Here are three of Charleston, SC’s top real estate agents: Mikki Ramey, Brian Walsh, and Chris Facello. I know this, not through personal connections, but through word of mouth. I know it’s validated online with a simple check of their agent reviews. And, to be honest, it’s easy to believe just by looking at their sales numbers.
Being a great agent doesn’t mean you have to be a superhero of real estate. It doesn’t involve you speeding to the rescue of every client problem or extinguishing any fires with your third-party vendors (i.e. mortgage lenders, inspectors, etc). From Steve Harney’s perspective, it involves one thing: Your ability to connect the dots.
Connecting the Dots — Defined by Steve Harney
Keeping current really does matter in real estate. How useful is an agent who doesn’t know their market’s stats? How about an agent who doesn’t know what homes are for sale? The smallest, and yet, seemingly trivial details are what separate people from the herd.
If you want to be closing transactions, getting people talking about you, or boosting your online presence, it starts with knowing your market. But then you need to take it one step further. You need to translate what the market is saying to your clients. Identify any opportunities or threats they might face today or five years from now.
For example, if I buy this home today, will I be able to sell it in a couple years for a profit? << You should be able to answer that question, based on what the market statistics are telling you. And you should explain the “why” in layman’s terms to your client. That is connecting the dots, and that’s what creates positive experiences people talk about (online and offline).
| Watch Steve Harney Define Great Agents |
The Difference Between a Good and Bad Real Estate Agent
Housing information is online, and it’s everywhere. Any buyer can look up past sold data on Zillow. Any homeowner can see what other homes are selling for with a quick search. They look for this information because they want to feel secure and confident in their decision. [Real estate is usually one of the biggest investments they’ll ever face.]
A great agent will take their market information, translate it, and provide their clients useful insights — so they can feel secure in their decision. A bad agent will simply plop loads of data onto their client and say, “It’s a great time to buy.” And my first instinct would be to ask, “Why?”
Take a look at these two charts and see which one makes you feel confident to buy a house today:
A good agent would show a forecasted trend (like that in Figure 2.) and discuss what might happen if they decide to wait.
The Quality that Makes Great Real Estate Agents
Connecting the dots for your client makes them feel secure and confident. They know they’re making the right move. There aren’t any surprises. And overall, they’re happy.
They then take that positive experience and talk about it with their friends and family. They write online reviews and rate you highly, because you helped them understand the right decision to make. Connecting the dots goes a long way in building your business.
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