After 11 years in real estate and working with hundreds of agents, I’ve noticed something interesting: the qualities that make someone a great agent aren’t always what you’d expect.
It’s Not About Being the Best Salesperson
Sure, you need to be able to communicate effectively, the best agents I know aren’t necessarily the smoothest talkers. They’re the ones who listen more than they speak and ask the right questions.
It’s Not About Knowing Everything
You don’t need to be a walking encyclopedia of property knowledge. What you need is the humility to say “I don’t know, I will find out and come right back to you” and then actually follow through.
So What Does Make a Great Agent?
1. Genuine Care for People
The best agents genuinely care about their clients’ outcomes. They lose sleep over their clients’ deals and celebrate their successes like they’re their own. You can’t fake this – people can tell when you’re just going through the motions.
2. Resilience
Real estate will knock you down. Deals will fall through, clients will change their minds, and sometimes you’ll work for months without getting paid. The agents who succeed are the ones who get back up and keep going.
3. Attention to Detail
Real estate transactions involve a lot of moving parts. The agents who succeed are the ones who dot every ‘i’ and cross every ‘t’. One missed detail can cost someone their dream home or thousands of dollars.
4. Consistency
Great agents show up every day, whether they feel like it or not. They return calls promptly, follow up religiously, and treat every client with the same level of service.
5. Continuous Learning
The market changes, laws change, technology changes. The agents who thrive are the ones who never stop learning and adapting.
The Bottom Line
Being a great real estate agent isn’t about having a particular personality type or being born with special talents. It’s about caring enough to do the work properly and being committed to getting better every day.
If you’re thinking about getting into real estate, don’t worry about whether you’re “sales-y” enough or if you know enough about property. Focus on whether you genuinely want to help people and whether you’re prepared to put in the effort to do it properly.
The rest, you can learn.