Being a great real estate agent can mean different things to different people. For some people, a good real estate agent has the most money, regardless of the methods used to succeed. For others, a good real estate agent is one who honors his fiduciary duties and puts the needs of his clients before his own needs. Perhaps, a good real estate agent is actually the one who is able to make a large amount of money and still fulfill his fiduciary duties from his clients.
Knowledge of real estate laws
If you want to be a good real estate agent, stay informed of the current real estate laws. However, this does not mean that you should give your clients legal advice. Unless the real estate agent is also a lawyer, you should not give legal advice. If you want to be successful, and intend to specialize, take additional real estate classes to help you learn as much as possible about your specialty. For example, if your specialty is the sale of land, take additional classes of real estate and obtain certifications and designations that correspond to the sale of land.
Knowledge of the community
A good real estate agent knows your community and is familiar with the environment in which you work. Learn about the history of the community in which you practice as a real estate agent. Familiarize yourself with the political environment, the social scene and participate. Successful agents participate and contribute to the community.
Customer knowledge
Listen to your client and get to the essence of what he wants, not what you want. A successful agent is a person who understands the needs of his client. Respond to the questions of your customers at an opportune time. A common complaint from real estate clients is that the agent never called or has not answered the questions. Respond to your emails and phone calls immediately, not next week. Develop a professional relationship with your clients, and stay in touch after the transaction. This does not mean that you have to be a friend of your client. Maintaining contact could involve a monthly real-estate newsletter or a greeting card. When a professional relationship is established, a satisfied customer will bring you references and future business.
The knowledge of the new trends
Keeping in touch with trends could mean learning about the latest real estate technology to help real estate professionals, such as smartphones, tablets and how to effectively use social sites like Facebook and Twitter. Keeping in touch with trends also involves local real estate trends, such as what local buyers are looking for in your area, or the next community event that can influence real estate sales.
Knowledge to maintain the clientele
A successful real estate agent is always looking for his next client. This involves knowing cultivation methods, such as sending letters, creating websites or writing a real estate blog. What attracts the clients of one agent may not work for another. A good agent is a person who uses his strength to find clients. For example, an agent who writes well and consistently could succeed in attracting new clients by writing a real estate blog, while an agent who is a bad writer may find that blogging is a bad choice.