I've blogged before about the importance of professionalism in the real estate game, and how at Century 21 Australia we pride ourselves on our level of expertise and how this is delivered. In any walk of life, how you handle yourself is (more often than not) intrinsically linked to your success. Success is not an accident – it happens on purpose, when you make it happen.
Being a success in the real estate game is down to hard work and passion. When it comes to this market, it has always been incredibly important for an agent to communicate their value to a prospective seller. Regardless of whether or not the market is booming or faltering, it is an agent's professionalism and expertise that will win business and create success. Some may think that a property boom means agents don't need to try as hard to work for their clients, but when there is so much choice out there, the opposite is often true. Similarly, when times are tough, sellers know that there will be others vying for their listing should their chosen agent let them down.
In a nutshell, an agent can never cease to do their absolute best for their customer. Again as with many aspects of life, to be a success, it is imperative in this industry that agents continue to learn. No matter how good an agent is, there is always someone better. An agent should be seeking these people out to try and share in their knowledge. It's important as an agent to know what trends are taking place, how many days on market is the norm for a suburb and average listing prices should be top of mind. It's not hard to do – use online tools, attend seminars, network with leaders in the industry and more importantly – get out there and see houses! Lots of them!
Success is earned and success is created. To be successful in real estate, there are a few key questions an agent should ask themselves, and a customer should be asking of their agent. The biggest question is: are you passionate about what you do? Are you prepared to use that passion to make yourself a success? Are you proactively seeking success by being the best at what you do and by continually learning, or are you hoping someone else will help you along? Do you have a professional opinion that you can actually substantiate with data, facts, figures and statistics?
If the answer to any of these questions is no, then the million dollar question really becomes why are you in the business?
Disclaimer: The opinions posted within this blog are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of CENTURY 21 Australia, others employed by CENTURY 21 Australia or the organisations with which the network is affiliated. The author takes full responsibility for his opinions and does not hold CENTURY 21 or any third party responsible for anything in the posted content. The author freely admits that his views may not be the same as those of his colleagues, or third parties associated with the CENTURY 21 Australia network.