Top 10 ways REALTORS® can make Austin, TX proud

1. Don’t be weird. Keep Austin weird doesn’t mean you have to be unprofessional. Be reliable, ethical and respectful. If you tell another REALTOR® or customer that you will do something, then be sure to do it. If you can’t get it done, then own up to your mistake and apologize. Remember the story of the boy who cried wolf? Help other agents learn from the best – yourself – and help make Austin’s REALTOR® culture a desirable one for everyone.
2. Set a high standard. Poor effort, training and education produce poor results. But don’t expect others to make you great. You must take the initiative and hold yourself to high standards.
3. Pay attention to details. REALTORS® tend to have big personalities and a short attention span. The devil is in the details so tend to them.
4. Play to your strengths. Every REALTOR® I know has different strengths. Figure yours out, and find a way to benefit from them. Find others to help where you are weak.
5. Be yourself. It is easy to compare yourself to other successful REALTORS®, but you can’t pretend to be someone you are not. Embrace who you are and let the world deal with it!
6. Slow down to speed up. Pick your top priority each day and get it done. Whatever “it” is will take you much longer than you think so get started on your top priority first. It is easy to get distracted but stay on task. Once you have fully completed your most important task you will feel like you can accomplish anything!
7. Call people back and have actual conversations. There is nothing more frustrating than working on a deal with a REALTOR® who makes you work harder than necessary. Being hard to reach makes others have to work harder, and that is just wrong. Remember this business is about relationships with your customers and even with other REALTORS®! Email and text are not a good way to build them. Too much can be lost in translation, such as feelings, emotions, and physical cues. A text or email should be like writing into Special Provisions – factual, black and white, and intended for a limited message.
8. Don’t make promises you can’t keep. It is not appropriate to make statements or promises, especially on behalf of your clients, that you can’t keep. For example, don’t guarantee that your buyer will qualify for a loan – ever. There is very little we can guarantee in this business.
9. Don’t be a grouch. Life is challenging for everyone, even though it may not seem like it. Realtors are – after all – in the business of making themselves look good. Don’t be fooled by images – everyone struggles, including those at the top.
10. Be happy. Thousands of people are moving to Austin and you are a REALTOR®! It is easy to take life for granted but we have a lot working in our favor. I’ll take hot summers and allergies over a bad economy or dreary weather any day!

by Brian Talley of Regent Property Group