TIPS ON HOW TO MY A GREAT REALTOR IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA

SHOOT STRAIGHT AND ASK QUESTIONS LATER!

Be motivated by what is right and not what you are going to get compensated for when representing a buyer! Sure, we have to make a living but I'd rather cancel a contract or show a home that my client really loves and not get paid, then live with weight of putting my needs in front of my clients who's buying a home in Northern Virginia. Also, do not tell someone wanting to sell their home in the Northern Virginia Real Estate Market what they want to hear just so you can get a listing. It's better to walk-away then to try and sell something you can't sell at the price you told them it would!

BE FULL OF IT!

The Northern Virginia Real Estate Market is complex and those looking into buying a home or selling a home, need your full-time attention as a FULL-TIME REALTOR! Besides, who wants someone's part-time attention?

BE ALL YOU CAN BE!

Make sure your effort to stay busy and feed the pipeline stays consistent year-round. In the Spring and late Summer, you might be putting in 50+ hour work weeks showing and listing homes for sale in Northern Virginia, but in the late Fall and Winter, you might be working less. Although buyers and sellers habits can be cyclical, our income cannot be. It's important to keep doing the things that make your business flourish. Go into the office, blog, sign up for a designation-be all that you can be!

GET BUSY!

If you have a good base of 50+ former clients and have done a good job to please and stay in front of them throughout your career as a Realtor in Northern Virginia, you can be sure they will send you at least 10 or more referrals in one year's time. It's easy to rely on your base but you will still need to do the little things like PROSPECT for new listings (For Sale By Owners in NOVA, Expired Listings, Open Houses In Northern Virginia Etc.) FIND TIME TO DO THIS EVEN WHEN YOU ARE SHOWING 30-50 HOMES A WEEK!

ANSWER YOUR PHONE YOU BIG DUMMY!

I think this is pretty self-explanatory. Its 2011, so if you can't return calls, text or email within the first 30-45 minutes, your chances of getting a buyer or seller to use you as their Realtor in Northern Virginia is greatly reduced. After all, there are hundreds of other smiling, happy Realtors out there that adhere to this golden rule of Real Estate.

IT'S ABOUT TIME!!!!!!

Being late all the time for appointments or settlements just looks bad. It can be hard to gauge traffic or how long showings will take but you have to be ON TIME!

TO LEAD MUST FOLLOW!

Although I already have a pretty good client base and good business from Referrals, I built that structure by having to convert cold leads to buyers and/or sellers. To do that, I would follow-up with those leads at least 5-7 times until they told me they were no longer looking to sell a home in Northern Virginia or buy a home in NOVA. There is a fine line of being annoying, so be mindful. Don't be THAT GAL or Guy!

PASS THE MIC!

This is a skill one should always work on and is probably most crucial to the success as A Realtor in Northern Virginia. It's important to "pass the microphone" and HEAR what your buyer or seller wants or needs!

For the most part, anyone can get a Real Estate license but not just anyone can succeed. The list of  how to succeed goes well beyond good habits of say, getting your butt out of bed, working past 5pm, working on weekends or your ability to prospect but it also entails your own character and where your motivation lies. If you mix good work ethic with the belief that putting others needs before your self's will bare good fruit for all, then you most likely have what it takes to be a great  Realtor. Good luck selling!