Some things have begun to bother me recently
I know that in many ways, I am preaching to the choir by writing this sort of thing here on AgentGenius, as the people that have made their way here (in my opinion) are a cut above the rest, because they are taking the necessary steps to move forward in their careers and learn more than most, but I feel the need to get this off my chest.
I’ve been running back and forth lately with a few clients and have begun to notice some disturbing things. So I want to correct them. I want to correct them now. Some agents will never change (some will). So I want to concentrate on us. The new agents. The ones who have the power to change real estate for the better and move it in new directions. That is not to say that non-new agents can’t do the same (and many of them right here at AgentGenius are doing just that). We have a chance to break old habits passed on to us by our peers. We have a chance to make new rules and push real estate to new places. And its happening. Look around you at any post in here and see some of the innovation and ideas already at work.
Five things I want us to do to improve our business as a whole
- Communication. A no-brainer really. We all know communication is key to building a successful relationship with our clients. Except, I’m not talking about clients. I’m talking about inter-agent communication. Let’s start calling each other back when we leave messages. Let’s send emails to give the info the other agents seek. Heck, you can even text message most of us. I’ve been chasing agents a lot lately. More experienced agents who don’t want to return my phone calls about a rental, only to return it two days later to tell me its been rented for weeks (despite the fact that is still shows “active” in the MLS). Brokers who have a cell phone as their only phone line, don’t answer it, and still haven’t returned my call. A few extra calls a day will make our lives a bit more busy, but in the long run, the karma of it all will be returned when everyone catches on.
- Accuracy. Nothing drives me nuts more than having to chase agents down, because I can tell the information in the MLS is inaccurate. The kitchen is 15×1? The lot size is 48 acres, yet I can see the houses next door? The list price for the rental is $900, but the monthly lease is $1000? Really? Help me out a little here.
- “Call agent”. If you dare type these words in any part of your listing, you better expect me to call and want an answer. Don’t tell me you don’t know what the deed restrictions are when you clearly put in the MLS that I should call you.
- Photos. This has been covered a million times. First, use as many slots as are available to you in your MLS. Today’s buyers want information. They want to know all they can know before they go see your property. And at the moment, they have plenty of homes to choose from. Your lack of photos can easily result in a firm “no” from a buyer before they even see how awesome the house really is.
- Photos Part II. If your photos look like some proof that there are ghosts in this world, then you probably should be calling for help (no, don’t even say it…hold it back…oh alright… “Who you gonna’ call?”). Blurry, out of focus, crooked, sideways, poorly framed; whatever the problem, you can fix it. I like saving money like nobody’s business, but I will not take my own photos. Why? Because I suck at it.
So there you have it. Five simple steps to make me happy. Five simple steps that will improve our business drastically, without really doing much of anything (other than using some common sense). Five simple steps that you can do without even thinking. Five simple steps that are easy and don’t cost a thing (except the last one).
I have hope for this industry
At one point in my life, I was among the group of people that thought real estate agents were slimier than lawyers. I thought everyone of them was out to cheat me out of my money and only looking for a fast buck. I was wrong and it took a great agent to show me that. Now that I’ve entered the industry, I know I was really wrong. There are tons of great agents out there. Agents I admire, respect, look up to, and in some cases, call my friends. These agents combined with the new agents who are looking to change the industry can make change happen. It has to happen. So let’s make it happen.
