Key Traits Top Realtors Possess That You May Have Not Considered

As modern society continues to develop and grow increasingly complicated, the professionals we choose to handle our business affairs becomes more critical for our success. When it comes to a transaction as important to us as buying or selling or home, we naturally look for a representative with a good reputation, a knowledge of the local market and someone who is hard working and fair.

But what else is there we should be looking for in a realtor? There are other professional traits that can make all of the difference, giving you the edge you need to ensure your transaction gets you the house you are looking for at the price you want or the best price for the home you are selling.

Less Obvious Traits of Top Realtors

1.) Tenacity

Tenacity is defined as “the quality of holding fast and being persistent.” Even the simplest of real estate transactions are wrought with complications, unexpected delays, and multiple hurdles. As a buyer or seller, no doubt you are on a tight timeline to complete your transaction.

Realtors are humans too, therefore they will naturally work harder on the deals that will yield them the quickest, most profitable results. Finding one who has tenacity is key. You want an agent who will work dogmatically on your deal just because they have a staunch determinism to bring to a satisfying completion every deal they work on, not just the biggest or the easiest.

Ask them not only how many deals they’ve closed in the last year, but what percentage of those they considered beyond the average challenge. If they say 75%, perhaps they are ill-equipped to handle many transactions or view their work as excessively difficult. If they say none, they aren’t being truthful. But if they determine a good third of their deals were a challenge and can tell you how they closed them anyway, you have found a tenacious realtor.

2.) Mojo and Charm

Mojo, defined as the art of casting magic spells in Webster’s Dictionary, has come to imbibe a different meaning in our modern world. You aren’t looking for a sorcerer, rather an agent that not only has a way with persuasion and influence but also knows how and when to use it.

Throughout a real estate transaction, your realtor will have to push a multitude of mini-tasks through for you to keep the ball rolling on schedule. Whether that be persuading a banker to work after 5 pm to get your financials to the lender before the start of the next business day, or ensuring the inspector on your property doesn’t nitpick at insignificant flaws to the point of killing the deal, a realtor’s ability to smooth the path for you with their people skills is essential.

3.) Technologically Savvy

The advent of the Internet, e-mail, and texting has changed our world. Those that keep up are a necessity, but those who have mastered the art of modern communication are the stars. A realtor who commands technology will be the one who can effortlessly find, receive and send the information critical to your transaction along with ease, accuracy, and speed.

The top realtors are in constant communication with those in their field. They are texting, e-mailing and moving their deals along at a clipped pace using all of the resources they have available. They are also the ones that have their fingers constantly on the pulse of their market.

They know the best websites to pay attention to and where to go when they need critical information to give them an edge over the other party in your transaction. They will be the ones sending texts and emails while standing on the front lawn with you, not waiting until they return to their office. They will also be working with all of the other players; the bankers, inspectors, etc., who are also technologically savvy. They simply don’t have time for anything less.

4.) Clearly Organized and In Command

A top realtor will not be the one that has paperwork spilling out of their ancient briefcase or spends ten minutes locating your file or document at his or her office. They will be the one who presses one button on their smartphone or laptop and pulls it all up, having already compiled your file electronically, which they add to each time a necessary document, notation, thought or strategy emerges.

All along the way, as little deadlines develop, they will meet them with ease. At the critical day of closing, they will be the one that you absolutely know will be there, completed file in hand, and if something is requested of you that is unexpected, you know your realtor will have it readily available.

5.) A Calm, Cool Demeanor

Buying the largest ticket item a person can acquire without any hiccups along the way is practically unheard of. It is often a several month endeavor during which the multiple players involved are likely to fall behind, drop the ball or make a critical error.

Given all of the moving parts that must come together within a tight timeline, your realtor must be able to crusade for you daily through these tricky waters with a calm, level-headed approach.

If they are going to lose their cool every time a step is delayed or a problem crops up, not only will they lesson the other players’ confidence in their ability to get the job done, (and by association, yours,) but they will also lessen your ability to remain sane through the process.

Find Your Superstar

Finding the right agent for your transaction is much more critical to its success than we often think about. Honesty, local market knowledge, experience, and connections are key. But don’t stop there. Find a realtor who also imbibes tenacity, astute people skills, command of technology and who is extremely organized, cool and calm, and you are well on your way to the smoothest, most successful real estate transaction you can achieve.