There are definitive ways a real estate agent can overcome clichés and negative stereotypes relating to their profession:
- Be proactive, hear what your client wants, and work to deliver on your promises to them.
- Be friendly. Like in any other business of an interpersonal nature, a real estate agent must be friendly, approachable, open and easy to communicate with. Your clients must feel confident that they can talk to you at any time throughout the process.
- Be Informed. It’s your job to have an intimate knowledge and understanding of the market, supporting your claims with raw data and demonstrating experience and expertise.
- The sales process must be transparent in all aspects.
- Be Helpful. Provide your clients with valuable advice regarding property presentation and staging, tradesmen, inspections, and the validity of all offers. Give that “little bit extra” – it will be appreciated and remembered.
- Maintain a warm yet professional relationship throughout the entire sales process through completion.
A great real estate agent will continue the relationship beyond actually affecting the sale. These are the agents who will be remembered for all the right reasons, along with demonstrable honesty and integrity – and these are the agents who will be recommended to others. There is no better way of generating leads in this business than by letting your work do the talking!
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