Real Estate Sales is ranked as one of the least respected professions year-after-year – and it is our own fault.   There are a lot more than 4 reasons for this,  but let’s start here. By the way, the profession depicted below is ranked ahead of us…

PROBLEM ONE – Our industry is filled with Usta-Be’s.   As in, I “usta be” an Investment Banker or I “usta be” be a School Teacher.

Solution: Be proud to be a Realtor or go back to whatever you usta do.
We handle large, complex financial transactions on a daily basis.  And our job requires that we be proficient in many different skills if we are going to compete at a high level.  Those of you who do it well are compensated better than top doctors and lawyers.  So do don’t ever apologize for being a Realtor.
Editor’s Note -I am a reformed “usta-be”.  My Mom actually cried when I told her I was changing careers to become a Realtor.

PROBLEM TWO: Here is my biggest Pet Peeve…
Don’t EVER say you are “slow”. You sound like an Idiot. A real estate agent can never be “slow”.  We are the ones that initiate the action.  So how can you be slow??? You can never run out of people to call, blogs to post, notes to write, open houses to sit, people to have lunch with, books to read, etc.  So don’t complain to friends or co-workers that you are slow.  They don’t care and they don’t feel sorry for you.  You are just annoying them.

Solution:  Get to work, lazy ass.

PROBLEM THREE: Since they are self-loathing Realtors, many agents lack the confidence to take charge of clients and transactions and they let themselves be pushed around by attorneys, clients, inspectors, etc.

Solution: Understand that we are the business people that manage the entire process for our clients.  Everyone else is a utility player.
Follow solution #4 below so you can be confident in your skills and then take charge of all negotiations – with your client’s approval. When you have an agreement, then ask the attorney to set it out in writing. Don’t leave the attorney in charge of the process. I have the utmost respect for real estate attorneys but they will always have more irons in the fire than you do.  They cannot pay as close attention as we can and they do not understand the entire process like we do.  You are the business person so you should handle the business and financial terms. After all, the largest transaction of your client’s life and your commission hang in the balance.  You owe it to yourself, and your client, to take charge of every aspect of the deal.

PROBLEM FOUR- The barrier to entry in real estate is very low so some of us don’t take our profession very seriously.

Solution: If you treat real estate like a real profession, that alone will enable you to leapfrog your competition.

Do something that will improve your skills for at least 30 minutes every day.  Give yourself a “real estate MBA”.

1. Use the web for more than just looking at porn new listings.  Start here:

2. Read

  • How to Win Friends and Influence People – by Dale Carnegie
  • Getting to Yes – by Roger Fisher
  • Never Eat Alone – by Keith Ferrazzi

3. Attend conferences, seminars, get a coach, etc.

I hope you don’t think I am down on real estate – or Realtors.  Quite the opposite.  I think we have the greatest job in the world and it bugs me that most agents don’t realize it.   Just think…

  • We have the opportunity to positively impact and improve people’s lives.
  • We set our own hours so we can spend more time with our families.
  • We can earn as much, or as little, money as we want to.
  • For the most part, we really don’t have a boss.
  • Every day is different and every day presents new challenges.