Buying or selling a home is a major financial and emotional undertaking that takes time, knowledge and negotiating skills. Thanks to the proliferation of the Internet, we now live in a do-it-yourself age with an endless supply of information readily available online. Because of this quick and easy access to information, people often wonder why should they hire real estate agents and not simply do the work themselves through the Internet or popular marketing and advertising channels, and eliminate the agent’s commission of the sale price. However, there’s a good reason why almost 90% of sellers use listing agents. While doing the work yourself, without representation, can save you from the significant commission rates that most real estate agents command, in the long run, you could also end up paying even more than a realtor’s commission.
In order to gain some insight on the perks of hiring a real estate agent, and to find out what kind of qualities you should be looking for when scouting around for an agent, we spoke with Solly Assa, an experienced real estate professional. Like most industries, real estate also changes over time, but the qualities that make a top-performing practitioner, do not. In our chat with Solly Assa, owner, and CEO of Assa Properties, we discovered summoned up the most important skills that every good real estate agent should have.
It goes without saying that agents should always be transparent with clients and work for their best interest. Another extremely important and rather obvious skill is knowledge and experience. Being a real estate agent requires a lot of skills, but knowing how the purchasing and selling processes work is the first and foremost. Real estate agents are experts, which means they are trained, licensed and have the experience to work through the sale process efficiently. A good real estate agent needs to be aware of how things go in the real estate market at all times. Having a handle on all aspects of the job requires an agent to be up-to-date on new laws and regulations, contracts, and all other legal means.
Having solid negotiating skills is another quality that is required by real estate agents. A good agent must have an unquestionable talent for negotiation because unlike buyers and sellers, the agent can overlook the emotional aspect of the ongoing transaction, which Mr. Assa says leads to successful negotiation. Regardless whether you are buying or selling a property, you will most definitely need to negotiate since it is an undeniable part of the real estate market. An experienced agent should know the average price of the area at any given time, which translates into knowing when to push for a better price and when to stop the negotiating process and close a good deal.
Last but not least, agents need to be proactive and client motivated. To keep their client's well-informed agents must be communicating with customers, calling potential buyers, and constantly chasing new leads. Having proper communication skills is crucial for building lasting connections with people and creating new opportunities. Buying or selling a home can be quite stressful. It is part of the agent's job to make sure that the client is feeling supported and content. Solly Assa says that all good agents have their clients’ needs as their top priority.
