10 Things I Wish I Had Known When I Started
Today I attended a short class given by a "seasoned" agent in our office where she went over some things she wishes she had known when she first started to help save time, money, and sanity. It was nice to see both newer agents and experienced agents alike in the class because I think we can always learn things and get new tips from other agents! She went over a lot of things, many of which I know or already do, but did learn some new ideas and thought I'd share some of her more popular tips!
- As a listing agent, always make a copy of the house key if the seller doesn't have one before putting it in the lockbox. That way the next time a buyer's agent drops it between the porch slats you can come to the rescue with your spare!
- As a listing agent, keep the pool key/pass, mailbox key in a folder in your file, NOT in the house for anyone to take!
- Keep a copy of the HUD statement in a separate easy-to-find folder and mail it to your clients at the end of the year...many have misplaced theirs in the move and they need it for tax purposes!
- Write feedback on the back of MLS sheets after showing properties to help keep them straight in your mind for later
- "Name" each house with some outstanding feature the buyer will remember to help keep them straight (e.g. "purple bathroom house, cat pee smell house," etc)
- Make a note of what closing gift you give to your buyers because they may be repeat customers and you don't want to give the same gift twice!
- ALWAYS make a record of things discussed verbally. Follow conversations up with an email confirming what you talked about. Anything that may prove controversial, MAKE A RECORD.
- Keep all names, numbers, dates together in both electronic and written form for easy retrieval
- Keep your lockbox combos with you (preferably write them in your client folder so they can't "go missing")
- Some good things to keep in your car: flashlight, toilet paper, tape measure, old shoes, newspaper and/or plastic, first aid kit.
There were lots more tips, but I thought these were really good! I walked away with some new ideas and ways to improve old ones!
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