Being an agent is never just roses and sunshine; ask anyone who has been in the real estate industry. You’ll get bombarded with a mountain of stories of how much hard work and grit it took for them to get to where they are now. Becoming a renowned real estate agent takes more than looks, the gift of gab and the essential hard skills. If you’re reading this, you might have been researching how to equip yourself better to become the best agent you can be. This article will dive into some of the key attributes and qualities you should nurture to enhance yourself.
1. Tenacity
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, to have tenacity is to be firm, long-lasting and be very determined to execute something. This extends more than steady perseverance and determination; tenacity involves having a sense of purpose to your resolution. What drives you to be an agent, and why do you continue in this line of work? It is easy to say “Press on” and “Don’t give up!” but it’s meaningless without that real purpose and drive. If you have not done so, take a day to sit down and be honest with yourself, find out your intentions in the industry and how you can use that as an anchor for your work. It could be as easy as thinking where you want to be in the next 10, 20, 30 years then working backwards from that to your current position.
An example of this value would be one of our star agents Christina. If you remember the iconic 39 Jalan Bahagia sale that broke into mainstream media news, Christina is the agent who handled the deal. While it sold at a whopping record price of $1.268 million, she had to work tirelessly for the deal. Only after hundreds of enquiries, viewings, repeating the same script over and over again did she manage to close the deal at such an amazing rate. It definitely did not come easy, and we admire the tenacity she has exemplified as an agent in the field, kudos to her! Watch the home tour of it here.
2. Discipline
Have you ever wondered how some people can wake up at 5 am and have their whole life together? Here’s their secret: discipline. Aside from a small group of people, no one willingly wakes up at 5 am to start their day; the rest of us are content with hitting the snooze button a few more times before opening our eyes properly. But these people can get ahead of their peers as they can discipline themselves to get up early and start their day. They make this a habit that turns into a lifestyle, which is only possible through discipline. Motivation may wane, but when something becomes a habit and something you do daily, it takes the mental toil out of it. In the same way, an agent being disciplined in their work is one of the fundamental values they can possess to get ahead of the curve and carve out a name for themselves. The combined continual effort and progress they make every day snowballs and allows them to be great at what they do.
Here at PLB, we instil this into our agents through structured huddles and training sessions every Tuesday and Thursday. In doing so, it becomes a blocked off time in their schedule which gives our agent the accountability to check in on their progress for the week. Regular training and check-ins become a habitual session that they can carry with them throughout their years as a realtor, instilling in them discipline to be accountable for their work and continually improve.
3. Courage
In this industry, rejection and failure are inevitable. Agents have to constantly put themselves out there and potentially do things out of their comfort zone. Our listing managers are trained to talk in front of the camera for our home tour videos, and the skill to do so doesn’t happen overnight. It takes a lot of courage to approach your cold calling, start a project or reach out to clients. One thing new agents are scared of is door knocking or cold calling. Historically, people are not very welcoming, or you might meet people who are less than friendly with being approached. But there are also numerous success stories of these leads turning into wonderful clients – ask any agent who has been in the field! Every “no” is always one step closer to a “yes”, and if you do not put yourself out there, no one will do it for you. So take that leap of faith!
Every single real estate agent has taken their own leap of faith to join this industry. While it seems like being a real estate agent is light work, behind closed doors were anxious preparations for the dreaded RES exam, pouring over practice papers, and then deliberating the right agency to join. It is no simple feat to take the first step and follow through to getting your license and become an agent, especially when you have no guidance along the way. Here at PLB, we have heard that struggle from our agents, hence we made Homeskool @ PLB, to support anyone who wants to join the industry! Want to learn more? Click here to watch our introductory video on it .
4. Humility
Whether or not you have been making deals left and right or green in the industry, staying humble is one of the most important traits to have. It’s easy to become complacent and think that you have made it, but staying grounded will grant you an additional quality – a spirit of continuous learning. It also gives you the room to make mistakes, take criticism and feedback and thus learn from them. When pride comes into the picture, one may block out the criticism and take it as a personal attack when there can be more taken away from it. Even the best real estate agents are not perfect and can learn from newer realtors about the current trends of their generation. It is important to celebrate your successes and wins, but overindulging in them could cause you more harm than good in the long run.
The attribute of humility is often easily inferred from one’s material possessions. There will be some who choose owning supercars or luxury goods as a trophy for their successes. Then there is Melvin, our CEO and co-founder, who drives a renewed COE car and treats it like his very own walk-in wardrobe. While there is nothing wrong with splurging and celebrating your wins, we like the example that Melvin has set for us here at PLB.
5. Punctuality
Punctuality exists over a spectrum of situations, be it meeting a client, showing up for a viewing or even responding to queries on your phone. Being punctual when meeting a client shows that you value and respect the time they have taken out to meet you and vice versa. It also exhibits your interest in wanting to help them to find their dream home, communicating your ability to act in their best interests. Nothing beats having an agent who has open communication channels to the seller or buyer. It gives them the peace of mind that their property is in safe hands and a smooth transaction can be made. If there are any emergencies, they can trust that you will help them, and rapport like this can go a long way through word of mouth recommendations.
While you may not get served a warning letter for your tardiness in PLB, you would be required to donate a small sum of $10 to the Penalty Jar, on the first occurrence of being late. Senior members have a higher standard to uphold, so their minimum donation would be $50. This sum of money will go back to the team for welfare items such as morning coffees! It might not seem like a big punishment or deterrence to being late, but we believe that this allows our team members to be accountable for their timeliness and respect other’s time as well. After all, at PLB we do not seek to penalise anyone for any shortcomings but we seek to help each and every team member improve even in the smallest areas.
In a nutshell…
Though this list is short, these are still some of the most key values you should have in this line of business. There are many more attributes that a great realtor should nurture, but focusing on these few could grow yourself and your career a great deal. Thinking of becoming a realtor but not sure how to get about doing it? Read our comprehensive guide to becoming a real estate agent in Singapore here. Whether you are a veteran or a newbie in the real estate scene, PropertyLimBrothers is here to support and guide you wherever you are along your journey. Want to be a part of our team? Sign up for our Inside Sales Team internship here!
