There have been quite a few posts lately, about what can be done about unprofessional and untrained Realtors, including this one from me. Clueless Realtors, whether new to the game or seasoned “pros”, can really make our jobs a lot more difficult than they need be and give the consumer valid reasons to distrust Realtors. I think we can all agree that something needs to be done about it. The solutions, however, vary from more stringent licensing requirements, required training, mentoring, apprenticeships and shadowing to name a few.
My opinion has always been that the consumer should be able to rely on a Realtor knowing what they are doing. But let's face it, some things can be learned and some can’t. The following list are things I believe can be learned and in fact, should be learned, before conducting the services of Real Estate. These things can be taught in a classroom environment.
- How to prepare a valid contract (purchase, listing, lease).
- How to enter a listing into the MLS.
- How to arrange showing instructions.
- How to prepare an accurate market analysis.
- How to prepare a Seller’s Net sheet.
There are other things, that will take time to learn, that can only be learned in the field and by trial and error (experience). Examples are:
Then, you have the things, that I personally, do not think can be taught. These things you either have or you don’t. I also believe these are the most important.
- Ethics. (Sorry, I never needed a class to teach me ethics)
- Genuine care and concern for your customers/clients’ needs.
- Likeability.
- Motivation.
- Respect for peers and the public.
Here’s the quandary, if you can find people to hire, that fall under the 3rd category, who are willing to learn, they will be successful. If you hire people that DO NOT fall into the 3rd category, they will never be able to learn these things, they will fail. That means that stricter licensing requirements and mandatory training programs will probably have no affect on our business. Maybe we should just implement character testing. What say you?
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