8 Ways to Be a Better Real Estate Agent this Year

8 Tips to Help Real Estate Agents Succeed 

It’s always important for real estate agents to analyze and refine their business strategies. Here are eight things you can do this year to buy and sell more homes.

1. Hire a photographer. Stop contorting yourself into awkward positions to get just the right shot of a bathroom or entryway. For less than $100, you can hire a professional photographer to snap well-lit, high-resolution shots of a property to create a more compelling listing.
2. Widen your circle. Many agents develop their trades in real estate cocoons. If you have consistently surrounded yourself with the same people, consider branching out. Whether it’s a local real estate board or national designation organization, there are plenty of ways to meet industry professionals who can significantly broaden your knowledge. This sort of industry involvement can also open the door to new opportunities, while giving you more confidence during transactions.
3. Set yourself apart. When you ask someone to hire you as an agent, you are asking them to choose you over hundreds of other candidates. If you can’t give a good reason why, sit down and think about what makes you different from the rest, so you can highlight these traits to sell yourself.
4. Save for rainy days. When times are going well, it’s easy to believe they will last forever. In the volatile real estate world, however, this is rarely true. Be prepared for the roller coaster ride by limiting your spending. If you want your business to stay viable, you will probably need a decent amount of savings to weather more than a few down times.
5. Don’t quit your day job. If you have yet to make the move to full-time agent, make sure you are ready before making the big leap. Ideally, you should have enough money saved up to survive at least six months without a commission. If you fall short, continue building your brand, while putting away extra cash.
6. Improve your knowledge base. If you haven’t yet, make sure you thoroughly understand how to explain liens, title insurance, surveys, deeds, encumbrances and any other detail that might come up during a real estate transaction. Consider asking an established broker or agent to mentor you if possible.
7. Leverage social media. Many agents make the mistake of limiting their social media activity to posting home listings. Since this provides little value to anyone who isn’t currently buying a home, it’s best to broaden your focus. Talk about industry news and respond to comments. Try to drive engagement by posting content that offers actual value – not just to buyers – but to people who may become buyers later down the road.
8. Tidy up your database. A disorganized or incomplete database wastes the effort you put into newsletters and outreach. Avoid unsubscribes, spam reports and bounces by cleansing your data. Weed out unsubscribe requests to make sure you don’t inadvertently harass people who could impact your email deliverability.

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