Pursuing any career in the modern world necessitates more than just basic education and experience. It requires you to be a pro at several skills simultaneously. When it comes to real estate specifically, there are wide range of skills that are essential for success.
Below, we joined the Big V from the ‘talk of the town show ‘Rent Like A Boss’ airing on BBC Three. Big V, Charles Haward, is one established real estate agent who is also the Keller Williams listed agent (the largest real estate company in the world), running his own agency. The property maven has a history of exceptional work. He also served as the Licensed Business Partner at Purplebricks Group PLC, Residential and Investment Manager at Olivers Town, and as Sales Negotiator at Edmund Cude & Booth Ltd. With such expertise on property buying, Charles Haward serves as the perfect wellspring of information regarding what top skillset are must-have for aspiring agents.
Haward emphasizes that communication is on the top of the list. Be it home seller or buyer; the real estate agent must have the skill to master various channels of communications. “For communication is vital to deliver important information and ensuring that your customers comprehend your insights at all times. Additionally, the response time of the agents must be quick, for this gives them a sense of being significant and understood. You must keep a check on your text, voicemails, and inbox to be sure that no messages or calls are missed. After all, nobody would want an agent who is not responsive,” he says.
Additionally, Charles Haward reveals that the top takeaway he got from US realtors is that they work in their client’s ‘best interest.’ “The agent’s role is to teach and mentor their clients to prepare them for the process of buying and selling. It is the responsibility of the agent to equip their client with specific skills necessary to negotiate their deal effectively, and so you as an agent must have a mindset to teach and train,” he says.
Significantly, living on London’s streets as homeless in 2013, Charles Haward, who the world now knows as Big V, has emerged as the splendid agent after genuine struggles. The incredible agent has a firm faith that education and conventional degrees do not define one’s parameter of success. “In fact, I think that they restrain your ability by keeping you in a box. This is explicitly true for agents as well; you do not need any specific degree to master the art of becoming a fruitful real estate agent. All it takes is a set of skills and unwavering determination to achieve your aim, followed by the passion for chasing your dreams; after all, it gets worse before it gets best,” he says.
The aptitude to socialize and have people skills is something non-negotiable in the agent. The common mistake that any realtor makes is the fact that they lack to empathize with their customers. As an agent, you must be mindful of the truth that individual clients deserve a personal touch. “Remember a bit of desire of your client and find a property that matches up with it. Trust me, once you get personal with your clients, you will simply fall in love with this work, for you would become their source of joy, bringing a smile to their faces. Additionally, networking with other agents and professionals is also a need to build a community of people, and to improve professionally,” says Charles Haward.
Lastly, the negotiation skills serve to be pivotal for any agent working in any corner of the world. “Negotiation skills are needed to negotiate the best price possible for their clients. If an agent knows the adequate terms of negotiation and is a master at it, only then can he succeed in this super-fierce career. Yet, my piece of advice for all the aspiring agent is that do not think that education is all that you need. You can still do wonders without formal education,” concludes Charles Haward.