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A Great Realtor. What makes a Realtor Worth Hiring?

By
Real Estate Agent with Hallmark Sotheby's International Realty

What makes a Realtor great and worth hiring? Is it the number of homes their office sells per year? The number of homes they sell per year? Does it matter if their office has the number one market share or if they own their own office and have very little market share but lots of personal sales?

Realtors can get so caught up in their own self promotion that they can forget what is most important. They begin to twist market data and distort facts. It is a remarkable feat that each agency can stake the claim of being "number" one. Whatever happened to making the client feel as though they were number one?

Economists talk about the 80/20 rule. Eighty percent of the work is done by 20 percent of the people. Therefore when a Real Estate firm has one top producer who does 25 sales per year and that firm has 25 agents, it does not mean that each agent had one sale. Those types of numbers only water down the top producers numbers in an effort to shine light on the low producers. This of course is a very simplified example.

A truly great Realtor doesn't need to distort data to succeed. There are brand new agents who astonish the old savoy Realtors with great numbers in their early years and then there are Realtors who even against their own best and diligent efforts, can't manage to sell enough homes to make themselves valuable to a sales force.

A truly great Realtor has innovative marketing tools and the ability to develop strong and lasting personal relationships. They also develop a love for getting to know a house right down to it's most intimate details. A great Realtor knows how to make a property shine in it's best light. A great Realtor is a master at needs analysis.

In the end, for the truly great Realtor, their mastery of interpersonal skills, needs analysis, and innovative marketing tools, will be what makes them the Realtor worth hiring.

Mike Lefebvre
Hallmark Sotheby's International Realty - Medfield, MA

Well said, Jeannine! The industry is definitely changing and the "I'm #1" marketing just doesn't cut it with today's consumer. In fact, it's downright insulting. You can twist data anyway you want and EVERYBODY can make themselves #1 at something. You nailed it when you said "Isn't the client supposed to be #1?" The "Me, Me, Me" school of marketing is so played out.

It's not about you Mr. and Mrs. Realtor, it's about them.

Keep on writting Jeannine! You're well on your way...

Jan 19, 2009 01:21 AM
Charles Stallions
Charles Stallions Real Estate Services - Pensacola, FL
850-476-4494 - Pensacola, Pace or Gulf Breeze, Fl.

I wear a badge from time to time that says I am #2 and people will always ask well who is # 1 and I will say you are.

Apr 06, 2013 07:01 AM
Yoni Miller
Advanced Commission - Boca Raton, FL

Jeannine, you make a lot of very important points. I think one of the biggest ways for real estate professionals to get client is simply connecting well with others. Your agent is somebody your going to have to spend time with and work with so having things in common and having things to talk about (besides business) is very important. You want your client to feel at ease and open around you. You want them to be able to tell you what they dislike about a property without being worried you will be mad. 

Apr 06, 2013 08:48 AM