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What Makes a Top Realtor?
What makes a top real estate agent/REALTOR®?
People ask us all the time, “How do I find a top real estate agent?” It’s an excellent question to which there is no simple answer. You can’t say that real estate agents affiliated with a certain firm are top real estate agents – like “all real estate agents with XYZ Company are top real estate agents.” Nor can you say that a particular designation would guarantee a top real estate agent, like “so and so is CRS GRI CCIM ABR SRES so she’s a top real estate agent.” Just because an agent has designations doesn’t mean she is applying what she has learned. You can’t say that years of experience is the key as some have years of experience doing things ineffectively.
A top real estate agent is a rare combination of people skills, relationship building, tough negotiation skills, attention to detail, and perseverance, to name a few qualities. He’s willing and able to take one call where he needs to be firm in negotiations with another real estate professional and her client, hang up and immediately take the next call and be patient with a first time homebuyer who can’t understand why she needs a home inspection.
A top real estate agent understands how to price your home to sell and how to ensure that you don’t pay too much for your new home. She stays on top of current industry trends, local developments, and legal issues that affect you and your ability to buy or sell successfully. She is your one stop shop for all things real estate. With her, your real estate transaction will not be without issue, but she will guide you through these issues with skill, care, and diligence. When you are finished with the transaction, you wonder how you ever considered going it alone and you have made a life-long friend and business partner.
These are just a few of the skills that top real estate agents possess, but how does one become this rare combination? There is no magic formula, but there are certain activities which we have found to be universal among real estate agents who are the best in their field:
1. A top real estate agent is constantly educating himself. In addition to required annual courses (continuing education), he seeks out education on current trends, how to perform tasks such as list your home, assist first time homebuyers, negotiate, do short sales, work with foreclosures, and a myriad of other topics. This education sometimes results in designations like CRS® (Certified Residential Specialist), GRIsm (Graduate REALTOR® Institute), ABR® (Accredited Buyer’s Representative) and the new Green designation. It can also result in certifications like At Home With Diversity/AWHD®, e-PRO®, and Short Sales and Foreclosure Resource/SFR. For more information on designations and certifications, see http://www.real estate agent.org/education/real estate agent_university/designation. The top real estate agent’s motive in completing this type of education is not so he can have a bunch of alphabet soup after his name, but so he can learn the skills needed to be your top real estate professional. The letters after the name are simply a bonus.
2. Top real estate agents network with other top real estate agents. The old adage is certainly true -- you become like the people you associate with. Top real estate agents understand this and find ways to hang around other top real estate agents. Methods include attending state, regional, and local conferences, joining online groups where they network with other top real estate agents, seeking leadership positions within local associations, and developing relationships after completing transactions.
3. A top real estate agent treats her business like a business. Among other things, this means she manages her time effectively. Don’t expect her to stop what she is doing and come running out to meet you at a listing. She has laser-like focus on the activity she is conducting right now, especially if she is serving one of her clients. So, she’s probably not going to stop what she’s doing to come meet you. In fact, she’s probably already arranged for you to get all the information you need about her listings either online or via text message and she understands that you are probably not ready to be out looking at houses yet anyway. Expect her to attempt to schedule a meeting with you at her office to discuss you hiring her as your buyer’s agent. This will most likely start with an explanation of her business process to ensure you find a great home successfully. She will school you on the home buying process from A to Z, tell you what steps to take next, carefully listen to your wants and needs, and provide you with potential homes that meet your criteria to ensure you don’t waste your time doing things like driving around the city blindly calling listing agents to try to get them to show you a house. While you are working with her, she will have the same laser-like focus on assisting you with your transaction.
These are just a few of the common characteristics of top real estate agents. Our network spans across the country and we are adding new top agents daily. Contact us for details.
People ask us all the time, “How do I find a top real estate agent?” It’s an excellent question to which there is no simple answer. You can’t say that real estate agents affiliated with a certain firm are top real estate agents – like “all real estate agents with XYZ Company are top real estate agents.” Nor can you say that a particular designation would guarantee a top real estate agent, like “so and so is CRS GRI CCIM ABR SRES so she’s a top real estate agent.” Just because an agent has designations doesn’t mean she is applying what she has learned. You can’t say that years of experience is the key as some have years of experience doing things ineffectively.
A top real estate agent is a rare combination of people skills, relationship building, tough negotiation skills, attention to detail, and perseverance, to name a few qualities. He’s willing and able to take one call where he needs to be firm in negotiations with another real estate professional and her client, hang up and immediately take the next call and be patient with a first time homebuyer who can’t understand why she needs a home inspection.
A top real estate agent understands how to price your home to sell and how to ensure that you don’t pay too much for your new home. She stays on top of current industry trends, local developments, and legal issues that affect you and your ability to buy or sell successfully. She is your one stop shop for all things real estate. With her, your real estate transaction will not be without issue, but she will guide you through these issues with skill, care, and diligence. When you are finished with the transaction, you wonder how you ever considered going it alone and you have made a life-long friend and business partner.
These are just a few of the skills that top real estate agents possess, but how does one become this rare combination? There is no magic formula, but there are certain activities which we have found to be universal among real estate agents who are the best in their field:
1. A top real estate agent is constantly educating himself. In addition to required annual courses (continuing education), he seeks out education on current trends, how to perform tasks such as list your home, assist first time homebuyers, negotiate, do short sales, work with foreclosures, and a myriad of other topics. This education sometimes results in designations like CRS® (Certified Residential Specialist), GRIsm (Graduate REALTOR® Institute), ABR® (Accredited Buyer’s Representative) and the new Green designation. It can also result in certifications like At Home With Diversity/AWHD®, e-PRO®, and Short Sales and Foreclosure Resource/SFR. For more information on designations and certifications, see http://www.real estate agent.org/education/real estate agent_university/designation. The top real estate agent’s motive in completing this type of education is not so he can have a bunch of alphabet soup after his name, but so he can learn the skills needed to be your top real estate professional. The letters after the name are simply a bonus.
2. Top real estate agents network with other top real estate agents. The old adage is certainly true -- you become like the people you associate with. Top real estate agents understand this and find ways to hang around other top real estate agents. Methods include attending state, regional, and local conferences, joining online groups where they network with other top real estate agents, seeking leadership positions within local associations, and developing relationships after completing transactions.
3. A top real estate agent treats her business like a business. Among other things, this means she manages her time effectively. Don’t expect her to stop what she is doing and come running out to meet you at a listing. She has laser-like focus on the activity she is conducting right now, especially if she is serving one of her clients. So, she’s probably not going to stop what she’s doing to come meet you. In fact, she’s probably already arranged for you to get all the information you need about her listings either online or via text message and she understands that you are probably not ready to be out looking at houses yet anyway. Expect her to attempt to schedule a meeting with you at her office to discuss you hiring her as your buyer’s agent. This will most likely start with an explanation of her business process to ensure you find a great home successfully. She will school you on the home buying process from A to Z, tell you what steps to take next, carefully listen to your wants and needs, and provide you with potential homes that meet your criteria to ensure you don’t waste your time doing things like driving around the city blindly calling listing agents to try to get them to show you a house. While you are working with her, she will have the same laser-like focus on assisting you with your transaction.
These are just a few of the common characteristics of top real estate agents. Our network spans across the country and we are adding new top agents daily. Contact us for details.
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