When you think about the life of a real estate agent, what pops into your mind? Most people picture agents helping with the process of buying and selling a home especially leading clients through a house, explaining its features and benefits. But, there is a lot more to the career than that, and a lot of it is behind the scenes. 

A real estate agent wears many hats, as the saying goes, ranging from therapist to cheerleader to business owner since every agent is also the CEO of his or her own enterprise, and that includes marketing, branding, sales and much more. Keep reading for the inside scoop on what professional agents do, every day.

Supporting and advising their clients

You know that friend who you can text or call almost anytime about your lifes questions and concerns? A real estate agent can be like that friend during the home buying and selling process and often beyond. Advising and supporting their clients are key roles that agents play, day in and day out.

Think of an agent as a bit of a therapist and a lot like a cheerleader. Most importantly, they help both buyers and sellers make sound decisions and not just financial. This can involve a wide range of topics and answering a variety of questions, such as:

• What is a good asking price for my home?
• What are the best interior paint colors for selling my home?
• How can I get a seller to choose my bid over all the others?
• What exactly will happen during the closing process?

If you have something on your mind about real estate, your agent is your best source of support or information (Yes, even better than that Google search).

Analyzing current conditions

Its no secret that we are experiencing a remarkable housing market, with a potential of just a slight cool-off coming in 2022. A pro real estate agent stays on top of current market conditions, with this knowledge being advantageous to both buyers and sellers. 

Why is knowledge of current market conditions important for clients? It helps leverage pricing and negotiation between buyers and sellers. This insight also helps determine the listing price of a home and realistic expectations for a home, whether its a buyers or sellers market.

A professional agent is also a specialist when it comes to the local market. Whats true in North Texas may not be true in another area of the state or the country. 

Communicating on your behalf

One of the top benefits of working with a real estate agent is the skillful management of the communication that occurs between lots of parties on your behalf. Great agents are fast and strategic communicators.

What specifically does a real estate agent do when it comes to communication? They handle the back-and-forth with buyers and sellers. They help communicate during the inspection process. Real estate agents can also help connect you with other industry professionals, such as mortgage brokers, and with trusted home-services professionals, such as designers, contractors, painters and movers.

Hosting open houses and home tours 

A lot of work can go into an open house. A real estate agent can help their sellers prepare for one, giving tried-and-true pointers on how to show a home in its best light. An agent may even help their sellers stage the home, or connect them to pros who stage homes for a living. (Did you know that staging a home almost always leads to higher offers?) 

Real estate agents also serve as the ultimate ambassadors during organized home tours, wherein agents and/or potential clients come to see several homes often the very latest listings all on one day. A great agent will demonstrate why your home is the best choice for a buyer.

Finding potential buyers and sellers

With a frenzied housing market and a housing shortage thats likely to last beyond the pandemic, one of the most important parts of an agents day is ensuring a full pipeline. In other words, without homes for clients to buy or sell, a real estate agent loses their source of satisfaction and income. 

So, what does a real estate agent do about keeping that pipeline filled? They identify and reach out to potential new clients and follow up with current and past clients which involves research, phone calls, e-mails, lunch dates, texts, handwritten notes and chatting on social media. Perhaps the biggest source of leads? Other professional agents, within and outside their own brokerage. Networking is an art one developed over time.

Marketing for new clients 

When agents arent working to fill those pipelines, they work on strategic marketing, not only for their properties but often for themselves. Not all real estate agents use the same marketing methods, but some of the most popular include:

• Engaging in their social media profiles, such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
• Filming Facebook Live feeds or YouTube videos, on location from their listings, or in neighborhoods they know and love.
• Writing blog posts and sending informative newsletters.
• Working with the brokerages marketing team to create digital ads, print ads, property brochures, online materials and more.

Real estate agnts are running a business every day, in markets hot or cool and the most successful ones spend great amounts of time on all of the above, consistently. When interviewing an agent, ask them about their work, including how they plan to market or find your home, what they know about the area and what some recent sales have been like including how they solved challenges. 

How to work with the best agents in the business

Did you know that Briggs Freeman Sothebys International Realty is an award-winning brokerage? Local to the Dallas-Fort Worth area for more than 60 years, it is the top luxury brokerage in North Texas, known for professional, personable agents who ensure exceptional service for their clients from start to finish no matter if they are buying or selling. Whether you are relocating to the area or you are a longtime resident in search of a new home, working with an expert agent or team from Briggs Freeman Sothebys International Realty is perhaps the wisest move you could make.