Working as a realtor: requirements, responsibilities, prospects. Is there a future for the realtor profession? All about the realtor profession
Anyone who has at least once encountered the purchase or exchange of real estate knows that a more difficult and nerve-wracking task practically does not exist. Real estate transactions always require large emotional, time and financial costs, most of which, fortunately, can be transferred to the shoulders of professionals - representatives of the realtor profession.
Anyone who has at least once encountered the purchase or exchange of real estate knows that a more difficult and nerve-wracking task practically does not exist. Real estate transactions always require large emotional, time and financial costs, most of which, fortunately, can be transferred to the shoulders of professional representatives realtor profession.
However, sometimes the intervention of realtors results in even bigger problems. And all because in this profession there are a large number of random people who came into it either by the opportunity to earn big earnings or by the apparent simplicity of the work. And really, what could be so difficult about “matching” a buyer with a real estate seller? But everything is not so simple, since in order for the parties to the transaction to sign a purchase and sale or rental agreement, and for the realtor to receive his commission, the specialist has to run a lot. Well, so that you understand what we mean, we suggest you familiarize yourself with all the features of this profession.
Who is a realtor?
– a specialist, an individual or a representative of a real estate company, providing intermediary services in real estate transactions: purchase/sale, entry/exit from residential to non-residential stock (and vice versa) and rental of both residential and commercial real estate (buildings, structures, land plots, etc.).
The name of the profession comes from the English realtor (real estate agent), which in turn comes from the phrase real estate (real estate). For our country, this profession is relatively young. Why relatively? Because officially it appeared only at the end of the 20th century, but unofficially much earlier. In any case, already in 1907 a special newspaper “Collection of Demand and Offers” was published in Russia, which collected all the information about real estate. In Soviet times, the prototype of modern real estate companies was the Bureau of Housing Exchange, which provided intermediary services for the exchange, delivery and rental of housing.
Interesting fact: in the USA, where the history of the profession goes back more than 80 years, only a member of the National Association of Realtors or its affiliated organizations has the right to be called a realtor. Moreover, the term itself " realtor" is an officially registered trademark and is capitalized in all dictionaries as a proper noun.
Note that the large volumes of real estate transactions observed today have led to the fact that the profession is divided into several narrow specializations: specialists who deal only with private real estate, agents specializing in commercial real estate, and realtors who work only with land plots. But regardless of specialization, professional responsibilities of realtors practically do not differ from each other, and include:
- search for real estate and clients;
- showing real estate to potential buyers/tenants;
- registration and support of transactions (including the collection of all documents necessary for the transaction, as well as registration of real estate with justice by proxy from the client);
- promotion and advertising of real estate;
- consulting clients within their competence on all issues related to the transaction.
What personal qualities should a realtor have?
The main thing in work as a realtor not so much to find a suitable option (although this is also important), but to convince the client that the proposed property is the best. Therefore, in this profession it is impossible to imagine a person who does not have communication skills, personal charm and the ability to persuade. In addition, such personal qualities as:
Among the professional knowledge necessary for a realtor to perform his work efficiently (in addition to the real estate market), special attention is paid to: economics, law, sociology, psychology, architecture, engineering and construction, sanitary and hygienic standards for real estate properties.
Advantages of being a realtor
The most important thing advantage of being a realtor, of course, is its availability. Absolutely anyone who combines the desire to achieve professional success and the ability to self-improvement can become a real estate specialist. In this case, neither the age, nor gender, nor the social status of the applicant for this position matters.
This profession also opens up great prospects for those who dream of owning their own business. With minimal capital investment, you can provide real estate services both privately and by registering a real estate company. The truth is that it will be possible to achieve success only if you work hard and persistently, giving your all to the profession.
An undoubted advantage is also:
- flexible work schedule;
- communication with a large number of people;
- visible result of work, expressed in the amount of income.
Well, if we mentioned income, then it would not be out of place to say that the profession of a realtor is considered one of the most promising in this regard. The amount of reward for intermediary services in some cases reaches several thousand dollars from one transaction. The average monthly income of the average realtor (let us emphasize, a real specialist, not an amateur) in Russia today starts from 50 thousand rubles.
Disadvantages of being a realtor
The profession of a realtor can be safely attributed to those specialties about which people say, “The legs feed the wolf.” From here the main disadvantages of being a realtor.
- Firstly, irregular work hours. Realtors have to “adapt” to the client, and meet with him mainly only when it is convenient for the client. And this can be early in the morning, late in the evening, on weekends, and on holidays.
- Secondly, the dependence of income on the results of work. Since a realtor does not receive a salary as such, and his income represents only interest from each transaction, the amount a specialist “runs” is how much he will earn. This is why you will never find a good realtor in the office idly drinking coffee. As a rule, real professionals either work with the real estate database, or meet with clients, or show the property.
It must also be said that the public’s attitude towards realtors is more negative than positive. Many have heard about the so-called “black realtors”, communication with whom leads, at a minimum, to the loss of real estate, and in some cases, to the loss of life. Therefore, professional realtors have to make enormous efforts to earn the trust of their clients and “whiten” their profession in the eyes of the public.
Buying or selling a home has always been a challenging task. Many applicants for housing (that is, potential buyers) simply do not have the necessary knowledge and experience; many are afraid of becoming victims of scammers. In such conditions, people often turned to realtors. However, in recent years the situation has changed. More and more signs indicate that real estate is a dying profession.
Based on the results of the transaction support practice within the law firm Heads Consulting, over the past ten years (that is, from 2006 to 2016), the number of real estate agents has decreased by 45%—almost twice. The reasons for this are primarily that potential clients need the services of intermediaries less and less.
The first reason is services that allow you to independently select real estate for sale: for example, Cyan, Avito, Yandex Real Estate and other competing sites. Using these resources, a person can find an object of interest to him, request all the necessary information, and then negotiate and discuss the terms of the transaction directly with the owner. As a result, there is no need to pay a realtor for searching and selecting an object - and the cost of this service is estimated at 2-4% of the price of the transaction. In the “pre-Internet” era, realtors had a monopoly on such information; now this monopoly has evaporated.
The second blow to the realtor business came from the creation of a network of multifunctional centers (MFCs). Simplifying the submission of documents for individuals when purchasing residential real estate and related services provided by these centers make it possible to complete a transaction virtually without special knowledge and skills - just come to the MFC, whose employees will always advise on complex issues of registration. Now a person who wants to buy an apartment will have only one obstacle left - legal registration of the transaction. In addition to realtors, this service is provided by professional lawyers, and their cost of such services is fixed and generally quite low due to fierce competition.
The third gravedigger of the real estate business can be called the largest owner of real estate in Russia - the state. Various government agencies control approximately 10% of the country's housing stock. With the development of electronic trading platforms and document flow, authorities are increasingly selling their apartments and rooms on federal and regional electronic platforms. In this way, the state demonstrates to the population that to purchase square meters it is not at all necessary to turn to the services of intermediaries - just go to one of the electronic platforms like EETP, Sberbank-AST and the like.
The fourth nail in the coffin of realtors was driven by the practice of sales and purchases of real estate. The acquisition process through auction is as transparent and simple as possible: each potential buyer has the opportunity to first familiarize himself with all the necessary documentation for the object even before the auction, and the starting price is always noticeably different from the market price towards cheaper. Only those who have agreed to make a deposit in advance can take part in the competition for the desired lot: this cuts off “random passers-by” from participating in the auction and complicates the task of increasing prices. As a result, such an approach to bidding allows you to bring the value of real estate to reasonable values.
Do not forget that in 2017 Rosreestr should create a unified database of real estate in Russia. After the launch of this system, publicly available information on a property can be ordered at any MFC, regardless of where the property is located. The lion's share of documents for housing will be converted into electronic form and will be requested by the registration authority through interdepartmental interaction. This will lead to fatal consequences for real estate agents, because now they argue their need for the ability to collect all the necessary documents. When this process becomes simple and understandable to ordinary Russians, the realtor’s service will actually be limited to organizing a meeting between the seller and the buyer - and this is easy to do without an intermediary.
In 2016, Sberbank already launched a new project - the Sberned center, which includes services for electronic registration of housing transactions, purchasing apartments with a mortgage, as well as legal examination of objects put up for sale and all participants in the transaction. In the near future we can expect the emergence of similar structures created by Sberbank’s competitors. This means that realtors have a powerful competitor - banks, which have huge databases, their own objects for sale in the form of mortgaged apartments and the ability to directly “submit” for registration. The real estate community may not be able to withstand such an enemy.
Finally, in the State Duma there is a bill “On intermediary (agency) activities in the real estate transactions market.” If it is adopted, most of the realtors working on the market will be forced to either change their profession or continue their activities with the risk of persecution by the state. The fact is that many realtors are accustomed to working for themselves, not declaring their income and practically not being responsible for their activities.
If the bill is adopted, then a self-employed intermediary will be required to register as an individual entrepreneur, as well as confirm that he has a higher legal education and/or specialized experience at his main place of work for a period of at least three years. Realtors will also have to prove that they have no criminal record. Moreover, real estate agents are going to be required to take an exam to obtain a qualification certificate valid for five years. Legal entities will be required to guarantee that they are headed by a certified realtor. The damage caused to the client is expected to be compensated in full at the expense of the realtor or legal entity with whom he entered into an employment contract. Intermediaries will also be required to provide security for their activities in the form of compulsory insurance (in the amount of at least 300 thousand rubles) and a contribution to the compensation fund of self-regulatory organizations (30 thousand rubles). In other words, the adoption of this bill could be the beginning of the end for tens of thousands of realtors - some will change their occupation, others will have to obtain a legal education.
Despite these circumstances, some experts believe that rumors about the imminent disappearance of real estate agents are exaggerated. Their conviction is based on recent sociological research. An example is the National Agency for Fiscal Research (NAFI), published in the first half of 2016. According to the results of this study, over the past seven years, the share of citizens who have ever used the services of real estate agencies has doubled (from 20 to 41%), while the level of trust in intermediaries in the real estate market has risen by 5% (from 19 to 24 %). At the same time, the number of respondents doubting the integrity of realtors decreased by 6% (from 41 to 35%).
How can you comment on these statistics? Firstly, the data from such studies often do not correspond to the real state of affairs. Secondly, the decrease in the number of negative assessments of realtors by 6% against the background of the fact that the number of their clients has doubled is evidence of the crisis in the industry: it turns out that agents have improved their image at a minimal level (5-6%) with a doubling of the client base. Third, a trust level of 24% hardly indicates a positive outlook for intermediaries.
As a result, we can conclude that the need for the services of realtors in real estate transactions will only decrease in the near future. This is facilitated by both the emergence of other options for conducting transactions, more convenient and safer for the consumer, and the possibility of the emergence of full-fledged legislative regulation of the work of agents.
This is a specialist involved in the purchase, sale or rental of real estate, primarily housing.
A realtor brings sellers and buyers together, assists them in concluding a transaction, and after its completion receives a commission in the form of a commission. Today this profession is very popular, especially since almost anyone can become a real estate agent, even without education.
However, as in any other activity, not everyone succeeds as a realtor. Because the requirements for representatives of this profession are quite high.
First of all, you need to understand that a realtor does not only bring transaction partners together. He accompanies all stages, from the inspection of the property to the final stage of the transaction. His responsibilities include searching for options, preliminary negotiations, and organizing an inspection of the property by the buyer, whom the realtor accompanies personally. To answer all his client’s questions, he must have knowledge regarding the general state of the real estate market in the city, understand and understand the technical characteristics of the house proposed for purchase, and have an idea of the content of construction and finishing work.
In the next stage - paperwork - the realtor is key. Visiting organizations such as BTI, housing complex, police, guardianship council, accompanying the client to a notary, to a bank, to legal organizations - a realtor must be ready to do all these procedures. But a good realtor does not leave his clients even when the deal is officially completed. He can help with procedures such as discharge and registration, and help organize the move.
Personal qualities
A realtor, first of all, works with people, so the presence of such qualities as communication skills, perseverance, the ability to persuade, and intelligence are professional qualities. Successful realtors have good earnings and respect. However, respect and reputation must be earned. Therefore, there are often situations when novice realtors cannot complete a single transaction for several months.
average salary
High % of transactions. Income level from 50 thousand rubles. per month (with 1-2 transactions per month). Successful realtors earn 100-150 thousand rubles. per month. No salary cap.
Education (What do you need to know?)
The profession does not have strict requirements for education, although certain advantages, of course, are enjoyed by those who have a higher education that helps in the field of real estate transactions (economics, law, marketing).
It is important for a realtor to have legal literacy, excellent knowledge of the housing market, to be sociable and have the gift of persuasion. He also needs to be able to inspire confidence in himself. After all, living space is often the largest material asset at a person’s disposal, and if a realtor raises even the slightest suspicion of dishonesty, the client will refuse his services.
It’s not difficult to get a job as a realtor, but it’s much more difficult to make money. After all, his income usually amounts to a certain percentage of the value of completed transactions, which means that in order to make good money, he needs to act quickly and energetically to find and serve as many clients as possible. If he can’t find them and organize deals, he won’t earn anything, even if he’s an employee of even the most prestigious agency. But he can - you don’t have to get a job, you can work privately.
Place of work and career
Realtors can work both in real estate agencies and privately. Their working hours are often irregular: on the one hand, they are not required to be constantly present in the office during working hours (although they must always be available via mobile phone), on the other hand, meetings with clients and visits to real estate sites are often carried out after hours, due to evenings or weekends.
As career prospects, you can consider creating your own real estate agency or taking a managerial position in an existing agency.
Where to study?
| Universities by specialty | Speciality | Forms training |
Cost per year (rubles) |
Passage point (2018) |
Land management and cadastres |
Full-time (4 years) |
free (25 seats) |
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Institute of Service and Industry Management |
Land management and cadastres |
Full-time (4 years) |
free (40 seats) |
|
Land management and cadastres |
Part-time (5 years) |
|||
Land management and cadastres |
Full-time (4 years) |
free (13 seats) |
||
Land management and cadastres |
Full-time (4 years) |
free (20 seats) |
||
Land management and cadastres |
Full-time (4 years) |
free (15 seats) |
||
Institute of Architecture and Construction |
Land management and cadastres |
Full-time (4 years) |
free (20 seats) |
|
Land management and cadastres |
Full-time (4 years) |
free (12 seats) |
||
| Colleges and technical schools by specialty | Speciality | Reception at the base |
Reception at the base |
Cost per year (rubles) |
||
Today we will look at the key skills of a professional realtor, without which he is doomed to eternal lack of money. The audio recording of the article is in the player just above - click on the red triangle.
Salesman's apprentice to boss:
— The client bought shoes, but he will bring the money tomorrow.
- What? He'll never appear here again!
- No matter how it is! I put two left shoes in his box.
The professional skills of a realtor are developed over the years, and not because it is something supernatural, but because learning to sell only one thing (yourself, a service or an object) is not enough for a realtor.
Find out (Universities, courses, trainings)
Only the totality of a realtor’s skills gives a positive result, and today we will talk about one of them - the skills and abilities of a realtor that he must possess if he wants to succeed.
I am always surprised by the fact how easily and carefree people from the outside decide how easy it is to do this or that business, how easily everything is achieved, although they are in no hurry to say the same about themselves.
I often talk to people who look at the results of others superficially, not realizing that only the tip of the iceberg is accessible to their gaze.
The anecdote with which I began the article. It perfectly reflects the skills of a realtor, one of which is the ability to help the client keep their promises. This is especially true for a realtor in particular.
When it comes to remuneration for work done, when the result has already been achieved, i.e. the object has been sold. We will talk about this more in future articles. Just subscribe to the newsletter and stay tuned for new articles.
Let's answer the main question: what skills should a successful salesperson have? What should he do to make a potential client want to buy anything from him?
What professional skills of a real estate agent allow you to successfully close any transaction?
Let’s immediately make a reservation that by the word “seller” we will not mean those sellers who stand behind the counter. No, they are not selling, they are simply selling the product that we ourselves have chosen.
In the West there are even stores for this occasion. In which even the cash register is automated and only the cleaning lady and security guard are present from the sales floor staff. This once again proves that there is no smell of sellers here.
A realtor has a lot to learn from successful sales consultants or sales managers.
Of course, I don’t mean the naughty ones, but those who work with the client in such a way that he leaves happy that he left his money in a store where he didn’t even plan to take something. This is what a real estate agent should be able to do!
Realtor professional skills
1. Clear and intelligible speech
Lord, I heard so much during the time I was working “in the fields” and I continue to hear it to this day, every time I have to talk with realtors or real estate agents. Sometimes it’s just unpleasant, sometimes it makes your hair stand on end.
What not to do:
Fight for the purity of your speech! Whatever you want, but no slang words and expressions, no intonation like “do you hear what”, no sleepy muttering and fatigue in the voice. Yes, yes, and this happens everywhere!
With such communication, the potential client gets the impression that he has entered some kind of gangster alley and was clearly not expected here and is doing a favor by communicating, making it clear by all appearances that something like “comes in large numbers here.”
And then these same guys and girls write and speak, complaining that clients are running away from them through their gardens, forgetting “what their mother’s name is”... And it’s not surprising.
How to:
It is vitally important for a real estate agent to be able to make a positive impression on a potential client just over the phone! Speech should be clear, intelligible, concise, and to the point.
Quite often, a realtor’s professional skill in conversation is the ability to quickly and correctly convey information about an object or service to a person. And the better and simpler this is done, the more successful your activities will be.
The intonation is ALWAYS businesslike and friendly, but not ingratiating. You still have no reason to pet a person until he has bought something from you or taken a step towards buying, but at the same time you must establish friendly contact with him.
The client does not owe you anything, and neither do you, but he should have the feeling that he was expected, that he was treated like a human being. And even if he is a boor, then let it remain on his conscience.
What to do for this:
Decide to yourself once and for all how you will talk to people, preferably everyone in a row, so as not to divide them. Or equally businesslike or... Read books out loud, listen to your voice, its sound.
Speaking is the most important professional skill of a real estate agent! Believe me, clients feel you by your intonation, vocabulary and your attitude.
Like any other realtor, you often talk on the phone and opinions about you are formed long before you meet a client. And, even if you don’t meet, then your failed client will live with this impression from the voice he heard all his life and, perhaps, will tell his friends about you. After all, it’s no secret that the Earth is round.
You don’t need to devote the lion’s share of your time to adjusting your ability to speak, just listen to yourself at some points in time, you can analyze the conversations of the day for 5-10 minutes in the evening, and in the morning again set yourself up for business communication.
You won't be able to change your habits right away, but gradually you will begin to notice positive changes.
The professional skill of a realtor is the ability to conduct a business conversation under any circumstances and with any type of clients.
2. Ability to listen and hear
It is not surprising that many people need communication, because we are social creatures. Therefore, the key skill of the seller in this case will be the ability to listen and, most importantly, to hear what the client wants to tell you.
What not to do:
Interrupt, try to say something smart, for example, show yourself as an experienced or knowledgeable expert when it is least needed. Remember, you are already being approached as an expert and now your role is to listen to what the client wants.
Perhaps you will rush to conclusions, accepting his request, classify it as a standard (pattern situation) and respond in the same way. But those who have been working in the real estate business for many years know that all situations are individual.
Don’t be those who overestimate your capabilities and believe that you know better than the client what he needs - this is a harmful skill of a non-professional realtor.
How to:
Listen to the client, always and everywhere. Let him do most of the talking, just ask leading questions in the tone of the conversation. Do not argue or impose your point of view under any circumstances.
If you claim something, then learn to argue correctly. It is the clear arguments that you bring in the conversation that will show what an experienced and professional realtor you are.
The second thing you need to do is listen to the client. He came to talk about his problem, perhaps he already has a solution and you don’t need to rack your brains over it, just let him express it, make your work easier with a little anticipation.
There are situations, and most of them, when the client himself does not understand exactly what he needs. He came to you to make up his mind.
At the same time, remember that you don’t have to decide for him. You just need to give him a choice and explain what consequences this choice will entail. But what to choose is the client’s decision.
What to do for this:
To develop the habit of not interrupting, you just need to restrain yourself for a few seconds. After that. How the client will say something. This pause is necessary because... a person can add something else and this “more” sometimes becomes the key point.
If the client has objections, work with them, use tactics to prevent objections, but use them very carefully. Because This technique requires training and may not work right away and cause irritation in the client.
3. The ability to ask
Most of the information and information that a realtor needs to solve a client’s problem is found by the client himself. Most often, he also has a solution, but it is not obvious to a non-specialist.
What not to do:
There is no need to interrogate the client with bias at the first meeting. It is enough to find out standard and key information about the object.
If you put too much pressure or just ask, then such a one-sided game will cause the client to feel tension and he will “close down.”
What to do:
Provoking contact and information from the client is what a real estate agent should be able to do. First of all, establish a trusting relationship, create sympathy for yourself as a professional and a person.
First of all, ask something about the client’s personality, his mood, how he got to the office. Find common ground, some commonality, and only then start asking questions.
At the same time, do not forget to comply with the previous rule - the ability to listen.
What to do:
You can write down a number of questions on your sheet of paper that relate to the above methodology.
For example: How did you get there? Were there any traffic jams? How's the weather outside? Aren't you wet? Perhaps your car is overusing gasoline in traffic jams? No? But in mine it happens... Would you like some tea? And so on.
The longer the list, the better. You don’t need to use them all at once, just 1-3 questions for each client and that’s enough. When receiving answers, do not forget to participate in the conversation: agree, empathize, give your example.
The professional skills of a real estate agent are developed only through daily practice and you must be prepared for this!
Don’t dryly ask and listen to the answers - be more humane and natural, as when talking with an acquaintance, but don’t go too far :)
You already understand the goal - common ground, preliminary establishment of dialogue. Here your strong point will be sincerity, both in words and in intonation and gestures.
4. Solve customer problems
The professional skills of a realtor include ability to solve customer problems. Actually, this is what he came to you for. But at the same time, you must not forget that you are not an arbiter or God, but a mediator who knows exactly how to do it: where to go, who to find and how to do it quickly.
You are not selling loaves to fill up, but solutions that help you purchase a loaf! The comparison turned out to be too mundane and funny, probably for tea :)
What not to do:
There is no need to solve your financial problems at the expense of your clients. Many times I have seen the greedy looks of my colleagues who could not give up part of their fee in order to solve a client’s problem, but I have also seen those who gave in and won doubly, because received a deal and a satisfied client with subsequent recommendations..
In such cases, it is important for the real estate agent to understand that he receives his reward only after he has solved the client's problem. But there are those who put their own interests above and do not help the client and do not receive anything themselves.
What to do:
Even if your remuneration suffers a little in size, solve the client’s problem, try to make him satisfied and this client will bring you more clients.
Even if you were unable to help the person (not your competence or the current circumstances), still advise something, participate in resolving his issue, offer one or more possible options, even without your participation, and it will work for you.
Subsequently, this failed client will recommend you as a conscientious and responsive person. The ability of a realtor to be involved in resolving the issue of even an unsuccessful client can only be a plus.
What to do to develop a skill:
Don't work as if you are alone in the desert! There are a lot of people around you with professions related to real estate: developers, appraisers, lawyers, tax specialists, etc.
If you can’t help yourself, connect them and this will help not only to have your own circle of acquaintances, but also to receive an affiliate reward. Moreover, these partners in related professions can recommend you to their clients as a professional real estate agent endowed with professional skills.
5. Stay Organized
The daily whirlwind of viewings and showings of objects, at a time when the majority of people are relaxing at home or going out to have fun, and at the same time you are knocking on the next threshold of the next residential building - such a schedule will exhaust anyone and even all the skills of a realtor will not save you from routine work.
Here the key professional skill of a realtor will be the ability to plan your day by the hour and bring all plans and tasks to completion. If you are not used to this, develop a much-needed skill.
What not to do:
Again, from practice, I have met a lot of irresponsible realtors who “forgot” not only to call back and inform. That the viewing has been cancelled, but to come in general. As for the fact that they simply promise and do not deliver, this is not at all uncommon.
Don't be like that - it's deadly for your business and will leave you hungry, at a minimum.
What to do:
- The first thing is to be able to plan
- Second, keep your word and promises.
- Third, motivate yourself
- Fourth, remember once again that a realtor’s professional skills are tempered through practice
How to do it:
Be sure to keep a diary. All successful realtors have a diary, in any form - paper or electronic. I remember the old school realtors whose planners looked like a book of the Old Testament, they were so thick and disheveled.
It was they that contained such a treasure trove of information on the city’s real estate that cannot be found in any analytical center.
By the way, One of the professional skills of a realtor is to keep a diary for a whole year, and then keep it for another 5 years, because information about objects and clients can be useful repeatedly.
In addition, if you are an advanced real estate agent, you may want to take some time management training.
You will learn to discipline yourself when performing assigned tasks. For example, if you don’t do something, you can punish yourself with a fine by putting 250-500 rubles in the “fine” box.
After some time, you can send everything that has accumulated to us and we will give you some training or a souvenir :)
6. Rules of etiquette with clients
No matter where you are from or where you work, your business style should be on point. This applies to both appearance and behavior, as well as speech and communication style.
Remember that you are selling yourself first, and the more successful the first sale is, the more likely you are to sell your service or object.
Respect yourself and respect your clients, then most doors will be open for you.
What not to do:
I've seen enough agents to know from the first minutes of communication who they are, what experience they have, and what prevents them from achieving success. Many sinned with an unkempt appearance.
I am not advocating wearing dark jackets with red ties. To establish contact with people you don’t have to be a parrot. It is enough to have a neat appearance.
What to do:
One of the important skills of a realtor is change things in your wardrobe on time and look presentable. Dress the way your client dresses, or a little more presentably.
In this case, you will be like “one of our own,” which will help you establish contact faster. Of course, here you can argue that a jacket and patent leather boots will create a feeling of formality and will also contribute in its own way to building a relationship with the client.
Here I have to agree - it is necessary to test both methods, they work well, but for different types of clients.
We have already talked about purity of speech. Here I will just mention words that you should forget like a bad dream and exclude from your vocabulary while you are in the real estate business.
These are the following words: apartment, like, cho, calling, agreement, bullshit, damn, etc. Use less diminutive expressions for words such as apartment and contract. Believe me, practice has shown that this is unpleasant for people.
Those who are not yet practicing will have to take my word for it. It’s better to forget about jargons too. Even if you do “customization for the client” over the phone, you should not do it as a carbon copy.
How to do it:
Take care of your wardrobe; worn items on a realtor turn him into a market money changer or huckster. Too businesslike a tone or too familiar an approach to people makes them dislike you.
An ingratiating tone will not work at all; rarely does anyone like it and greatly reduces respect from the client. The professional skills of a real estate agent begin with manners and appearance, like a theater on a coat rack.
7. Integrity or honesty
How many scary stories about a “black” discharge, oh, excuse me, realtor can be found on the Internet? Yes, a lot.
But they all fall into several categories. The first arise from the fact that the realtor and the client did not understand each other, the second due to the revenge of a dissatisfied client, and the third due to the dishonesty of the real estate agent himself.
What not to do:
You cannot work with clients as if there is only him and you and there are no witnesses or other people. The earth is round by definition, and by acting dishonestly with one client, you each time reduce the flow of clients to you.
The key skill of a realtor is to be able to retain a client.
What to do:
The professional skill of a realtor is to grow his reputation based on integrity and an honest name. Work for the future.
Do not work around the agency unless you are a private realtor. Don't lie when you're selling a property. Outright lies are quickly revealed and also ruin your reputation.
Take training courses on the real estate business, Yesterday's realtor is today's less successful realtor. The market in Russia is developing and in order to stay in trend, you need to work on yourself.
Now you don’t need to go anywhere, just purchase courses and study while sitting at the computer, and then the next day apply what you have learned in your practice - this is what a real estate agent should be able to do at the initial stage.
How to do it:
Train yourself to treat people the way you want them to treat you. No matter how cliched this advice may sound, it works for you first of all.
If a client comes to you and with an experienced eye you estimate that his situation cannot be solved (for example, sell a 1-room apartment and buy a 2-room apartment with a small additional payment), it is better to immediately say so, rather than just not doing it.
Understand that various situations will arise when the temptation will be great, for example, they will begin to offer you to work bypassing the agency.
Believe me, if you agree to this, then the clients will already be firmly convinced that you can betray them too. Don't fall into these traps.
Hold on even when buyers go behind your back to the owner, and then look you in the eye and say that this is normal for them. You must always remain professional.
While you were reading the article, Probably already determined. What professional realtor skills do you have?, and which ones need to be developed. I can only wish you success in this endeavor.
The most important thing is that now you already know what to work on.
What a realtor should be: qualities of a good realtor
I mentioned a lot about the ambition of a real estate specialist and little about the personal qualities that one must have for an agent to be chosen by a client, entrusted with the sale of real estate, appreciated for the good work on the transaction and recognized as ideal (but this is in places).
Knowing the regulatory framework, responsibilities and how to find a client is not enough! Starting is half the battle, the essence is the desire to continue so that there is enough passion for the first 3-5 years of the profession.
Desire allows you to start from scratch, undergo training and learn on the go, practicing from the very first days.
Trusting relationships are very important. If you are a representative of the older generation, then your clients are most likely people of your generation. If they are young, then they are equally advanced in using the Internet and more independent.
It turned out to be quite a long article. I already managed to take a break and drink tea several times :)
In the future, I will prepare “dry” manuals, where there will be less reasoning and only specific guidance on how to develop certain professional skills of a real estate agent.
Reference
Profession realtor (from English. "realtor"- real estate agent) is associated with the turnover of real estate through concluding transactions with the seller or buyer, as well as providing documentary support for the entire process. The history of property transactions goes back to Athens in the 15th century BC, when mortgages and collateral transactions with land just began to appear. Gradually, the profession began to spread beyond the borders of Ancient Greece, reaching the Roman Empire, Ancient Germany and Ancient Rus'. Developing and becoming more complex, the real estate business began to acquire the characteristic features and subtleties of legal procedures. If at the very beginning of the journey, transactions with property were primitive, then later a special system of transactions arose, supported by various laws and complex paperwork.
Demand for the profession
Quite in demand
Representatives of the profession Realtor are quite in demand in the labor market. Despite the fact that universities produce a large number of specialists in this field, many companies and many enterprises require qualified Realtors.
Description of activity
Thanks to the active development of the real estate industry, the realtor profession is widespread throughout the world. In Russia, there are even special communities - guilds (for example, the Russian Guild of Realtors, created in 1992), which unite agents into a single database. A person working with real estate performs many functions that are not only directly but also indirectly related to his work. A successful realtor is distinguished by knowledge of legislation, economics, management, lending systems, marketing, administration, psychology and much more.
Wage
Moscow average:average for St. Petersburg:
Uniqueness of the profession
Quite common
The majority of respondents believe that the profession Realtor cannot be called rare, in our country it is quite common. For several years now, there has been a demand in the labor market for representatives of the profession Realtor, despite the fact that many specialists graduate every year.
How users rated this criterion:What education is needed
Higher professional education
Survey data show that to work in the profession Realtor You must have a diploma of higher professional education in the relevant specialty or in a specialty that allows you to work Realtor(related or similar specialty). Secondary vocational education is not enough to become Realtor.
How users rated this criterion:Job responsibilities
A realtor carries out work on the purchase, sale or rental of real estate on behalf and on behalf of clients. Receives information about the premises being sold or leased and the requirements of potential buyers or tenants. Studies supply and demand in the real estate market. Registers incoming proposals for the sale or lease of real estate, conducts a fact-finding inspection of them. In some cases, concludes exclusive agreements between the owners and the agency. Searches for potential buyers and tenants and establishes business contacts with them. Organizes familiarization of buyers or tenants with the property being sold or rented out. Fills out buyer requests, selects or offers options for sales or rental. Negotiates contractual terms and processes real estate transactions. Assists clients in collecting necessary documents and completing transactions. Informs clients about suitable proposals received, advises on issues related to the characteristics of the properties under consideration and the degree to which they comply with certain requirements. Organizes the signing of contracts for the sale or lease of real estate. Facilitates the timely preparation of documents necessary for clients to conclude a transaction and ensures their safety. Represents the interests of clients in concluding transaction documents and ensures their safety. Represents the interests of clients when interacting with other specialists from the agency and other institutions involved in processing transactions. Prepares established reports on work performed.
Type of labor
Mainly mental work
Profession Realtor- This is a profession predominantly of mental work, which is largely associated with the reception and processing of information. In progress Realtor the results of his intellectual reflections are important. But, at the same time, physical labor is not excluded.
How users rated this criterion:Features of career growth
Career development goes through several stages: first, an employee takes the position of a realtor, then manages a whole group of agents, and then can open his own real estate agency. In order to gain experience in the profession, you need to constantly develop, concluding as many transactions as possible and improving your skills.
