The 5 Most Common Mistakes Made By Rookie Real Estate Agents

1. Not Making Use of Your Tools

Not utilizing the great real estate agent tools that are out there these days is one of the biggest mistakes that a new agent can make. This includes marketing software, a slew of apps geared toward modern agents, and more recently falling by the wayside, business cards. As low-tech as it might seem these days to hand out business cards, they are still an important method to help in getting your name and business out there, as well as keeping it in the public eye. Keep an open mind when you have a bump in the road and perform a quick online search; there are real estate agent tools available for practically any need.

2. Fostering Rivalries

It seems to be an age old tradition, butting heads with the other agents in a given area. While it might make things interesting for a while, it is almost always best to work with other real estate agents, rather than keeping a rivalry going. Working as a team can help you not only maintain a peaceful and professional work environment, but you'll likely find yourself selling more houses and bringing in more clients, too.

3. Avoiding Social Media

While we tend to think of this as a problem associated only with the older generations, it's a mistake that can befall new real estate agents, as well. Avoidance or neglect of social media in your business practices may not actively cause harm, but it certainly won't help either. The real estate game isn't typically thought of as an extremely high-tech business, but as we've become more dependent on computers, cell phones, and tablets, so has the profession. This doesn't end at advertising services. Homes can be featured on virtually any social media form, bringing in clients who might never have seen the location otherwise.

4. Hoarding Clients

Simply not suggesting other agents to a client may seem harmless. However, it's a practice that can hurt not only the client, but often harms a real estate business, as well. By allowing a client to walk away empty-handed, without giving them a direction to head in, you might just be making sure that they don't suggest you to others. Even worse, they may not remember you at all. Providing a list of real estate companies local to the area a client is searching is a great way to combat this. You can engender a great deal of trust and ensure that you receive far more word of mouth referrals by suggesting another agent, even if it isn't directly beneficial to your bottom line.

5. Over-Cleaning A Property

This might seem like a very basic mistake, but it's one that many rookies make. Real estate agents often have a large and strategic planning process when it comes to selling a house. It can be easier to have clients scrub a house top to bottom and remove all evidence of a normal person actually living there. In modern real estate, however, buyers tend toward homes that are clean while maintaining a lived in appearance. A perfectly clean, practically sterilized house doesn't speak to many buyers. Knowing that an owner or family enjoys their home and makes themselves comfortable in its spaces lends to the comfort of clients - particularly those looking for a family home.