For more of this series, please see the related articles below.

Secret #3: Preview, Preview, Preview

Before you go out with a buyer for the first time, preview every single house you're considering showing him or her. I promise you, you'll rule out more than half of them and will be relieved that you did. If you show a typical buyer a house that shows poorly, smells funny or has a crazy floorplan, he'll figure you don't know what you're doing, because buyers think we know every house in town.

Even with interior photos and Google Earth and virtual tours, you cannot properly evaluate a house without going to see it. I mean, think about it, if a house has a major flaw, do you think the listing agent is going to spell it out for you in the MLS description? Or make sure that it's highlighted in the photos?

As a new agent, making a habit to preview-before-showing will give you tremendous confidence as you work with your first buyers. You'll look far more experienced and self-assured, and won't be caught off-guard by a mis-advertised or fatally-flawed* property.

Secret #4: Drive Your Route Before Meeting with Your Buyer

Always drive your showing route before meeting with a buyer. It's mortifying to get lost with a buyer in the car and even worse if they're following behind you. Unless you're showing in a neighborhood you know intimately, always drive the route ahead of time, even if that's at 6 am before you meet your buyer at 9 am.

Driving your route is not the same as previewing. When you preview, you're ruling out properties. You might start with a list of 12 or 15 homes and narrow it down to the best seven or so. Therefore, your previewing route will not be the same as your showing route. Make sense?

A GPS is not the answer. You need to be able to get from house to house smoothly and effortlessly, as if you know every thoroughfare and side street in town, without that nice Garmin lady interrupting your conversation every 30 seconds. Of course, a printout of Mapquest directions is even worse! Being able to talk with your buyers as you navigate from house to house will do wonders for your air of professionalism. And of course, becoming increasingly frazzled as you make u-turns and wrong turns will have the opposite effect!

Sometimes you don't have much time between making the appointment with your buyer and the appointment itself, so you might be tempted to rationalize that you simply don't have the opportunity to drive your route. I promise you, though, you'll wish you'd made the time. I've gotten up at 4am and hit the streets at 5am to ensure I didn't make a fool of myself (and I've been doing this almost 13 years!). The good news is that there's much less traffic at 5am!

Remember, the goal of these Confident Rookie Secrets is to give the rookie real estate agent the tools to look and feel confident and knowledgeable in situations he or she may not have been in before. We can't prepare you for every single contingency, but the more you are prepared for the aspects you can control, the less stress you'll put on your antiperspirant!

*Fatally-Flawed: a property that has an unfixable flaw that makes it unappealing to the majority of buyers. Examples of fatal flaws might include a location on a commercial street or near a highway, a home with an abnormally steep driveway, or a home underneath high-tension power lines.

Published: September 2, 2009

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Jennifer Allan is a former top producing real estate broker, a published author, a speaker and a trainer. She has written five books a bout the business of selling real estate, including her flagship book: Sell with Soul: Creating an Extraordinary Career in Real Estate without Losing Your Friends, Your Principles or Your Self-Respect. Her new book entitled "If You’re Not Having Fun Selling Real Estate, You're Not Doing it Right!" will be released in early 2010. Jennifer believes that the secret of success for real estate agents is not in aggressive marketing techniques or hard-core sales pitches, but rather in being competent in one's craft. Competence begets Confidence. And in today's world of increasingly suspicious and ad-weary consumers, having an air of self-assurance and enthusiasm will be far more effective than a slick sales campaign. Jennifer writes and speaks with this philosophy in mind. She preaches that salespeople should follow the Golden Rule in their day-to-day practice of business - treating clients and prospects respectfully, as the salesperson him or herself would like to be treated. Being competent, reliable and fair, and motivated by a true desire to earn a paycheck, not just show up at closing with hand outstretched. She is a regular contributor to several real estate newsletters and magazines, a member of the RE/MAX Hall of Fame and one of the industry's most popular bloggers. You can learn more about Jennifer's "soulful" philosophies at www.SellWithSoul.com. Subscribe to Jennifer Allan's Newsletter for SOI'ers Tips & Strategies for Generating Business from Your Sphere of Influence Your Email Address: Your Name: