The aim of every business is to make profit. Nobody goes into a business
with the mindset of failing or acquiring loss either on a short or long
run. The real estate industry
remains one of the fastest growing sectors in the Nigerian economy. It
is also important to note that the industry is not a get-rich quick
scheme but one which requires lots of hard work, sacrifice, and
patience.
For those who are already in the business, they understand that the idea
is to put your money to work today and reap the benefits in the future.
However, either as a pro or newbie, there are certain habits you must
portray as a real estate agent.
Below are 7 habits of successful real estate agents:
As the cliche saying goes: if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. This
remains valid because it is the reason most businesses don’t succeed or
fail at the long run. Having a plan is one of the key attribute of successful real estate agents.
As a real estate agent, before taking any decision as regards your
business, ensure you have made adequate plans to avoid failing or
unnecessary setbacks. Another importance of having the habit of planning
is that it helps you manage time. When you have plans, you know what to
do and when to do them. It saves you the stress of trying to buy time
or fitting too many things into a tight schedule.
Also, it is a known fact that real estate investment is
all about hard work and sacrifices, you must have short term and future
plans to always check if you are on track. Having a mapped out plan for
everything you do helps you set SMART (specific, measurable, accurate,
realistic and time;bound) goals.
Be A Good Communicator
Another habit to help you become a successful real estate agent
is being a good communicator. As a real estate agent, you are probably
going to do lots of talking and listening. It is only when you are a
good communicator that you can efficiently communicate with your
clients. This also helps you to convert your leads to clients, and
whether they remain clients or not. It is not just about pitching your
ideas to them, it also entails listening to the needs of your clients.
People actually know when other people care about them or not. When a
prospective client sees you care, he actually trusts you and doesn’t
feel you are just after the money. The communication between both
parties shouldn’t be because of business alone. For instance, after
transacting with a client, you can do follow ups to keep the
relationship going. This way they can still patronize you or even refer
you.
Embrace Technology
If you say the world is a global village, you are right. If you also say it is a global street, you are also right. In today’s click and share
world, you can’t afford to not enhance your business with all the
necessary digital tools. You are not old school or in the 90s, in a
modern era, you are expected to keep tabs and make efficient use of
technological tools. You can’t afford to keep doing business the old
way.
PropertyPro.ng is an
example of real estate company that has embraced technology. There are
many things you can do today. We have gone passed the age of talking to
your customers but talking with your customers. Therefore, the need to
be in conversation with your customers is key. In order to create and
sustain these conversations, there must be content. You can make YouTube
videos, have active social media accounts, make use of necessary tools
needed for your business.
Be Informed
As a real estate agent, you must be informed about everything in and
around your neighbourhood. It is not just knowing the name of streets,
you should have a broad knowledge of everything. From the locations of
hospital, best restaurants, best schools around, the kind of people who
live in the area, the go to place for relaxation, place to shop etc. It
is not uncommon have clients who want to know these things before buying
or renting a property. It is paramount that you have these information
before they ask.
Also, as a real estate agent, you should understand how the local
housing market and pricing strategy work. Knowing all these doesn’t just
help you prepare for your clients but can also help you carve a niche
for yourself in the local real estate market. When you are also
informed as an agent, it helps you keep focus. It will help you be savvy
with ready properties for sale in Lagos.
Be Reliable
To be a successful real estate agent, you need to be reliable. This is
another habit of every successful real estate agent. As an agent, you
want your clients to be able to vouch for you. But before this, there
would have been some level of trust between both parties. Being reliable
makes it easy to close clients that other clients have referred you
too.
Be Patient
As earlier mentioned in the article, the real estate industry is not a
get-rich quick scheme. Therefore, it is important that as a real estate
agent you are patient enough. As an agent, you will struggle, you will
make mistakes and also fail. The successful agents are the ones who take
these experiences and turn them into lessons to improve their skills.
Be ready to sacrifice
Success is never a stroll in a park. To achieve any meaningful success,
you must have sacrificed to get it. Therefore, it boils down to how bad
you want financial freedom. There will be times you need to forgo
personal interest for the business like vacations and use the money
toward a down payment instead. If you must have it at the back if your
mind.
With enough hard work and having the above habits, you should be ready to become a successful real estate agent.