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What Quality Makes a Successful Realtor?

By
Real Estate Agent with Associate Broker, Momentum Realty

What differentiates a GREAT Realtor from a good one? I have been giving this some thought lately. My office is a new Keller Williams office and many of the agents who have joined are new to the business. Are there ways to know who will succeed and thrive and who will quietly pass up their license renewal? Are there obvious characteristics that differentiate the two?

There are some obvious personality characteristics that we see in new Realtors: a self-starter, organized, personable, good business sense. But we all know people who succeed who don't always exhibit all of these characteristics. And we all know people who have these charactertistics but don't succeed in Real Estate.

I recently saw an interview with Business Insider and  Barbara Corcoran, a very successful real estate entrepreneur (now of Shark Tank fame and contributor to the Today Show). She was asked what makes the difference between someone who goes into real estate to make extra money and someone who is successful in Real Estate. Her answer was interesting.

Here is the link to the video: Business Insider and Barbara Corcoran

I am mentoring a new Realtor and one of the things I have been saying to her is that you need to develop a thick skin. You need to take your bumps and keep on moving. You need to get quickly past finding out your best friend hired someone else or that the folks you spent two weeks with bough a new house with no representation. Give yourself 5 minutes to feel sorry for yourself and then figure out how to move forward. This seems to be very much in line with what Barbara Corcoran is saying. 

Being successful in Real Estate is very much about having something to prove--to yourself or to others. At the end of the day, being self motivated and always willing to keep going is the key to success in this business.

My theory is  that the people who do the best in this business are those who never consider that they won't succeed. They enter the business without a back up plan--in other words, they are 'all in.'

What quality(ies) do you think is most important in becoming a successful Realtor?

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Comments (51)

Richie Alan Naggar
people first...then business Ran Right Realty - Riverside, CA
agent & author

yes to this post and its point too...Being nice is expected. Being tough is necessary when it comes time to fend off the Real Estate blows and whoas...

Apr 15, 2014 12:00 AM
Joshua Frederick
Home Inspector for ASPEC Residential Services, LLC - Defiance, OH
Home Inspector in Defiance & all of Northwest Ohio

Love Barbara!  She gets it!

 

I agree, all in!  Be passionate about whatever you do and success will follow.

Apr 15, 2014 12:34 AM
John Jonas
ReplaceMyself - Virtual Assistants - Highland, UT
John Jonas

Just keep on pushing. No other way but forward... Go go go! Thanks for sharing this...

Apr 15, 2014 12:45 AM
Suzanne De Vita
RISMedia
Online Associate Editor

All in! Can't dwell on mistakes or past failures. Just keep moving forward and success will be knocking on your door in no time. Great advice, Holly!

Apr 15, 2014 01:15 AM
Pamela Seley
West Coast Realty Division - Murrieta, CA
Residential Real Estate Agent serving SW RivCo CA

My life long challenge has been I don't have anything to prove so I'll probably never make $8 million. What drives me today is love, to see other people happy, and to be a part of that. The number one quality, in my opinion, of a successful Realtor® even if they earn only $40K, is perseverance.   

Apr 15, 2014 02:16 AM
Kristin Hunteman
True Title Company - Clayton, MO
Escrow Closing Officer

Thank you so much for this video. Exactly the shot in the arm I needed today. Don't dwell on the past, look at the present and the future!

Apr 15, 2014 02:20 AM
Jan Green - Scottsdale, AZ
Value Added Service, 602-620-2699 - Scottsdale, AZ
HomeSmart Elite Group, REALTOR®, EcoBroker, GREEN

I'm shocked there aren't more comments on this post. Barbara Corcoran is a model for agents to follow and her words of wisdom speak volumes.  Great post!  

Having been "injured" and maintaining the will to overcome obstacles and keep on keepin' on is great advice!

Apr 15, 2014 02:45 AM
Graziella Bruner
NCS Premier Real Estate - Detroit, MI
Associate Broker - Serving Wayne & Oakland County

I agree with the thick skin - Take a NO as a NEXT and move on - Or as my grandma use to say, "Turn the page and press on".  Just keep pressing on and focus on the Yes's and not the NO's!

Apr 15, 2014 02:47 AM
Tina Parker
EXP Realty Canada Inc. - Halifax, NS
Managing Associate Broker

I've learned to repeat my mantra, "there's nothing personal about business" until I get up... and it doesn't take long.

Apr 15, 2014 02:47 AM
Carla Muss-Jacobs, RETIRED
RETIRED / State License is Inactive - Portland, OR

This is certainly not a business for the faint of heart.  It's unlike any other, and can be brutal.  The general public does not understand how real estate agents work, and NAR doesn't do a good job with their 10 second TV ads showing an agent opening the door to a couple.  Be that as it may, when we do find clients that "get it" -- what a wonderful job this can be!  Good post.

Apr 15, 2014 03:29 AM
Mike Frazier
Carousel Realty of Dyer County - Dyersburg, TN
Northwest Tennessee Realtor

Never giving up definitely is a characteristic of a successful agent.

Apr 15, 2014 04:26 AM
Marc McMaster
RE/MAX Centre Realty - State College, PA
Putting my clients before myself

Thick skin is important.  Sometimes this business is absolutely brutal and other days you make a ton of money.

Apr 15, 2014 06:43 AM
Nina Hollander, Broker
Coldwell Banker Realty - Charlotte, NC
Your Greater Charlotte Realtor

Persistance, desire to serve, always wanting to perform at a high standard of excellence, always be open to learning new stuff... those are qualities a top realtor has to have (after developing that thick skin, of course).

Apr 15, 2014 07:43 AM
Chandler Real Estate Liz Harris, MBA
Liz Harris Realty - Chandler, AZ
#ChandlerRealEstateAgent

Another super-duper day in April and...  another super-duper activerain post!  Enjoyed this one today.  Take care :-) .... Liz

Apr 15, 2014 10:14 AM
Cathy Wolters
Wolters Realty & Property Management Company - Cocoa, FL
Your Brevard County Property Management Expert

Interesting post, I think that drive, dependability and like-ability are three important traits for a successful Realtor. 

Apr 15, 2014 12:44 PM
Praful Thakkar
LAER Realty Partners - Andover, MA
Andover, MA: Andover Luxury Homes For Sale

Holly, so right - we are in a business, we get burned day in day out! One needs to be focused to win, to be successful.

Apr 15, 2014 12:49 PM
Joan Whitebook
BHG The Masiello Group - Nashua, NH
Consumer Focused Real Estate Services

I think being a good listener is key.. and having a good mentor/team is crucial.

Apr 15, 2014 12:50 PM
Troy Erickson AZ Realtor (602) 295-6807
HomeSmart - Chandler, AZ
Your Chandler, Ahwatukee, and East Valley Realtor

Holly, I'm not sure this would be defined as a quality, but I have found that there are a lot of successful real estate agents who already had a great list of potential clients. These people have amassed a list of prospects a mile long through their previous job(s), and because they were somewhat successful in another industry, they already have built-in trust. These people have a distinct advantage over other people who do not know anybody, or have not already been successful in another industry.

I also believe that you have to be able to take "no" for an answer and move on to the next person. Having that attitude will go a long way towards success in real estate.

Apr 21, 2014 07:54 AM
Adrian Willanger
206 909-7536 AdrianWillanger-broker.com - Seattle, WA
Profit from my two decades of experience

Holly, I guess when I started I never considered failure as an option and did everything to succeed, I guess having a vision and a plan to make that happen are some of the qualities I think are important. 

Apr 22, 2014 09:52 AM
Dawn Welch
The Real Estate Consultants - Los Angeles, CA

Great post!  This business is brutal, perseverance and Thick skin is a must.  one of my business moto is seek first to understand than to be understood.  I agree with Adrian, failure is never and option.  Happy Selling!

Aug 01, 2014 07:33 AM