My Definition of a “Professional Realtor”

Sometimes, Realtors lose sight of what it means to be a professional Realtor – and I want to discuss how I define professionalism. 

First, let’s look at the baseline definition of “professional Realtor.” 

“Professionalism for a successful Realtor refers to the set of behaviors, attitudes, and ethical standards that ensure they conduct their real estate activities in a competent, ethical, and customer-focused manner. It involves a commitment to delivering high-quality service, maintaining integrity, and upholding the best interests of clients and the real estate industry as a whole.”

This definition is pretty broad, kind of philosophical, maybe a little bit out there, and perhaps not entirely as actionable as figuring out how to multiply your listings and so forth. However, I do think it’s critical to our success. The best Realtors among us are consummate professionals.

I’d like to go through some of the key components that define professionalism for a successful Realtor. Some of them are pretty self-explanatory. 

The first one is ethical conduct: We have a strict code of ethics from the National Association of Realtors. For us, ethical contact includes honesty, transparency, and fair treatment for all parties. 

Second is competence, a critical component of professionalism. The best among us possess a deep understanding of not just their local market and values, but also legal regulations and ramifications and industry trends. 

• Truly successful professionals in the real estate business spend time not just working in their business, they spend time working on their business. 

Working on their business means in terms of knowing the industry, understanding what’s happening in the real estate world, and so on. These individuals are eager to find out what the trends are, national trends, and how these trends impact them locally. They also are aware of what the local trends are, and they’re incredibly skilled at communicating this insider information to their clients, giving them a better understanding of what they can expect as they embark on a sale or a new purchase.

Let’s discuss why competence and conduct are two crucial keys to becoming a true professional in the real estate world. 

Competence: The Secret Weapon to Highlight Your Depth of Knowledge

As previously mentioned, competence is important for all Realtors to have – but I think this skill can be demonstrated in several ways. 

The obvious route is that you can demonstrate competence by knowing your local board contracts inside and out. A truly competent Realtor knows how to work the MLS and Top Loop. However, professional competence means that when you sit down with a potential buyer or seller, you’re able to share what is happening in the market with them – and how it’s going to affect what they’ll go through over the next two to six months. 

For instance, in today’s market, interest rates are up, transactions are down, and yet property values have held their own. The other, broader trend is perhaps universal to every market in the country right now, but there are still transactions going on. However, buyers are becoming much more discerning about what they’re willing to commit to and buy.

Here’s an example: If you’re dealing with a seller in today’s market, they may want to spring for their home inspection to identify anything going on with the house, which somebody else may see and want to deal with upfront. This is vastly different from even a year ago when buyers, in many cases, would waive their right to do an inspection. 

Today, that trend has changed. 

Sellers have to do a bit more work and have to price their properties much more sharply than they did a year ago. They also have to be understanding of what buyers are going through. 

So, when you have your first buyer meeting or first listening appointment at the kitchen table, one of the best ways you can demonstrate professional competence is by having a clear understanding and grasp of what the broader trends are as well as how that is going to directly impact their experience with you going forward. 

Be sure to mention everything; your clients will feel more prepared when they have all the requisite information sitting in front of them and will feel more confident in their decision-making.

Would You Impress Yourself? Why Professional Attire & Conduct Really Matter

Even if you work in a professional industry, you’re still allowed to have personal lives and social lives. We’re allowed to be free to do whatever we want. However, in the age of social media, you want to make sure that the persona you project to the world is one that you’re comfortable with your clients – or your mom – seeing. 

How a Realtor presents themselves can influence clients’ perceptions of their professionalism. Dressing appropriately, maintaining a professional demeanor, and showing respect to all parties involved contribute to a positive image.

Think about it this way: How will you put yourself out there as a professional when the next day you post pictures of partying in Cancun to everyone on your email list? This may not be the best way to enhance your professional relationship with current or future clients. 

Here’s an example of this from my recent life experience. Many people out there think Snapchat does delete everything they post on Snapchat – and it doesn’t. I recently had jury duty and, in the course of the trial I had to sit as a juror on, the defendant truly felt their Snapchat posts disappeared because they disappeared off their phone. 

Of course, the prosecution went to Snapchat and subpoenaed all of their records, and poof! There they were: pictures and everything. The moral of the story is when something goes on the internet, it stays on the internet. Please be careful. 

One another element regarding personal appearance is near and dear to my heart. When I first got my license, about 20 years ago, everybody in the office was wearing a different type of attire to work. For example, the ladies were wearing much dressier clothes, and the men were always wearing a suit jacket and tie – it was a uniform for them. 

Today, I consider myself to be dressed up when I’m wearing a shirt with a collar on it – but that’s me. If you’re comfortable being dressed to the nines, be dressed to the nines. Whatever works for you. 

However, another tip I will give you is to dress for the client that you’re working with. 

• Build the definition of professional attire around the client-Realtor relationship you’ve fostered – and dress to impress them. 

For example, if I’m working with somebody who I have a long-term relationship with, we know each other well. Let’s say it’s a Saturday afternoon and I can get away with showing up in shorts and a t-shirt or something more casual on the way to a cookout or something, that’s great. And, in some cases, that’s still appropriate. 

It’s a little bit different from situations when I’m having a first-time meeting with somebody who could be my grandma. I’m going to respect how they present themselves and consider how they expect to see a professional. 

Yes, I don’t wear suits and ties – but I will tell you this: At that meeting, I’m going to have a collared shirt on. I’m going to be tidy with long pants – and no sandals. I’m going to dress to impress that client and think about their definition of professional, then outfit myself in a way that’s still comfortable and authentic to who I am. 

At the end of the day, you have to be comfortable in whatever “professional” attire looks like for you. If putting a suit and tie on gives you the armor that makes you feel capable of taking on the world, my God, do whatever works for you. 

I caution everyone to be conscious of the people we are making an impression on and the people we work with. How can you keep making those good impressions, especially first impressions?

Final Thoughts

The way you conduct yourself is instrumental to the success or failure of your business. As a professional RealtorRealtor, you must be willing to engage with clients in a way that is approachable, but professional, and proves you are competent enough to be trusted with something of great importance to them. After all, they chose you to help them buy a home or sell their existing property – and that’s a huge milestone. 

Allow your clients to see the knowledge you’ve accumulated during your time in the business; work hard to earn their trust. When you can prove they are in good hands, the rapport built between you and your clients will open plenty of doors to other opportunities – and maybe even referrals – that will continue benefiting you down the road. 

However, in all aspects of the business, you must conduct yourself with professionalism. Think about the suit of armor you want to wear out into the world, and how you want to present yourself to clients – current, prospective, and past. Armed with confidence, competence, and a professional demeanor, you’ll be ready for whatever the market throws at you.