What Should We Wear When We Look For A Home?

What Should We Wear When We Look for a Home?

I thought I really had heard every question about real estate. This one really was a new one. I said just dress casually. Las Vegas, NV is a very casual area. Very few people ever get dressed up over here. I guess attorneys wear suits in their offices and when they go to court, but the rest of the population NOT. So, while I was on the phone, I looked at the realtors in my office. The men were in golf type shirts and jeans or cargo pants; the women were in nice jeans and soft shirts too. In short, none of the men were wearing suits and none of the women were wearing dresses or pantsuits with jackets.

I thought of the clients I usually see: they are dressed the same way as the realtors I just described above. The company I work for, Realty ONE Group, does billions of dollars in real estate per year. So apparently our dress for success code is somewhat different than it is in other states. I see the TV realtors always dressed "to the nines." Their clothes are expensive, their ties are expensive, their pocket squares match their ties, their shoes and jewelry are expensive. I wonder if they dress that way or just do it for TV.

One of the reasons we all dress casually here is because of the temperature. From May through October, it is 100 degrees or more each day. If we dressed up with suit jackets, etc. we would be dead after showing one home - let alone showing 6-8 to one client in the morning and then sometimes another 4 to another someone in the evening.

So, I have to conclude that what works with the TV realtors in NYC would not work in the desert. We have to dress for the temperature and that is HOT.

When I go to real estate courses or conventions in other states, I am always asked "How do you stand such heat?" Generally, I reply "you don't feel it too much until it hits 117-120 degrees." People think it is a joke; it isn't! But, you have to learn to dress so that you can withstand the heat and show property each day. My summer wardrobe is several sizes bigger than my regular wardrobe. It isn't that I gain weight in the summer, it is just that I can work more hours in very loose clothes. Also, I have long loose mau mau type dresses that I wear that help me get through the days. On very hot days, I have seen the men and women wear shorts to show property. I would love to hear the TV realtors thoughts on that one!! Everyone dresses casually nice; nobody shows up for work wearing beach clothes or cutoffs or torn jeans.

So, back to my clients - they were from the East and wanted to know what casually meant. So, I said wear comfortable shoes because we will be doing a lot of walking and wear loose fitting comfortable clothes. What did the show up in? He was wearing cargo pants and a golf shirt and she was wearing a loose flowing dress. Well, I thought they got the message! I think it was the first time that the two of them had ever done anything that represented business where they actually felt comfortable. It was a new experience for them and they actually liked it!!

Myra Gouger, RRG, ABR, SRES, CDPE, CPRES
REALTOR®
Senior Real Estate Specialist
Certified Distressed Property Expert
Certified Probate Real Estate Specialist
Realty ONE Group
2831 St. Rose Pkwy, Suite 100
Henderson, NV 89052
702-858-9311
myra_gouger@yahoo.com
www.nevadahomesdirect.com