Most salespeople need to have strong negotiation skills, as well as being excellent at building rapport and being personable—but these qualities are especially critical for real estate agents.
After all, buying and selling property is a very personal transaction. Whether a seller is over-valuing their home or a buyer is being unrealistic about their budget, it’s your job to bridge that gap.
The key is to identify the needs of both the buyer and the seller, then craft a solution that meets in the middle. This is where being an excellent sales agent with great communication skills comes in handy.
Here are the most essential skills for successful real estate agents and how you can develop yours.
Table of contents:
- What are the most important skills for real estate agents?
- 7 Essential soft skills and abilities for real estate agents
- 11 ways to improve your sales skills in real estate
- Earn supplemental income with STRs
- Feel like a real estate expert
- Frequently asked questions about sales skills for real estate agents
What are the most important skills for real estate agents?
It’s not only about having industry knowledge and being able to sell—you need to understand people, build relationships, and empathize with your clients. Both hard and soft skills are important in real estate sales.
Hard skills are the technicalities of the trade like:
- Analyzing the market
- Proficiency in a foreign language
- Local knowledge
- Real estate knowledge
- Research skills
- Negotiation skills
- Qualifying prospects
- Time management
- Techniques to close a deal
- Policy knowledge
While hard skills are essential, they can be learned.
Soft skills, on the other hand, are people skills and harder to teach. These are the more intangible skills like:
- Relationship building
- Communication skills
- Referral marketing
- Active listening
- Problem-solving
- Flexibility and adaptability
- Empathy
We’ll break down each of these soft skills and offer tips on how to hone them.
7 Essential soft skills and abilities for real estate agents
It’s one thing to know the market, but being a great salesperson is about more than that. Here are some essential soft skills that every real estate agent needs:
Building relationships with potential buyers helps you understand their needs.
1. Relationship building
In the real estate market, just like any market, people want to buy from someone they can trust.
Your clients need to know that you have their best interests at heart—even if it means losing a sale. Whether it’s about being transparent with your commission or disclosing any potential red flags with a property, your clients need to know that they can rely on you.
Building trust takes time—but it’s worth it. Being honest and reliable helps develop trust that will be reflected in clients’ testimonials and referrals.
2. Communication skills
Your meetings should always leave clients feeling more informed, so don’t just talk at them—ask questions to check their understanding too. Remember to take notes and send follow-up emails summarizing the key points.
It’s also important to keep the lines of communication open—even when there aren’t any updates. If clients haven’t heard from you in a while, they may assume that you’ve forgotten about them. Set up a system so you can easily track your clients and ensure you’re regularly checking in.
3. Referral marketing
The real estate industry is based on repeat business and referrals. To get both, you need to offer value beyond the initial sale. For example, if a client is moving to a new city, offer to be a resource for information about the area. If they’re looking to renovate their home, put them in touch with reliable contractors. By going the extra mile, you’ll create lifelong clients who are happy to refer you to others.
When clients work with you, they come to expect more than just a real estate transaction. You become a partner in their journey—someone they can trust and rely on. When it comes time to sell or buy again, they won’t want to go to anyone else but you.
4. Active listening
Active listening involves not only hearing what your client is saying but also taking the time to understand the meaning behind their words.
For example, if a client says they’re looking for a “cozy” home, ask them to elaborate. What does cozy mean to them? A small bungalow in the city? A cabin in the woods? By understanding their definition of cozy, you can better show them properties that match your client’s needs.
Active listening also involves paying attention to non-verbal cues like body language. If a client seems uncomfortable or uninterested in a property, take note. There may be something about the home that doesn’t fit their needs, even if they can’t put it into words.
5. Problem-solving
No real estate business is ever smooth sailing. There will always be bumps in the road, like a low appraisal or last-minute loan denial. As an agent, you need to anticipate these challenges and identify solutions.
For example, suggest alternative financing options if a client’s loan is denied. If the appraisal is low, negotiate with the seller to lower the purchase price. If repairs are needed, recommend reputable contractors. Or, if the home is taking longer to sell than expected, offer a discount to buyers. By being proactive and finding solutions to problems, you’ll show clients that you’re on their side.
6. Flexibility and adaptability
As you know, a commission-based business model means you often don’t earn anything if a property doesn’t sell. So, your income isn’t always as stable as you’d like it to be. But you can make supplemental income as a real estate agent through rental arbitrage or by running a short-term rental (STR) management business. If you do consider getting into STR management for your property owners, Jetstream can handle most of the management work remotely, while promoting your brand.
Jetstream helps you manage vacation rental properties, unlocking a source of passive income
The key is to have a backup plan for when the market slows down, or you hit a dry spell. Diversifying your income streams means you’ll be better equipped to manage the highs and lows of the real estate market.
7. Empathy
Empathy is about being able to put yourself in your client’s shoes and genuinely take an interest in them and the challenges they’re facing. Because real estate isn’t always “just business.” For some clients, it’s a very personal experience.
Try to approach every conversation by asking yourself: “what if I were them?”. For example, something like a home inspection might not be stressful for you as a professional with previous experience. But your client may never have been through this before.
Instead of getting impatient with a client who’s dragging out the process, put yourself in their shoes. Be patient, tell them that you understand where they’re coming from, and try to reach a solution that works for everybody. And remember, empathy isn’t just about assuming to know what others are going through—you can always ask!
11 ways to improve your sales skills in real estate
There’s always room for improvement when it comes to sales skills. If you’re a new real estate agent or aren’t closing as many deals as you’d like, here’s what you can do:
1. Take pre-licensing courses
These courses cover topics like real estate law, ethics, and contracts. While some states have online courses, others require the exam to be written in person.
You’ll need to take pre-licensing courses before you can sit the exam to earn a real estate license. Even if you’re already licensed, it’s beneficial to brush up on your knowledge with additional pre-licensing courses.
2. Find a mentor
A good mentor will have been in the business for years and have lots of experience that they’re happy to share with you. They will help you learn the ropes, avoid rookie mistakes, and grow your business.
If you don’t have a mentor, you can join a mastermind group, where members meet regularly to discuss business strategies and offer support to one another. Mastermind groups are a great way to network with other real estate professionals and learn from their experiences.
3. Seek feedback
It’s tough to improve your sales skills if you’re not sure what needs improvement. That’s why it’s important to seek feedback, whether it’s from a mentor, coach, or even a real estate client.
For example, if you’re not getting many responses to your cold calls, ask your mentor for advice on how to improve your script. The key is to be open to feedback and willing to change the way you do things. Only then will you be able to improve your sales skills and close more deals.
4. Keep up with industry trends
Stay informed by reading industry publications, listening to podcasts, or attending conferences. The real estate industry is constantly changing—and you need to change with it.
For example, if there’s a new law that affects home buyers or sellers in your state, make sure you know all about it. Or, if there are certain types of properties that are in high demand, learn all you can about them so you can better market to prospective buyers.
5. Brush up on architectural knowledge
You don’t need to be an expert in architecture to sell real estate, but it helps. The more you know about the different types of homes and styles, the better equipped you’ll be to answer your clients’ questions and market a property.
For example, if you’re selling a historic home, you can use your knowledge of its architectural style to market it as a unique property. Or, if you’re selling a fixer-upper, you can use your knowledge of home construction to show buyers how they can turn it into their dream home.
6. Learn about home staging
Home staging is the process of making a house look its best for potential buyers. Staging involves decluttering, rearranging furniture, and adding decor that appeals to a wide range of buyers. It can make a big difference in how quickly a house sells, so it’s worth learning more about.
Impress potential buyers by arranging the property with stylish furnishings
For example, if you’re selling a family home, you might want to stage it as a comfortable and inviting space. This could involve adding a throw blanket to the couch, putting out family photos, and making sure there are storage solutions for children’s toys.
But if you’re selling a luxury home, on the other hand, you’ll want to focus on highlighting its high-end features. This might mean leaving out personal items like family photos and instead adding stylish furniture and art that creates an elegant atmosphere.
7. Get familiar with home inspection processes
Home inspections are a normal part of the home-buying process, and are designed to identify things like structural damage, mold, and electrical issues. If any problems get spotted, the buyer may ask for repairs to be made before they finalize the purchase.
As the seller’s agent, you’ll need to negotiate with the buyer’s agent to reach an agreement on who will pay for the repairs. In some cases, the buyer may decide to walk away from the deal altogether, so it’s important to understand the process and come prepared with solutions.
8. Know your area’s zoning laws
Zoning laws are regulations that dictate how the land can be used. They’re set by local governments and can vary widely from one area to another, so you need to do your research.
Let’s say you’re representing a buyer who wants to purchase a property that they plan to use for commercial purposes. If the property is zoned for residential use only, the buyer won’t be able to get the permits they need to run their business. In this case, the deal would likely fall through.
9. Connect with the local community
What’s the neighborhood like? Are there good schools? What about transport connections? These are all important questions that potential home buyers could ask.
Become a local area expert by attending town hall meetings, joining social media groups, and getting to know the people who live and work there. You’ll soon understand the community and may even generate leads.
It also opens doors to potential partnerships with local businesses, which can benefit you and your clients. For example, you could partner with a local moving company to offer discounts and referrals.
10. Keep up with the latest technology
There are now apps that allow potential buyers to take virtual tours of properties without having to be there in person. There are also websites that make it easy for buyers to compare different properties side-by-side.
As a real estate agent, it’s important to keep up with these changes and adopt new technologies as they become available. This will make your job easier and give you an edge over your competition.
11. Closing Skills
To be a really good real estate agent you need to understand the different types of closing techniques that are available to you:
- Asking for the sale. This is perhaps the most direct way to close a deal. You simply ask the buyer if they’re ready to purchase the property.
- The assumptive close. With this technique, you assume that the buyer is going to purchase the property. For example, you might say something like, “When would you like to schedule the movers?”
- The trial close. This involves asking questions that will help you gauge whether or not the buyer is ready to purchase the property. For example, you might ask the buyer what their budget is for a new home.
- The emotional close. This technique appeals to the buyer’s emotions and tries to create a sense of urgency. For example, you might say something like, “if you don’t act now, you might miss your chance.”
As you get to know your buyer, you should get a sense of which closing technique will be most appropriate for them. For example, if you’re working with someone very hesitant and mistrustful, an emotional close might scare them off. A trial close might be a better way to scope them out.
Pro tip: always practice your closing techniques in private or with your mentor. This will help you feel more confident when it comes time to use it in a real-life situation.
Earn supplemental income
When your income is commission based, it’s always a good idea to find some supplemental income streams. There are plenty of passive income ideas for stable cash flows in the real estate industry—you just have to know where to look.
Renting a property for short periods of time on platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo can help you fill vacancies and earn top-dollar for your rental unit. The only challenge is managing it, as you’ll need to be on top of things like cleaning, maintenance, and availability.
Partnering with a property management company like Jetstream can take the hassle out of short-term rental management. Jetstream can support you to grow your property management business while handling most of your operations remotely, including guest communications, asset protection, and marketing your rental listings.
Feeling like a real estate expert yet?
There are a lot of opportunities in the real estate industry if you’re willing to put in the work. You need to have a strong understanding of the market, find and nurture leads, resolve client objections, and have excellent closing skills.
Try to stay ahead of the curve and continue learning new things. The more you know, the more you can help your clients—and the more deals you can close.
And if you’re looking for an opportunity to generate passive income, managing a short-term rental can be a great option. Partner with a service like Jetstream to get up to speed on the STR industry and carve out your market niche.
Frequently asked questions about sales skills for real estate agents
What are soft skills in real estate?
Soft skills in real estate are the personal attributes and interpersonal skills that enable you to effectively communicate and work with others. Some important soft skills include:
- Relationship building
- Communication skills
- Referral marketing
- Active listening
- Problem-solving
- Flexibility and adaptability
- Empathy
What is a hard skill in real estate?
Hard skills in real estate are the specific knowledge and technical skills that you need to be successful in the industry. Some important hard skills include:
- Analytics
- Proficiency in a foreign language
- Product knowledge
- Research skills
- Negotiation skills
- Qualifying prospects
- Time management
- Techniques to close a deal
- Policy knowledge
How do you start a successful career in real estate?
You can start a successful career in real estate by taking the necessary steps to:
- Research, study, and explore the real estate industry
- Get the necessary real estate license and registrations
- Create a business plan
- Connect with a strong team of experts
- Develop marketing and advertising strategies
- Generate leads and nurture them into clients
- Manage your time well
- Provide excellent customer service
- Constantly improve and update your skills
What kind of personality do you need to be a real estate agent?
To be a real estate agent, you need to be outgoing and personable, with the ability to build relationships easily. You also need to be a great communicator and problem solver and have a strong work ethic.
