While many agents are working hard to redeem and protect the real estate profession’s good name.
Consumers seem to have a never-ending list of complaints about some real estate agents demonstrating a lack of honesty and integrity.
Take the REALTORS® Code of Ethics (1-3), for instance: “REALTORS®, in attempting to secure a listing, shall not deliberately mislead the owner as to market value.” Yet how many times a month do you hear about an agent who tried to buy a listing?
Read on for two simple tips to raise the bar in real estate.
1. Apply professional ethics to even the small stuff
If a house is the size of a shoebox, it isn’t “cozy.” Yet, for some reason, that word is too frequently used to describe these homes.
Exaggerating, obfuscating, and withholding the truth in listing information is unethical and it ticks off real estate consumers. Jay MacDonald, writing for Bankrate.com, calls these “lying listings.”
He tells a story about an agent in Michigan who showed his clients a home described in the listing as a “stunner.”
“The only thing that would ‘stun’ anybody about the house was how bad the previous owner did the work to ensure that every room would need to be redone. I don’t know what was going through the listing agent’s mind to say that.”
It’s frustrating for both the buyer and the buyer’s agent to have relied on a listing’s description to take the time to visit such homes. Too much frustration leads to anger and then the entire industry ends up with a black eye.
2. Be responsive
Enter the following phrase into Google: “real estate agents don’t return phone calls.” The titles of the results are embarrassing:
- “Home Buying: How do you handle agents not returning calls?”
- “6 Signs of a Crummy Real Estate Agent.”
- “What is it with agents not returning phone calls?”
There’s even an instructional video for agents titled “Returning Phone Calls for Real Estate Agents.”
This is arguably the most common complaint against real estate agents. Sure – it doesn’t apply to all agents, but again, it’s the bad apples that spoil it for all.
In a California Association of REALTORS homebuyer’s survey, the majority of respondents said they chose the agent that was the “most responsive.”
Many of these buyers said they were willing to wait 30 minutes for a return call. Sadly, only 3% of agents met or exceeded this expectation. Of course, 30 minutes is a heartbeat to a busy agent, but if you are that busy you can most likely hire an assistant to return calls.
Based on the survey above, if you are interested in growing your real estate business it is definitely worth your while to make quick and ongoing communication a number one priority.
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Please reach out to our support team at 866.405.3638 with questions or if there is anything we can do to help you with your success.
PLUS: When you have time…here are some helpful resources we’ve made available to support your success.
1. The Free 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan
The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 12-Month-Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do when. Four key market segments are included, Niche Marketing, Get More Listings, Geographic Farming, and Sphere of Influence. –Click Here
2. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan
The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan allows you to enter your business goals for this year and get a breakdown of how many prospects, listings, closing, and so on are needed to reach your goals. – Click Here
3. Become a Neighborhood Brand
Become branded in a specific neighborhood with a NEW 12X15 marketing piece sent automatically every month to an exclusive carrier route (membership includes your own online Homes & Life Agent Magazine). Watch this video to learn more or Click Here.
4. The Free Real Estate Mailing List Guide
The Real Estate Mailing List Guide outlines the top tools for generating targeted prospecting lists including Baby Boomers, Empty Nesters, Investors, Lifestyle Interests, High-Income Renters, Move-Up Markets, and more. The Guide also defines done-for-you marketing campaigns to match these markets. –Click Here
5. Become a Listing Legend Free eBook
Ready to take a vertical leap in your real estate career? If you’re looking for inspiration…and the tools and methods to dominate a market and go to the top in real estate…you’ll find them in this free book. – Click Here
6. The Free Online ROI Calculator
Consistency and automation are the keys to success. Discover how effective direct mail marketing can dramatically increase your bottom line. Enter your statistics in our Free online ROI Calculator and click the ‘CALCULATE MY ROI’ button to see your results instantly! –Click Here
7. The Free Real Estate Marketing Guide “CRUSH IT”
The “Crush It” Guide includes easy steps to launching an effective direct mail marketing campaign, how to create a targeted prospect list, the perfect way to layout marketing materials for success, seven opportunities available to target in your area right now. –Click Here
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