Being empathetic and aware helps
Something not many people talk about is the fact that agents see a lot of emotions with the process of buying or selling a home. I work on both ends and I have seen people brought to tears of sadness and tears of joy. A man once jumped up and down like a child and hugged me because I found out his house was undervalued by over 50 grand.
It helps to be a solid person that can handle shifts of emotion with people throughout this process (of buying a home or selling one).
6 answers
I agree. I think this should be the case for most careers. You can't be heartless or prioritize money while forgetting customers or clients. You will struggle to make sales and struggle to find people who actually want you to help them.
You have to be a people person to work with people. Absolutely! I know when I first started, I needed to adjust. I let people do their own thing and most want some interaction from you, almost like a close friend would give to them.
I don't know a single real estate agent personally to not be just emotionally invested in a sale as their client. I have heard of some being rude, rushed, or unfocused though because they had too many clients.
Working alone most of the time, it’s sometimes difficult to recognize feelings in the people who surround you. But that doesn’t make it any less important to consider your impact on others’ lives. Being empathetic toward others’ feelings goes beyond simply comforting someone when they’re feeling down or treading lightly when providing constructive criticism. Rather, having empathy means you understand how your actions and words affect others, and enhancing your communication skills to better represent your point of view. It doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t speak the truth, but you understand how important it is to choose your words wisely.
Practical empathy is not only identifying what a client is feeling and then responding to it, it's understanding how a client is feeling and then addressing the source of that feeling. Say a client is upset when an offer they made for a home is passed on. Condolences and encouragement are important, but perhaps they’re really bothered because they had put all of their hopes into that one property. In this case, practical empathy skills are necessary to identify that an inexperienced home buyer may not remain realistic on their odds when making an offer. After recognizing these emotions, you can focus on setting realistic expectations to change their mindset, instead of needing to apologize for it later. Although, sometimes you may need to do both.
Empathy is highly important in successful negotiations. Our natural inclination is to benefit our clients and ourselves, but a successful negotiation is when all parties walk away feeling like they’ve won. Taking time to consider all viewpoints, or being empathetic, increases the odds of a successful deal.