Last week we asked you

Last week the poll question was about the ways Realtors can become industry experts and so we asked you:

Which of these statements captures our 2nd guiding principle of professionalism — Be an industry expert? 

  • Know your numbers and stay on top of the real estate market in your area so that you can demonstrate your value to the client.
  • Reading about current affairs and market trends will better enable you understand the bigger economic picture and the factors that impact your business.
  • When you list a property, ensure you provide complete property information on a listing using any previous listings for specifics including history, size, etc.
  • Before you negotiate for a client, make sure you have a thorough grasp of the local market prices, housing stock, and sales figures in order to better represent your client.
  • You don’t have to learn everything there is to know about the real estate industry.  But at least learn as much as you need to get the deal done.
  • Keep up with your education by taking courses, seminars and workshops — it will make you more self-confident and better equipped to reach your goals.

Admittedly a couple of the multiple choice answers were a bit tricky with the intention of stirring some thought.

Here’s the result:

Of those who voted, 80 per cent of you agreed that knowing your numbers and staying on top of the real estate market in your area helps demonstrate your value to clients. We also received nearly the same number of votes agreeing with the answer that continuing with your real estate education will increase your chance of success, and that knowing current prices, housing stock, and sales is important when negotiating for clients.

There was nearly equal the approval for the idea that reading about current affairs and market trends enables a greater understanding of how the whole economy impacts your business.

We got a couple of hits on the trick answers we put in there too.  One answer suggested that you don’t have to learn everything there is to know about the real estate industry — just enough to get deals done. In a way that is true, but it’s an assertion that falls somewhat short of our 2nd guiding principle of professionalism, because it hints that it’s enough to limit your knowledge and skill to simple basics, rather than strive for professional expertise.

Thanks for taking last week’s poll. Now go ahead and take this week’s poll.