5 Professional Traits Every REALTOR® Should Have
LOUISIANA REALTORS • August 7, 2018
Every golf bag has a certain combination of clubs. Each one designed to achieve a certain result; crafted to be dependable in its intended situation. The traits you possess as a REALTOR® are not dissimilar. The arduous journey of any real estate transaction presents a number of obstacles, challenges, and opportunities. How you use your professional traits to respond to each of them is how you separate yourself as a REALTOR®. While a golfer has a driver, irons, wedges, and a putter in their bag, what tools should you have in yours?
Honesty and Integrity
First and foremost, and one of the key qualifications of being a REALTOR® as your bound to these principles by the REALTOR’S® Code of Ethics, is honesty and integrity. These traits
along with your distinction as a REALTOR are what offer you a powerful competitive advantage. Earning the trust of your clients during one of the most significant events of their life cannot be overstated.
Communication Skills
The ins and outs of buying or selling a home can make your spin, that’s even truer for your clients. With all of the different parties and processes involved, communication is key. From clearly explaining current and next steps to potential advantages and disadvantages of certain decisions to aligning conversations between the relevant and appropriate people can and will make everything run more smoothly.
Negotiation Skills
At the end of the day, this is a business decision for everyone involved, and the bottom line needs to be considered. As a REALTOR®, you have a duty to provide your client with the best possible outcome, and that will largely come down to negotiation. Your experience and knowledge need to be able to represent your client from either side of the transaction in the best way possible. By understanding the value of what is being bought or sold, and why it holds that value, along with the ability to communicate and defend that position, you will be able to be the resource that your client deserves.
Knowledge
Knowing what to expect during each part of the home buying and selling process, as well as the particular details of what your client needs is paramount. Location, taxes, schools, commute, amenities, valuation trends, and more are what your clients expect from you. Using this knowledge to assist in making offers and recognizing inconsistencies will give you allow you to reach the best result for your client.
Responsiveness
Timeliness is essential in real estate. Offers come and go, decisions need to made, and information needs to be shared. In a client-facing role like yours, returning texts, emails, and phone calls in a timely manner is vital. It shows that you are engaged and care about your client’s needs.
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Louisiana REALTORS® CEO Norman Morris issued the following statement after SpaceX announced plans to invest $100 billion in a new launch facility in Vermilion Parish. The project is expected to create 3,000 direct jobs and more than 8,100 indirect jobs across Acadiana. “SpaceX’s investment is an extraordinary economic win for Louisiana. We congratulate Governor Jeff Landry, Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Susan Bourgeois, Vermilion Parish leaders, and everyone who helped bring this historic project home. The housing and infrastructure improvements needed to support more than 11,000 new job opportunities should generate a huge economic boost to the Acadiana and Gulf Coast region. According to the National Association of REALTORS®, each typical Louisiana home sale generates approximately $88,600 in economic activity. Even if only half of the new SpaceX related jobs lead to a home purchase, the impact would generate nearly half a billion dollars across our state's economy. That improves our tax base and school systems, and ripples through our economy touching builders, bankers, hardware stores, appliance dealers, contractors and so many more. “Housing is not downstream of economic development; it is an essential infrastructure. Louisiana REALTORS® and our partners stand ready to help turn these new jobs into homes, stronger communities and lasting roots in Louisiana. Economic development creates jobs, but housing turns those jobs into homes. Let’s make Louisiana home again, together.” Economic-impact estimates are illustrative calculations by Louisiana REALTORS® using employment projections from Louisiana Economic Development and the National Association of REALTORS®’ estimated economic impact per typical Louisiana home sale. They are not forecasts or recurring annual-impact figures. Enjoy the video below from the Louisiana Department of Economic Development .
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