5 WAYS TO ACHIEVE HEALTHY REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS

1. Become a good listener. At one of my real estate sales conferences the seminar speaker said we have one mouth and two ears for a reason: We need to listen twice as much as we talk. Most real estate salespeople do the opposite. We talk way too much. Learn to hold your tongue by taking a few deep breaths and counting to ten, then fifteen, then twenty seconds. Allow pauses between your sentences so your real estate client can have the opportunity to say a few words. Learn to ask questions more. Open Ended Questions which require more than a Yes or No Answer are best. Then wait patiently for an answer.
2. Acknowledge Real Estate Clients and Their Postions: In my book, GETTING THE PROPERTY SOUL’D, I emphasize the importance of paraphrasing what people say. This does three things: it shows that you have listened well, it will confirm or dispute what you understand to be true and it may have the client re-think their position. This approach can be especially helpful if you are trying to make a negotiating point. Another simple acknowledgement tool is to use people’s names often. Everyone likes to be seen and heard and feel they are special. This is a simple way of accomplishing this goal.
3. Become more Self Aware: Acknowledge your weaknesses so that they do not sabotage your success. For instance, I tend to be impatient and go immediately for the solution. This denies the real estate client the opportunity to process.
4. Set Boundaries: If someone is being unreasonable, evaluate if you want them for a real estate client. An Example: Explain to them in a gentle way that phone calls after 9 pm do not work for you and raising a voice – no matter what has transpired – does not help you hear them better. Instead a calmer lower voice would be more beneficial. In addition, you could also acknowledge their upset and tell them you will rectify whatever mistake was made to the best of your ability, asking them for suggestions.
5. Be Empathetic: Selling and buying real estate are life-changing decisions and with that comes stress. Understanding that your real estate client may take an undue amount of time coming to terms with what they want to do, may change their mind several times and drive you crazy in the process. Practice patience and persistence and make sure you take time for yourself.